Most Common Injuries in Sports – Types & Treatment Options
Sports and physical exercises play a vital role in promoting your overall health and preventing the risk of obesity. Yet, millions of Americans develop sports-related injuries every year. Sports injuries often occur due to poor training habits, improper gear, and accidents. Failure to warm up or stretch can also lead to sports injuries.
Today we will be discussing the most common injuries in sports.
Hip Flexor Strain
Hip flexor muscles allow you to raise your knee and flex your leg away from your body. Unfortunately, your hip flexor is at a greater risk for injury due to sports and everyday activities like sprinting, running uphill, climbing stairs, starting or stopping suddenly.
You can treat a hip flexor injury by resting and applying ice on the injured hip for 15 to 20 minutes several times every day for the first two or three days. From there, you can stretch and apply gentle pressure on the area to reduce the tension.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
The ACL supports your knee and facilitates movement. Moving suddenly or changing your movement can strain the ACL. Sometimes the injury might be severe enough to tear your ligament, causing swelling and lack of stability. The best treatment for an ACL injury includes resting and applying ice on the area.
It would also help if you gave yourself enough time to recover before going back to sports. A severe ACL tear might need surgery, adequate rest, and physical therapy for complete recovery.
Jumper’s Knee
Jumper’s knee, commonly referred to as patella tendonitis, occurs due to an inflammation on the tissue connecting your thigh muscle and kneecap. This injury is common in sports with repetitive jumping like volleyball and basketball. It is also common among overweight individuals or people who exercise or play sports on hard surfaces.
Common symptoms include stiffness and pain around the knee. You might also experience knee weakness or stiffness as you attempt to jump, kneel, or climb stairs.
Patellofemoral Syndrome
Patellofemoral syndrome occurs due to a sudden impact on your kneecap and knee joint. It can lead to swelling and muscle weakness. You can treat patellofemoral syndrome by resting and elevating the injured leg. Applying ice on the area can speed up healing and reduce swelling.
After healing, you can add strengthening exercises that target your calf and thigh muscles to strengthen your knee.
Sciatic Nerve Pain
Sciatic nerve pain is common among golf and tennis players because they twist their torsos. It usually causes numbness on the legs and the back. You can treat sciatic nerve pain by resting on your stomach to reduce pressure on your back.
Shoulder and Elbow Injuries
Shoulders and elbow injuries are at significant risk for impact and overuse injuries. These are common in tennis, golf, baseball, soccer, and more due to overuse and acute injuries. You can treat shoulder and elbow injuries by taking inflammatory medicines and inching the areas. Enough rest will also help.
Concussion
Concussions are common in contact sports like rugby, football, soccer, wrestling, boxing, and more. Concussions usually affect brain activity. Common symptoms of a concussion include dizziness, nausea, headaches, and sensitivity to the sun or bright lights. You can treat concussions by resting and talking to a certified personal injury specialist.
Reliable Sports Injury Treatment is Available at La Clínica
La Clínica is the premier injury care clinic in Chicagoland. We have been treating individuals with sustained work, personal, auto, and sports injuries since 2005. Our multidisciplinary care is eager to assist you in getting all the benefits you deserve because of your injury. Contact our friendly team to schedule your complimentary injury screening.