Sports have always played an important role in human daily life. We take part in sports as a means of entertainment and connection, as a way to promote and maintain good health. However, sport injuries are very common among those who play sports. Here are the seven commonest sport injuries.
Your ankle is encompassed in innumerable ligaments whose main function is to connect bone to bone and control movement of the body. When your ankle turns inwards too fast, or twists awkwardly because of sudden movements, the ligaments around your ankle, which are indeed very weak, will tear, causing ankle sprain. That is why athletes who take part in robust sports such as soccer, basketball, rugby usually encounter sprained ankle.
Advice: Consult with your doctor immediately after your ankle is sprained to see how serious it is. It usually takes a couple of weeks for a sprained ankle to heal properly. Your doctor will also advise you what types of exercises you should do to strength.
Pulled muscle is easily caused when sport players do not warm up appropriately. Pulled muscles result from an unexpected, tremendous force that stretches the fiber too much. There are two cases that may happen. Pulled muscles may occur if only some of the fibers tear; however, should all of the fibers tear, you will have full-blown muscle tear.
Advice: Ice compresses and rests really help the pain and swelling alleviate. Remember that you must heal completely before participating in sport again. If you return to physical activity too soon, you will make pulled muscle recur with an even more serious condition.
Hamstring is constituted from the three separate muscles in the back of the thigh. Hamstring strain is caused when your leg is over-stretched during hurdling or sprinting. Hamstring strain can also happen when you fall forward while water-skiing.
Advice: Hamstring injuries usually take a long time, perhaps 1 year, to heal completely because walking creates ceaseless stress on the already-injured tissue. You should not take part in sport during recovery. Some guys just cannot wait for that long, so they soon play sports again. Therefore, re-injuries are very common.
Shin splints make the muscles near the shin bones painful. Running, especially on hard surface like paved roads, is the main cause of shin splints particularly for starters or those who have unsupportive shoes.
Advice: You can apply ice compresses and take rest. Use anti-inflammatory medicine is suggested
Knee Injury: ACL tear
Knee injuries are very common among sport injuries. There are two types of knee injury: ACL tear and Patellofemoral syndrome.
The first one ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament tear. Its function is to help hold the leg bone to the knee. If you hear a loud ‘pop’ in the knee, suffer from pain so agonizing that you cannot do activities, have a swollen knee, you are having ACL tear.
Advice: You must go to doctors immediately because this is one of the most serious sport injuries. If your injury is severe, you may need to undergo surgery to remain physically active.
Knee Injury: Patellofemoral syndrome
It is caused when your knee joint is put under constant stress during running, jumping or volleyball, causing irritation under knee cap.
Advice: Patellofemoral syndrome is not as serious as ACL tear. All you need to do is keep patience. Your knee will require 6 weeks to heal completely. Low-impact exercise is recommended during your recovery.
When your elbow has to work too much for a long time, for instance, during tennis or golf, there may appear some small tears in elbow’s tendon. People from 30-60 are easily subject to tennis elbow.
Advice: Tennis Elbow is not a serious injury, so the best way to recover it is to take rest, stop playing tennis or golf for a time, and wait for the pain to wear off. After the pain goes away completely, you can surely get back to the court.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Review Date: July 18, 2017 | Last Modified: July 18, 2017
The Seven Most Common Sports Injuries. http://www.webmd.com/men/features/seven-most-common-sports-injuries#1. Accessed by June 1, 2017
Ankle Sprain. http://www.healthline.com/health/ankle-sprain#overview1. Accessed by June 1, 2017
The Seven Most Common Professional Sports Injuries. http://www.physicaltherapyaide.org/common-professional-sports-injuries/. Accessed by June 1, 2017