Commonplace injuries in athletics: Prevention and treatment

Exercise has several proven health benefits, including maintaining a healthy immune system, helping you maintain adequate body weight levels, and promoting joint mobility. However, much like any other activity, you can also hurt yourself while doing sports. And while injuries are awful for everyone, they’re even worse if you’re an athlete since your body is your instrument.

If you’re involved in athletics, you want to avoid injuries as much as possible. However, most sportspersons become injured at least once in their career, so the focus shifts more towards finding successful treatment solutions. Here are some of the most common injuries in sports that you should protect yourself from, as well as the most successful treatment schemes you can employ to make a full recovery.

Knee injuries

Injuring your knees is unfortunately very common when playing sports, mainly because most physical activities put a lot of pressure on those joints and tendons. There are several common injuries depending on the type of sport you perform. For example, Runner’s knee is common in those struggling with a structural defect but can also result from a manner of running that places undue strain on the knee. Stretching well is highly important, as tight hamstrings or Achilles’s tendons can also cause Runner’s knees.

Fractures can happen in any bone, but the kneecap is the most common, with the cause being a direct result of a bad fall. Less familiar are the indirect fractures resulting from muscular contractions, such as those of the quadriceps, which, if strong enough, can pull the patella apart. This is one of the more difficult injuries to treat, with an average recovery time of three to six months. However, severe injuries can take much longer.

Your physician will generally advise you to avoid any type of physical activity involving climbing stairs, kneeling or crouching down, as it can worsen the fracture. If you believe your accident resulted from someone else’s negligence, you can file a personal injury claim. Since you’ll be unable to do any sports for a prolonged time, you can request additional compensation for loss of income or any changes you had to make around your home to accommodate your post-injury lifestyle.

Ankle injuries

Much like in the case of the knees, you also put a lot of pressure on your ankles. Wearing the proper footwear in order to get the maximum amount of support helps, as well as ensuring you give yourself plenty of warm-up time before any activity. Improving your flexibility and balance can also prevent sprains, but if you’re still concerned that you might become wounded somehow, you can tape your ankle or wear a brace when you exercise.

Sprains, the most common ankle injury out there, typically come from twisting or turning your ankle at an unnatural angle, which results in the ligaments stretching or tearing. Running on uneven surfaces, landing awkwardly on a hard surface, or even colliding with someone else during a game can lead to damage. If you play a sport involving a lot of pivoting, such as basketball or volleyball, you have a higher risk of injuring your ankles.

Achilles tendinitis, an inflammation of the tissue band connecting your calf to your heel, is a common injury in those that practise strenuous routines without giving themselves ample time to recover. If you are navigating a period during which you need to amp up the intensity of your training, make sure you take sufficient time to stretch your muscles afterwards. The most common symptom is persistent stiffness at the back of your ankle, particularly in the morning.

In severe cases, you can even require surgery, but most patients heal through rest, anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy and a system of cross-training exercises with low-impact activities like swimming and cycling to keep you in good shape.

Shoulder injuries

Shoulder injuries are a common occurrence for athletes as well. Many of them are not very serious, and taking a few days off to recover is enough to get you back on track. However, others are more serious and require the assistance of a clinician. Some of the clear signs that your injury is severe include:

• Extreme pain or stiffness that doesn’t go away despite resting the joint or that seems to get worse.
• A shoulder that looks visibly unwell, with the skin being red and inflamed, bruised or discoloured, as well as warm and tender to the touch
• A feeling like your shoulder is dislocated and doesn’t sit well in its socket.

Rotator cuff injuries are one of the most common forms of damage for athletes. This type of injury is typically caused by progressive wear and tear and generally occurs from repetitive overhead motions. Yet, in rare cases, it can also come from a single traumatic injury. These cases are usually more dangerous and often require surgery. For the others, strengthening exercises are generally all that’s needed to improve flexibility and help the muscles surrounding the joint.

Shoulder instability occurs when the upper portion of the arm bone moves out of its socket. The dislocation can be either complete or partial. Leaving this issue unattended causes the shoulder to become loose on its joint, meaning that further injuries are highly likely to occur. Anti-inflammatory medication can help reduce moderate pain and swelling, but severe cases require urgent surgery.

Impingement syndrome occurs when the shoulder blade presses directly on the soft pressure underneath any time the arm is lifted. This health condition often results in the appearance of other mobility concerns, such as bursitis or tendinitis, which can put you in a considerable amount of pain and severely limit your movements. Impingement is common among swimmers due to the overhead motions, as well as tennis and baseball players.

It may take several months to recover, so it’s essential to give the joint plenty of rest and avoid performing any physical activities that can cause pain, including stretching or physical therapy exercises if they are past your comfortable range of motion.

Physical injuries can be particularly damaging for athletes, considering that you must take a lot of time off, and the damage can sometimes be irreversible. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to warm up, wear the right equipment, and don’t push yourself too hard.