Common Sports Injuries & How To Prevent Them

What Causes Sports Injuries?

Sports injuries can be caused by a whole host of different accidents or mistakes. From the everyday trip or slip whilst exercising right the way to long-standing injuries and mistakes from using a poor technique or the incorrect equipment. Whilst exercise is vital to good health and lifestyle, it doesn’t come without risks. Sports injuries can be incredibly painful and have profound effects on other areas of your life.

Common Sports Injuries

Whilst every injury needs to be treated on a case by case basis, dependent on a huge variety of factors, there are some sports injuries more common than others. Depending on your chosen sport, you will more than likely have heard of some of the most common sports injuries we treat every day.

Breaks & Sprains

One of the most potentially debilitating injuries you can suffer from playing sports is a broken bone or sprained joint. These can occur through just about any type of sport but are often the result of a collision or fall. Breaks and sprains are far more common in contact sports or those where falling from a great height is a risk like climbing. These kinds of injuries are specific to bones and joints, most commonly in the hands, wrists, feet, ankles and collarbone.

Strains & Tears

Straining and tearing are also very common injuries that can occur thanks to exercising. Strains and tears are more specific to muscle and tendons (that connect bone to muscle), and occur when an exercise over exerts your physical capabilities, resulting in a stretched or torn muscle or ligament. This can be incredibly painful and without proper care like physiotherapy can lead to more regular injuries in the future.

Tendinopathy

More commonly referred to as tendonitis, this is the medical term for inflamed ligaments. Ligaments can become incredibly painful and inflamed if they aren’t warmed up before any kind of strenuous exercise or they are overexerted during exercise. Tendinopathy normally comes in hand in hand with some kind of strain or tear.

Tennis Elbow

Whilst this injury isn’t exclusive to tennis players, it can also be called golfers elbow, this injury comes about as a result of repetitive movements that result in multiple heave impacts on the joint. Tennis elbow doesn’t actually affect the elbow however, it is the repetitive movements that inflame the ligaments along the arm, which usually results in pain in the hand and wrist. This often results in a loss of grip when holding or squeezing, hence why it’s a common injury in tennis and gold thus its name.

Concussion

Concussions can occur from everyday life, but they are more of a risk in sport. A concussion is a very common effect that occurs after a heavy impact to the head. Concussions have the possibility to be very serious and can have potentially dangerous developments if not treated correctly. Concussions have symptoms that can suggest other problems, so it’s important no athlete returns to their sport without the all clear from a certified sports doctor. Symptoms include nausea/vomiting, headache, dizziness, sensitivity to light, slurred speech and delayed reactions.

How To Manage A Sports Injury

Each sports injury needs to be treated as an individual case, as everybody will have different needs. The best way to manage a sports injury is to consult a specialist sports doctor who can provide the best level of care for the individual. Most injuries will require a rest period after to prevent further injury and some injuries might require anti-inflammatory medicines to aid with the healing process. Physiotherapy is often used by sports doctors to help regenerate muscle and strength to speed up recovery time but also to reduce the risk of a similar injury happening in future.

Preventing Sports Injuries In Future

Nobody wants to face potentially lengthy downtime after a sports injury that means you out on practice time and prevention is always better than cure. Our sports doctors can work with you before an injury occurs to ensure you are using the best possible technique to reduce the risk of injury. Other steps you can take include warming up and down properly before and after exercise to ensure your body is ready for the exercise it is about to do. Additionally, a healthy diet and adequate amounts of rest between workouts all help your body heal and recover after each session.