Are you fond of watching and playing sports? Or are you an athlete by yourself? Playing sports is an essential facet of a healthy lifestyle. Everybody knows playing sports can be beneficial for the human body. But one should also know that sports are physically demanding and playing hard can put your body at risk and may bring injuries to your body.
Physical activities can either make or break your body in many ways. Either you are a professionally trained athlete or just a weekend warrior, sports injuries can hurt your body’s performance anyway. These injuries can damage internal tissues, break a bone, cause external wounds. Sounds painful right? But a sense of accomplishment comes with an athletic endeavor that involves sports injuries.
If you are wondering what the most common sports injuries are, I am going to help you out. Below listed are some of the most common injuries along with their treatments. So, next time when you face an injury while playing sports, you exactly know what precaution or remedies you should take. Let’s explore!
Sports Injuries and their Treatments
1) Shoulder Injury
While playing sports, your shoulder can get hurt or injured. A shoulder injury may include shoulder misalignment, dislocation or twist of ligaments. Research has found that shoulder is the weakest joint of all in the human body and absorbs substantial force during sports. You are vulnerable to shoulder injury if you don’t stretch your muscle before involving in physical activity.
Shoulder pain can be treated with ice as it helps to cure swelling. Proper resting and anti-inflammatories can also help you heal this injury quickly. To prevent shoulder injury, make sure you stretch your shoulder or exercise appropriately before playing any sports. However, you should consult to doctor if the pain remains more than two weeks.
2) Ankle Sprain
In sports that involve lots of running and quick turning, an ankle sprain is most common. You are likely to face this injury during a ball chase or shoot. This sports injury is most common in sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports in which the athletes are required to sprint.
But what exactly is an ankle sprain? It is basically the tearing of your ligaments that connect stronger bones in your body. Ligaments are present near the joints in the body like ankle, knee, or wrist. The common symptoms of ankle sprain injury include swelling, pain, or even bruising. If your injury is acute, don’t treat it by yourself. Instead, consult your physiotherapist right away.
3) Achilles Tendon Injuries
Achilles tendon is present in the middle of the heel bone and calf muscles. Achilles tendinitis occurs when you overuse back of your ankle that causes severe pain and inflammation. Achilles tendon supports your toes that bridges your whole-body weight to the ground. The fast movement of the foot while sprinting in baseball, tennis, football and dance, may also cause this injury.
Many medications are used to heal this type of sports injury. However, you can cure this at home in many ways. If you have broken your Achilles tendon, make sure you avoid putting weight on your legs. Exercises that strengthen calf muscles and muscle stretching can help prevent this injury. Rest and apply ice until your pain starts reducing. But if this does not help you out, consult a doctor immediately. In the worst situation, this sports injury can even require surgery.
4) Hip Flexor Strain
Hip flexor muscle helps you lift, pull and supports the movement of your knee and leg. If these muscles are overstretched or torn, this injury may occur. Sports that require upward movements and quick changes in directions such as football, soccer, hockey, martial arts, tend to cause hip flexor problems in athletes.
Minor hip flexor strain can be treated at home by taking adequate rest, applying ice for a couple of minutes and stretching your legs for better blood flow. In extreme pain or swelling, go and seek your physiotherapist who will suggest you some best hip-strengthening exercises to relieve your pain.