Probably, we’ve all participated in some form of sport at some point in our lives for different reasons – for fun, health & fitness, or as a career. Whatever the reason, sports are very essential regardless of our lifestyle, age, or gender. However, sports injuries can be inevitable in almost all kinds of sport. Luckily, most of these sports injuries can be prevented. We’ve prepared a list of 10 common sports injuries plus the effective ways to prevent such injuries. Please read on.
- Concussion
A traumatic brain injury can occur if you get hit, bumped, or receive a blow to your head and this could make you suffer a concussion. A blow to your body that significantly causes your head to move back and forth can also result in a concussion. This type of injury is common in sports such as boxing, hockey, soccer, and motor racing. Wearing a proper gear while plating these and related sports is an essential factor to avoid suffering this kind of injury. Also, practice on the exercises that help strengthen your neck and back muscles as these control your head’s displacement and prevent whiplash. If you or someone close to you has suffered this or another type of sports injury because someone else was negligent, you can consider getting help from one of the injury lawyers in your area about the same. The attorney will advise you on the necessary legal steps to take and help fight for your rights according to the law. For instance, you can consult The Millar Law Firm for more information.
- Achilles/Tendinitis Tear
This type of sports injury is most common among athletes whose sport involve mainly running and jumping. The injury causes inflammation and pain in your Achilles tendon – tendon at the back of your ankle – when it gets overused. This tendon could, in some instances, get torn and this can worsen the injury. To prevent this injury from occurring, you need to participate in essential strengthening and flexibility programs. Ensure to always run and jump in proper shoes and avoid those that can subject your body to more stress.
- Back Injuries
Back injuries are common in sports like tennis, golf, and running. If you’re less flexible when participating in these and other related sports, it’ll be almost impossible to avoid the injury. Therefore, you should focus on flexibility programs and essential strength training. You need to work on your multifidus muscles – muscles that surround the vertebrae in your back – as well other than just concentrating on your abs.
- Golfer’s Elbow/Tennis Elbow
These are the most popular epicondylitis types of injuries that can occur as a result of poor swinging hence causing pain on the victim’s elbow – both inside and outside. Luckily, if you’re a fan of playing tennis or golf, you can prevent these injuries from happening. You need to work on your form. Consider the practices that work to strengthen your rotator cuff and forearm muscles. You can also get some lessons to understand how to swing the right way and prevent the chances of these injuries.
- Knee Injuries
This form of sports injury is one of the most common injuries in sports. It’s not once or twice that you see from your favorite sports channel that a certain sports player has missed the game because of a knee injury. Anyone can suffer from this injury as the practice their favorite sport, but preventing it is better than curing it. You need to strengthen your glutes – responsible for controlling how thighbones roll in, quads, and hamstrings – prevent the shinbone from coming forward.
- Fractures
Fractures are a quite rare form of sports injuries that mostly occur accidentally. And just like any other accident, they can be unpredictable and inevitable. However, adopting a healthy lifestyle can be essential. Consider eating a proper diet, a diet that can strengthen your bones. Ensure that you get sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamin D. You should also exercise weight training to strengthen you’re your muscles and bones.
- Hip Labral Tears
Your labrum – the soft tissue ring surrounding your hip joint socket – is vulnerable to tears. This can be caused by different factors. Repetitive rotation and hyperflexion of your hip, direct trauma to your hip, and squatting motions are some of the main factors that can cause this type of injury. You can significantly prevent this injury by strengthening your glutes and constantly stretching your hip flexor muscle. You should also ensure to wear proper footwear during sports.
- Shin Splints
Shin splints will be common if you’ve been trying out a new sport that involves running or have just increased your workout intensity. This is the pain on the inside of your shin that results from the shinbone muscle inflammation. To prevent this injury, you need to ensure to put on proper shoes and work on your calves and calf muscles. Perhaps you can also consider gentle exercises that help strengthens your feet. This way, you’ll not only be fit in the sport but you’ll also become less vulnerable to experience the injury.
- Strain and Sprain Injuries
If you’re participating in sports where you’ll be required to run, jump, use your shoulders, or to stop and go quickly, you’re more likely to experience one or more injuries falling under this category. These include strained groin muscles and hamstrings and sprained bicep tendinitis and ankles. However, you can avoid these injuries. You need to adopt a good flexibility program – both eccentrically and concentrically – and work on strengthening your muscles. These exercises help prepare your muscles for such movements hence preventing the injuries.
- Rotator Cuff Tear/Tendinitis
The movement and stabilization of your shoulder are made possible by the tendons and muscles in your rotator cuff. You can be vulnerable to this type of injury if you’re involved in sports like tennis and baseball, which requires you to make repetitive motions. To prevent this injury, you need to work on strengthening your rotator cuff and the upper back and core muscles. You need to also stretch your pectoral muscles soon after the sport. Otherwise, you’ll risk overcompensating the muscles and causing them to tear.
Conclusion
Sports injuries are common in every kind of sport can be severe and can spoil your fun or bring an end to your sports career. Luckily, a majority of these injuries – such as the ones mentioned above – can be avoided. Your safety should be your first priority every time you go out to participate in your favorite sport. Ensure to follow each and every step of the injuries that you can be vulnerable to suffer from. If you or a family member gets wrongfully injured while participating in a certain sport, you should consult a personal injury attorney to advise you on the relevant steps of seeking legal practice.
