The Most Common Injuries Athletes Suffer

Guest Author

Sport Ortho Urgent Care in Tennessee

​Being an athlete has its own set of benefits. Aside from getting more intense physical exercise when playing their preferred sport, athletes also learn lessons that teach them teamwork, leadership, and self-confidence, among many other things.

However, for all the upsides of playing sports, the risk of sustaining an injury whenever they take the field or court will always be present.

With one unfortunate move, an athlete could suddenly suffer a painful injury which could take some time to heal. Many athletes even end up unable to play the sport they love anymore because of an injury.
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What are some of the most common sports injuries athletes suffer? Let’s take a look at some of them.

Sprains

​Sprains occur when we turn the ligaments that attach bone to bone the wrong way, resulting in a pull or tear.

The risk of a sprain increases when an athlete fails to perform pregame stretches and warmups.

Sprains often come with pain, swelling, and stiffness and can take some time to heal. In some cases, immobilization of the affected part is necessary to avoid aggravating the injury.
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Ankle, knee, wrist, and elbow sprains are among the most common sprains among people who play sports.

Strains

Playing sports requires the use of many of our muscles and tendons.

Sometimes, we stretch them too far in the heat of competition, and we end up straining them.
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While most strains are considered minor and often only require rest to heal naturally, they can be pretty painful and uncomfortable.
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Like sprains, strain injuries such as pulled hamstrings, strained quads, and pulled groin muscles tend to happen when a person does not regularly warmup and stretch before participating in a sports activity.

Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is a repetitive stress injury that affects people who engage in the overuse or repeated action of the forearm’s muscles close to the elbow joint.

Pain, inflammation, and tenderness on the outside of the elbow often characterize the injury.

Stretching and warming up before engaging in sports can help us avoid tennis elbow, but it would also be great to pace ourselves and take breaks during a game.
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While a common injury among tennis players and golfers, tennis elbow could also happen to plumbers, butchers, carpenters, or anyone whose work involves repeated use of the forearm.

Shin Splints

When you feel a throbbing and aching sensation in your shins after running or sprinting, you may be experiencing shin splints.

Shin splints happen when you place too much stress on your muscles, shinbone, tendons. Intensifying your workout routine and not stretching and warming up enough typically cause shin splints, which can be very painful and make it difficult to walk, much less run.

Shin splints are common among long-distance runners, soccer players, and basketball players.
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Rest and applying ice to the area can help relieve shin splints. Some take anti-inflammatory painkillers to help with the pain and swelling.

Knee Injuries

​The knees absorb plenty of impact during most sports activities, particularly those that feature plenty of jumping and landing.

Some of the more common knee injuries in sports include meniscus tears, dislocation, fractures, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.

Athletes who suffer knee injuries experience a lot of pain and will sometimes need surgery. Recovering from knee injuries, especially an ACL tear, could take a long time.

We can reduce the risk of knee injuries by performing pregame and postgame warmups and stretches. Knee braces and padding can also help significantly.

Dislocations

Those who play contact sports all face the risk of suffering a dislocated shoulder, ankle, knee, elbow, hip, or jaw.

An excruciating injury, a dislocation forces the ends of your bones out of position, often after falling or a powerful blow while playing contact sports like football, ice hockey, and basketball.

Aside from great pain, a dislocation also causes the affected area to swell. Moving it will also be very difficult.
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Doctors can reposition the dislocated joint back into place. Rest, application of ice pack, and avoiding moving the affected area also helps relieve a dislocation, which could take weeks to heal.

Fractures

Athletes who participate in contact sports are often at risk of sustaining a fracture or a break in a bone.

Fractures can range from stress fractures among long-distance runners to complete breaks, mostly among boxers, football players, wrestlers, and mixed martial artists.

Other athletes that are prone to fractures include skateboarders, skiers, and bikers who fall or suffer an impact onto hard surfaces.

Surgery is sometimes required as part of fracture treatment. Immobilization for weeks on end may also be necessary, and it’s often done by making patients wear a cast to hold the broken bone in place.

If you play sports and you experience the symptoms of the injuries mentioned above, never play through the pain. You would only make it worse, and could lead to further damage.
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As much as possible, you must stop right away once you suffer a sports injury and seek proper treatment for it. That way, you can still engage in your favorite sports once you’re healed.

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