Sports are simultaneously great for your health and hard on your body. Runners have improved heart health, for example, but often suffer from splint fractures and ligament wear and tear. Athletes are in their peak physical conditions and yet are at risk for terrible injuries due to the contact-nature of their sport.
There are many types of sport-related injuries, but knowing the most common is how you can help avoid and treat your injury fast.
Most Common Sporting Injuries
The most common sporting injuries are:
Hamstring Sprains
These occur when you sprain your hamstring ligament. They are dangerous because you can still walk after incurring this injury. If you are not careful, you can easily re-injure yourself. As it is, these injuries can take months to a year to heal.
Joint Sprains
Joint sprains can occur in a variety of areas. They are often contracted after a sudden move, like a kick that was too hard or a movement that stretched your ligaments too fast.
The key areas you can experience joint pain from a sporting injury include:
- Ankle
- Knee
- Groin
Ligament and Cartridge Tear
Ligament tears often occur due to prolonged exercise. Runners have notoriously bad knees, and tennis players often develop what is known as “tennis elbow” due to the repetitive motions tearing down their cartilage and ligaments.
The main areas you will experience these types of sporting injuries include:
- Elbows
- Knees
Top Causes for These Injuries
The top causes for these injuries include:
1. Fatigued Muscles
Overdoing it when it comes to sport can mean that you experience muscle fatigue. Left unchecked this can mean your body’s ability to protect itself is diminished, and therefore make you more prone to injuries.
2. Lack of Warm Up and Cool Down
Always warm up and cool down before sport, as this can cause tears and strain on your body that can lead to injury.
3. Prolonged Sport
Prolonged sport, like running or tennis, wears down on your body and can often lead to lasting issues.
How to Prevent These Sporting Injuries
To prevent these sporting injuries, you will want to:
Listen to Your Body
If you feel like you are overdoing it, stop. Getting injured on the way won’t make you fitter faster, nor will it make you better at your sport of choice.
Stretch and Warm Up Before Exercising
As stated before, always stretch, warm up, and cool down when you exercise.
Improve Flexibility and Strength
When you play any sport, you will always want to focus on improving your flexibility and strength. Doing so will help reduce the risk of straining a ligament or muscle and can help you reduce the chances of being injured in the first place.
Give Yourself Time to Properly Heal
Listen to your body, be honest to your recovery specialists, and don’t try to heal faster. Though many treatments can speed up your recovery, you still need to listen to your body. Overdoing it too soon can result in making the sports injury worse.
Sporting injuries come in all shapes and sizes, but the most common are the three listed above. The reason why you have hurt yourself in these top ways may differ, but the result is the same, and therefore you will need to take the same measures to reduce the severity of the injury and to get back to the sport you love better than before.
No matter the cause of injury, if you have been injured while playing sports, you need reliable doctors and physical therapists that can get you off the bench. Our personal injury clinic in Miami and Hollywood, FL has the professional medical staff you need to provide the chiropractic care and rehabilitation you need for a full recovery. Call one of our sports injury clinic today.
You must read: How to Recover Quickly from a Sporting Injury