Common Sports Injuries: What They Are and Where You Can Seek Help

Introduction

For most of us, playing sports is a fun way to exercise and compete with our friends. For professionals, sports is the source of their livelihood. But for both professionals and casual players of any given sport, sports-related injuries are always a risk.

In this article, learn about 7 common sports injuries, as well as how a chiropractor can help you recover.

Top Seven Common Sports Injuries

Sprains and strains

A sprain is a stretch or tearing of a ligament, the fibrous tissue that connects bones and joints. Sprains can happen in any joint, but the most common are ankle and wrist sprains. When suffering from a sprain, the victim will experience pain as well as swelling and bruising in the effected area.

Strains are similar to sprains, but involve an injury to a muscle or tendon (the tissue that attaches muscle to bone) rather than a ligament.

Knee injuries

Knee injuries are the most common sports injuries for both athletes and regular people. Runners commonly encounter tenderness near the knee cap or pain on the sides of the knees.

However, knee injuries become dangerous when the bone is bruised or the cartilage and ligaments are damaged.

Each knee is supported by four major ligaments, and all of them can be damaged while playing any challenging sport. Knee injuries often occur due to a lack of warm up, by running too hard or fast, or from suffering blows or twists at the knee.

Swollen muscles

When an injury causes a muscle to swell, the culprit may be damage to connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia connects muscles, and if it does not extend or open, nerves and blood vessels are kept under pressure. This pressure can cause the muscle to be damaged. This uncomfortable state is commonly known as compartment syndrome.

This type of injury can happen in reaction to a one-time injury of the muscle. However, it can also chronically occur due to sports that involve repetitive strikes or movements such as boxing, running, and more.

Achilles tendon injuries

The Achilles tendon is a band of fibrous tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. Intense activity without proper warmup or a traumatic impact can cause the Achilles tendon to be strained or torn. Since Achilles tendon injuries are slow to heal, they are season-ending injuries for professional athletes.

Shin splints

Shin splints are a type of injury that involve pain along the shin bone, also known as the tibia. The tibia is one of the bones on the front of the lower leg. Shin splints are most common among runners, but can happen to any athlete. These injuries are most likely to occur when the athlete fails to warm up and stretch. Shin splints can also occur due to overactivity, and are more likely to happen to individuals with flat feet.

Dislocations

Dislocations are injuries where a joint becomes separated. Dislocations are most commonly a result of high-impact contact sports. Dislocations can cause severe and acute pain in the human body, as well as inflammation and nerve damage.

If an athlete suffers a dislocation, the affected joint will need to be put back into the proper place. The patient will need to wear a sling until the inflammation recedes and undergo a rehabilitation process. Physical therapy can recover strength and range of motion in the injured joint.

Fractures

Fractures are a painful type of sports injury which occur when a bone is broken or cracked. There are two main types of fractures: acute fractures, which result from a one-time trauma and require emergency treatment, and stress fractures, which are caused by repetitive stress or force, often by overuse.

Conclusion

These injuries can turn a fun moment playing with friends into a painful accident that negatively impacts your daily life. For professional athletes, some of these can even end a season or damage a career.

Fortunately, in many cases a chiropractor can help you quickly recover from an injury, as well as help you get back out there quicker. Physical therapists can also be pivotal on the recovery journey.

And contrary to popular belief, Chiropractic care is not a pseudo medical practice and they don’t simply just pop backs. Ask some of the top professional athlete’s about Chiropractic care to see for yourself.

Chiropractic helps me lead a very active lifestyle. Chiropractic was the key to keeping me in the game.

-Jerry Rice, Pro Football Hall of Famer

To learn more about Chiropractic and sports injury recovery, as well as request specialized guidance from trained professionals, visit Newport Pain and Wellness.

Infographic provided by PT specialists, Body In Motion

About Theresa Duncan

Originally from Detroit, MI, Theresa has been offering health and fitness advice for the last 30 years while working as an engineer. She decided to turn her passion into a profession, and finds nothing more satisfying than helping others reach their health and fitness goals.