Sports Injuries: Most Common Causes of Sports Injuries

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Sports Injuries:  Most Common Causes of Sports Injuries


What is Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are injuries that occur when engaging in sports or exercise. Sports injuries can occur due to over-training, lack of conditioning, and improper form or technique.

Sports injuries are commonly caused by overuse, direct impact, or the application of force that is greater than the body part can structurally withstand. There are two kinds of sports injuries: acute and chronic. An injury that occurs suddenly, such as a sprained ankle caused by an awkward landing, is known as an acute injury.
Chronic injuries are caused by repeated overuse of muscle groups or joints. Poor technique and structural abnormalities can also contribute to the development of chronic injuries.

Medical investigation of any sports injury is important, because you may be hurt more severely than you think. 

For example, what seems like an ankle sprain may actually be a bone fracture. Failing to warm up increases the risk of sports injuries.

Bruises, strains, sprains, tears, and broken bones can result from sports injuries. Soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and bursae may be affected. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is another potential type of sports injury. Injuries may range from mild to severe.

 

Also Read: First Aid For Some Sports Injuries

Most Common Causes of Sports Injuries

Sports Injuries:  Most Common Causes of Sports Injuries



Sports injuries typically fall into two categories, acute or chronic, and can stem from direct impact, loading (putting more force on a joint than it can handle), or overuse.

An acute injury is the result of an incident or accident that results in noticeable symptoms. For example, a slip, fall, tackle, or collision can result in an acute injury. While some accidents are just a part of playing sports, others may be avoided by having proper gear and equipment and playing in safe conditions. For example, playing soccer on wet leaves can lead to slipping and falling.

chronic injury is longer-term. It may begin as an acute injury that does not heal completely or may be caused by overuse or improper form. Many athletes play through pain, which can lead to chronic injuries.


Read On: Meaning of First Aid and Why do we give First Aid?

Others Common causes of sports injuries

1. IGNORANCE: To think that a common sports injury sustained while practicing during a high impact activity will simply go away on its own is both foolish and dangerous. The mantra of “walking off” an injury is blasphemous in the medical literature and can even produce further damage and injury. 

See your local podiatrist to determine the grade of your injury, and they can come up with a plan of relative rest or safe alternating exercise activities while you recover.

2. OVERUSE: Chronic wear and tear of muscles, tendons, and joints can produce fatigue and over training muscle strains and cramps. This may simply be due to lack of adequate rest and insufficient time for muscles to recover and heal themselves.

This is why it is crucial for coaches and players to be aware of cross training and alternative activities with different styles, tempos, intensities, and time frames of exercises.

Taking breaks also helps the athlete break through a plateau in their training regimen, in addition to avoiding overuse injury of the same worn down musculotendinous complex, it confuses the “muscle memory “pattern of the athlete and allows them to face and grow in new challenges.

3. IMPROPER REHABILITATION: When common sports injuries are sustained and patients are in the rehab phase, it is important that the therapists bear in mind that the athlete has to overcome two challenges. The first is complete healing of the damaged structure and tissue, and second is reconditioning of the musculotendinous complex.

So early on, modalities should include: stretching, range of motion, gait training, iontophoresis, electrical stimulation, shockwave therapy, PRP, Amnio therapy for example. Afterwards, their regimen should focus on sport specific muscle strengthening exercises. 

4. TOO MUCH TOO SOON: When athletes have a period when they are on Injured Reserve or dealing with either an acute or chronic injury, oftentimes they believe they can go back to pre-injury performance levels immediately.

However, this is not the case. After an injury, when an athlete is medically cleared to play, they should only do 10% of the intensity of the workout they normally do on the first session and consult with coaching staff to plan a progressive regimen to work their way back up.

5. IMBALANCED TRAINING SESSIONS: Have you ever been to a gym and see a person that has a chiseled upper physique, however, when looking upon their lower extremities you think “whoa what happened?” That person consistently skips leg day.

Similarly, athletes can get carried away with focusing too much on a particular muscle group and neglect the corresponding antagonistic muscle groups which can lead to a deformity in the long run.

For example, only working the pectoralis muscle group while neglecting the back and muscles of posture will lead to a kyphosis or hunched over back deformity. Furthermore, for athletes like volleyball or baseball players, the accessory muscle groups are crucial to their everyday performance.

So in addition to working their lattisimuss dorsi or biceps, they cannot neglect their rhomboids, teres minor, major, nor trapzezius. Review with your coach exercises and stretches one can do for a balanced regimen.


Also Read: Basic First Aid Skills 

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