Don’t Let Sports Injuries Take Over Your Life: What You Need to Know to Prevent Them

Why Do Sports Injuries Happen?

Injuries are a consequential part of being a sports player, however machine operators get tennis elbow, artists get shoulder injuries, and farmers develop tendinitis, even though they may not actively participate in sports. 

Ultimately, “sports injuries” refers to those that occur in active individuals, because they mainly come as a result of the repetition of mechanical movement of a muscle that’s not properly warmed up or prepared for such repetitive activity. 

Types of Sports Injuries

Sports injuries fall into two categories: acute and chronic injuries. What most people don’t know is that because of the nature of each of them, they both require different treatment approaches. Here´s what you need to know: 

Acute Sports Injuries

Anywhere from bruising an elbow, to fracturing a bone or tearing a muscle, acute sports injuries typically happen suddenly while in the execution of the movement. Musculoskeletal injuries – also known as acute sports injuries, are most common in athletes, however anyone, even if they’re not a high performance athlete, can experience fractures, strains, or dislocations. 

Chronic Sports Injuries

Repetitive loading or a distinctive overuse of the injured area are the main causes of the gradual development of a chronic injury. In some scenarios these types of injuries can set the stage for acute injuries to happen, which is why they’re not necessarily independent from one another. 

Common chronic sports injuries include:

• Sprains: minimal, partial or complete tears of ligaments
• Chronic inflammation: tendinitis or bursitis 
• Stress fractures: They commonly occur in the bones of the lower extremity, in the femur, tibia or fibula, thanks to an unexpected impact that the body was not able to properly withstand. 

All of which come as the result of untreated discomfort in a specific area, not using the correct exercise techniques and even overtraining— either by doing it too often or for an extended period of time. 

How Do I Know If I May Be Injured?

Although the symptoms of any sports injuries depend directly on the type of injury you have, it´s important to be alert to any sign of pain or discomfort that may suggest you can potentially be injured. Some of the most frequent symptoms of any sports injury include:

• Pain when executing any normal activity that requires movement 
• Extreme swelling or bruising of a specific area, even during rest time
• Not being able to move a joint normally 
• Extreme weakness 
• A bone that’s visibly out of place

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing any of the previously mentioned symptoms of a sports injury, at University Pain & Spine Center we recommend you seek professional guidance. A physiotherapist, for example, can offer a treatment individually tailored to your needs and the nature of the injury. 

Prevention Is Key. 6 Tips To Prevent Any Type Of Sports Injuries  

1. Focus on Functional Training

Cardiovascular exercises, strength and flexibility training are only a few examples of the areas you need to focus on if you want to improve your physical wellbeing. 

Creating a functional and strategic fitness plan, specifically tailored to your needs, either if you are an athlete or you just want to incorporate mindful movement into your daily life, can make the biggest difference in your health and on how your body responds to the impact of your workouts. 

   2.Stay Hydrated

Drinking water or electrolytes can prevent heat exhaustion, and avoid any symptom of dehydration.  

Even if you aren’t training outdoors or in the mid-summer heat, you still need to prioritize the regular consumption of liquids, to make up for the sweat and fluid that your body naturally produces to regulate your temperature while doing any physical activity. 

Hydration plays a huge part in your muscle’s recovery after long training sessions, and prevents you from uncomfortable and painful cramping that can lead to a much bigger issue. 

   3. Don’t Neglect Your Warm-Ups.

People often forget how important it is to properly warm up before executing any type of physical activity. A couple of sit ups and rolling your arms in a circular motion for thirty seconds is not the recommended way to prepare your body for the physically demanding tasks you are about to get done. 

Taking your time when warming up not only helps to prepare your joints and muscles for the workout, but also creates a routine that doesn’t rush your heart, lungs and muscles to reach their maximum capacity, but more so it gradually prepares them to perform well during training.  

   4. Stretches Are Also Part Of The Workout

When you are at the gym it is pretty common to finish the last set of your workout routine and immediately pack your things and go home. Although sometimes you are so tired that´s all you want to do, it’s important to leave some energy in the tank for one of the most crucial, but overlooked, parts of training: the stretches.

Cooling down with a five to ten minute stretching routine can significantly reduce the risk of an injury, improve your flexibility and boost your ability to control the small muscles that usually get neglected during training. 

   5. Always use The Right Equipment Or Gear

This applies both to athletes and workers. Either if you run marathons, or are in charge of the mechanical operations at a factory, each area of work requires a specific gear that minimizes the risk of an injury. Wear shoes that give your feet the right support; use the protection elements every time you are doing a physically demanding task. All of those precaution measures build a barrier of protection between your body and the impactful activity you may be performing. 

   6. Lift Smarter, Not Harder

Oftentimes, especially nowadays with social media, people feel  that  lifting a certain amount of weight at the gym directly correlates to better athleticism, however that idea could not be further from the truth. 

A strong body is not necessarily the one that lifts the heaviest weights, but the one that challenges itself in a conscious measure. The weight you are lifting should challenge you, not prevent you from breathing, standing or moving properly during performance. Muscle growth not only depends on the heaviness of the weight, but also on other variables like the posture or the rhythm with which you are carrying it. 

I’m Definitely Injured, What Do I Do Now? 

Although sports injuries can come up unexpectedly, even if you do everything to prevent them, it is important to know who to call and what to do after you find out you have a sports injury.  Our pain management experts at University Pain & Spine Center not only provide you with advice, but also are committed to help you find relief and regain control of your life everyday. Book your appointment here.