Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are different from regular injuries and mainly affect an athlete. Sports injuries happen while participating in sports, training and or exercises. Overtraining, lack of conditioning, and inappropriate technique of performing a certain task leads to sport injuries. Neglecting to warm up prior to exercising or playing any physical sports also increases the risk of injuries. Although, sports injuries are mainly found in athletes involved with any form of physical sports, there are another species of athletes – the weekend athletes (engaging in sports only during weekend). This kind of “athletes” are actually more prone to such injuries, owing to their sedentary work week and the sudden weekend physical exploits that are bound to take its toll on their bodies.

Sports injuries are different from regular injuries, as athletes put their body under a lot of pressure, which sometimes leads to wear and tear in the muscles, joints and bones. Sports injuries treatment is better dealt with the help of sports physiotherapy, which is the particular branch of physiotherapy which manages injuries and physical issues associated with athletes. Sports physiotherapist helps the athletes in making recovery and also provides some education on the prevention of further injuries. Sports physiotherapists have sports specific knowledge and as such are better apt in helping the athletes make rapid recovery.

Common Sports Injuries

Some of the common forms of sports injuries are as follows:

• Muscle Strain : Muscle strain or pulled muscle is one of the most common sports injuries, that often takes place when a muscle is overstretched and tears. Muscle strains mainly affect the quadriceps, calves, quadriceps, groin, lower back and the shoulder. This form of injury can be treated with some rest, ice compression and sports physiotherapy. At Portea, we bring forth highly skilled and experienced sports physiotherapists who offer world class therapy sessions for fast recovery, that too in the comfort of your home.
• Torn ACL : ACL or anterior cruciate ligament helps in keeping the knee joints together and brings stability. A Torn ACL is extremely painful and restricts the ability to walk. The injury takes place from a direct shot to the knees, or from incorrect landing and or stopping and changing direction quickly. This kind of injury requires surgical maneuver followed by sports physiotherapy sessions. To locate a good sports physical therapy, just log on to Portea and type sports physiotherapy near me.
• Torn MCL : It is another form of knee injury, which takes place when the medial collateral ligament that connects the femur to the tibia is injured. It is caused when the knees are pushed sideways. This form of knee injury can be treated with help of ice compression, braces and sports physical therapy sessions under the watchful eyes of a sports physio.
• Shin Splits : It affects the insides of the lower leg or shin area and is an overuse injury and also a common injury found among runners. Athletes having flat feet are more susceptible to this form of injury.
• Stress Fracture : Stress fractures are also a form of overuse injury. It takes place when the muscles are no longer able to absorb the pressure, thus resulting in a fracture. Stress fractures usually effects the lower legs and feet and women athletes are more prone to such injury than men.
• Tennis Elbow : Tennis elbow is also an overuse injury that affects the tendons located on the outside of the elbows. Racket players and cricketers are more prone to this type of injury. Rest and anti – inflammatory medicine usually help in the healing process, but, can require surgery in some severe cases.
• Achilles tendonitis : Achilles tendonitis is the inflammation of the lower back of the leg just above the heel. Physical activity worsens the pain and is usually treated with some rest, ice, stretching and anti – inflammatory medicine, followed by sports physical therapy.

Prevention From Sports Injury

Apart from conducting physical therapy, sports physio also provide athletes with the education to prevent future injuries. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind to prevent sports injuries to a certain extent.

• Get proper sports gear and equipment as per the needs of the sport and maintain them. Many injuries are caused due to the use of improper gear or the lack of one.
• Always spend some time to warm up, before heading for any sort of sports of heavy physical activity.
• Undertake training under the watchful eyes of an experienced trainer to train in a proper manner to avoid over exertion and to learn the right techniques.
• Take regular breaks to let your body rest and heal. Over training or over exertion will definitely lead to muscle strain and or other injury.
• Begin slowly, sudden high level of activity puts a lot of strain on the bones, muscles and joints leading to injuries.