Sports injuries are those caused while playing a sport or by some form of physical activity like strenuous exercising. Research shows that nearly 3 million children under the age of 14 and over 8 million adults experience sports injuries each year.
Common Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are a common occurrence in the U.S. so it is essential to understand them better and learn how to deal with them efficiently. Most sports injuries, especially in children, occur because of simple reasons like:
- Wrong footwear
- Missing safety equipment
- Excessive training
- Wrong playing practices or issues with training
Types of Sports Injuries:
Sports injuries are categorized into acute trauma and overuse. As the names suggest, acute trauma includes fractures, concussions and cuts while overuse would be conditions like tendonitis and stress fractures.
The most common injuries include:
- Hamstring pulls or strains
- Knee injury (anterior cruciate ligament or ACL tear)
- Tennis elbow
- Ankle sprain
- Groin pull
Though it is sometimes outside our control, many injuries can be avoided by taking proper care. Working out regularly, for instance, can keep the body flexible and strong and could help keep sports injuries at bay when compared to someone who ventures out to play a sport after being sedentary for weeks or months. It is also important to warm up before any physical activity. A simple 10-minute warm-up can get the blood flowing to all the muscles, reducing the risk of injuries.
Dealing with Sports Injuries
A sports injury can deal a big blow, especially to children, who have a busy school life to keep up with. Hence, it is important to have the right mindset to handle a situation … this holds true for adults too.
In most instances, a sports injury is mild to moderate and may be managed with the famous PRICE technique. This involves:
- P: Protecting from further injury
- R: Restricting further activity
- I: Icing the affected area
- C: Compressing the affected area with a bandage to help reduce any swelling
- E: Elevating the affected area, preferably above the level of the heart, to reduce swelling.
You can resort to over-the-counter pain reducers too. But make sure to keep a lookout for worsening symptoms like an increase in swelling or pain and no changes in the condition after a few days of following the PRICE method.
When diagnosed with a sports injury:
- Be positive: The first step is to accept the injury and understand the importance of being positive and committed. Some recommend using the mind to heal the body, by following techniques like imagery and meditation. Imagery uses the body’s senses to perceive images of the desired outcome, in this case, a full recovery.
- Set achievable goals: Depending on the injury, set smaller, more achievable goals. This way you have smaller things to monitor and simpler things to achieve.
- Do not isolate yourself: When injured, and possibly stuck at home, do not isolate yourself from your team, coach and friends. They can be there to listen to you, provide advice when required and provide emotional back-up as you recover.
- Maintain fitness levels: Depending on the type of injury and the rest required, find out if you can alter your regular fitness regime to suit the current condition. This way, you will not go off track when it comes to fitness and will be ready to get back into the action upon recovery.
- Take it slow: Sports injuries are notorious for the extended time they need to get cured. So, do not hurry the body and remember to take things slow for the best recovery.
Sports injuries typically take longer to heal and can take anywhere between six weeks to three months or even longer to heal completely, depending on the condition. So, stay positive, provide the body with ample rest and get the recommended help to recover completely.
Quinn, E. (n.d.). 7 Strategies for Coping With a Sports Injury. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfit.com/the-emotional-stress-of-a-sports-injury-3120689
Hoffman, M. (n.d.). The Seven Most Common Sports Injuries. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/men/features/seven-most-common-sports-injuries#1
Gavin, M. L. (Ed.). (2014, January). Dealing With Sports Injuries. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/sports-injuries.html