If you are active and you participate in occasional sports activities after work or on the weekend, it is best that you educate yourself on the types of injuries that you could experience. Dealing with sports injuries in Issaquah may not be on your agenda, but arming yourself with information will help you to get back on your feet sooner than later.
The most common types of sports injuries include:
- Sprains and strains
- Groin pulls
- Shin splints
- Knee damage
- Tennis elbow
With the most common issue being strains and sprains, you need to know that these are injuries to the ligaments, which are the tough bands that connect your bones in each joint. If you stretch them suddenly past their limits, it can lead to a ligament tear or deformity. Strains are often called pulled muscles, which includes overusing the muscles or muscle fibers that are found in the tendons.
Prevention Is Key
There are times when it is beyond our control and we cannot prevent a common sports injury. However, you can work to make sure that you are ready for each activity by getting warmed up first. Warming up helps to increase blood flow into your muscles, helps to get you a bit more flexible, and can help to decrease the chance of injury.
You can also prevent overuse injuries by making sure that you pre-train yourself for longer activities. Lightly working out muscles that you have not worked in a while will help you to stay in the game and make it, so you decrease your chance of overuse injury for your shoulder, elbow, knee, etc.
Something that all types of athletes should know is adequate care when it comes to sports injuries. Many people are not sure when it is best to visit a doctor or podiatrist should they become injured, which can result in complications in the future. If you ever have pain to the point where you are unable to easily move your limb, or you cannot put pressure on your foot or ankle, you should see a professional for care as soon as you can.
The P.R.I.C.E. Principle
Should you become injured playing sports or enjoying regular exercise, you need to know how to react. Swelling is very common, but excessive swelling can hinder the healing process. Working on the PRICE Principle will help you to set yourself up for success for the healing process.
- P – Protection from further injury: Use a crutch, split, or pad to help protect the injured body part.
- R – Restriction of activity: This helps to prevent the injury for worsening.
- I – Icing the region: Ice is an anti-inflammatory that you can use immediately after an injury.
- C – Compression application: Using compression with a sports bandage made from elastic material can help cut back on swelling.
- E – Elevating the injured area: Making sure that the injured area is elevated above the heart helps to reduce swelling as well.
When it comes to many sports injuries regarding the foot and ankle, you will get the professional guidance and care that you need from your podiatrist in Issaquah. Contacting Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic when you suffer a sports injury will get you on track for proper healing and the right treatment to get you back on your feet in no time at all.
Call Dr. Hansen at (425) 375-2484 and Dr. Hall at (425) 482-6663 at Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic if you need help with sports injuries in Issaquah.