Injuries plague sportsperson throughout their life time. Recognizing the early sign and taking necessary actions can prevent any disastrously nagging problem in the future. Some sports are prone to a certain kind of injuries, knowing about them and also how to prevent or treat can be helpful. Here we have listed 10 injuries almost every sportsperson suffer and have also endeavoured to provide simple treatments.
10 Injuries Almost Every Sportsperson Suffer And Their Treatment:
10. Arch Pain
What is it? The covering that runs the length of a human foot is called plantar fascia. Its presence is significant as it help to hold the arch which lies down the flat of our foot.
How does it occur? Over-stretching or tearing of the arch pad can cause it to inflame (this phenomenon is called plantar fasciitis) which results in dull pain around the area. Arch pain is not so uncommon among middle-aged people who have suddenly increased their level of physical activities. Ill-fitting shoes and gaining significant amount of weight can also cause arch pain. Runners are prone to this pain.
Possible treatment – The pain increases or is most prominent when one stands up after sitting for a long time. First off, use an arch support. Fit an arch support in every shoe that you own. Wake up in the morning and immediately put on arch-support equipped slippers. This will not only easy the pain but also prevent the plantar fascia from stretching as well as the arch from collapsing. Alongside, one must plan a daily exercise routine to shed weight. The pain will eventually recover.
9. Achilles Tendintis
What is it? Located in the back of the ankle, Achilles tendon is actually the largest tendon in the whole human body. This tendon serves to lift the heel.
How does it occur? Overuse of the ankle, as in jumping frequently can cause the injury. Excessive rotation of the heel can contribute to the condition. Basketball and volleyball player are prone to this injury.
Possible Treatment – Achilles Tendintis is serious business, the pain is tremendous like of a flesh burned with bullet. It may even require surgery. So it is advisable to consult a doctor and meanwhile, one can do the following – ice the area frequently, needless to say lessen your physical activity, use something to relieve the pain & the swelling and stretch the tendon by standing on our toe for an few second with your heel high in air.
8. Ankle Sprain
What is it? This is a common injury that occurs around the ankle.
How does it occur? One or more ligament of the ankle gets torn and causes ankle sprain. The injury can be a mild one, moderate one or even severe one. If the pain is too severe, chance are that a hair-line fracture is waiting to be discovered. Better get that leg x-rayed. Joggers, tennis players and volleyball payer are vulnerable to this injury.
Possible treatment – Similar to the treatment of the former injury, ice the area frequently and minimize your physical activity. Elevate and compress via strengthening exercises, practise kicking in the water with the help of a kick board. Follow the exercises hourly. The goal is to cut down the stiffness and to restore mobility.
7. Shin Splints
What is it? Shin splints are painful sensation near the shin bones, more specifically in the inner side of the middle third of the shin bone.
How does it occur? The arch of our feet has muscles that are attached with the shin bone. When the arch collapses, continuous stress ends up pulling lose some of the muscle fibres from the shin bone. This can cause bleeding and pain. Tremendous shin pain is a sign of stress fracture. In order to be sure one needs to do a bone scan instead of a simple x-ray.
Possible treatment – Since, shin splints is directly related to collapsed arch, get an arch support. Keep the foot propped up so as to prevent further pull of the tendons.
6. Runner’s Knee
What is it? Medically called ‘chondromalacia patella’, it basically means knee pain.
How does it occur? Caused by several factors like repeated bending of the knee, direct blow or fall upon the knee, misalignment of the kneecap et al. Occasionally, swelling can develop due to sudden build up of fluids. Runners are prone to this kind of injury.
Possible treatment – Exercises for strengthening and stretching the quadriceps muscles which are found in the front of the thigh. Strengthening via isometric exercise is recommended and as for stretching, one simply has to do some hand movements like stroking the length of the thigh from the thigh towards the knee.
5. Tennis Elbow
What is it? It is an inflammation of the forearm muscles and the tendons connecting the muscles with the bones in the elbow. This causes pain on the outside of the elbow (lateral epicondylitis). And the second type of tennis elbow causes pain on the inside of the elbow is called medial epicondylitis.
How does it occur? Overuse, repeated turning of the wrist (especially by tennis players) can cause tennis elbow. Golfers and baseball pitchers may also suffer tennis elbow.
Possible treatment – This injury is a result of not taking of lessons seriously. Tennis elbow can easily be avoided by learning to position one’s body in a way so that the stress is not concentrated on the elbow and is evenly distributed. Exercises like curling the wrist, reverse curling the wrist, squeezing a soft rubber ball can help strengthen the forearm. Basically, one must avoid over-stressing the forearm tendon.
4. Lower Back Strain
What is it? This is the most common injury faced by almost every sportspersons.
How does it occur? Caused due to overstressing the strained or weak muscles by lifting heavy weight, twisting in an awkward manner or doing some intense not-used-to physical activity that can send the lower back muscles fibres to tear or experience a pull. Tennis player, martial artists, golfers & weightlifters are most prone to this injury.
Possible treatment – Wait for a week for the pull and light pain to ease out. A week later chalk out a plan to strengthen the back and abdomen muscles. Exercises and physical therapy like deep-finger message, stretching, ice and heat method, electrical stimulation of the muscles will serve the cause.
3. Shoulder Impingement
What is it? It is basically a weakness around the rotator cuff muscles (a group of muscles that hold the shoulder bones together).
How does it occur? Sports like tennis, weight training, swimming, softball and volleyball involves heavy stress at the shoulder joints since the arm usually works in an overhead position. It causes the head of the shoulder to come loose thus causing pain. Golfers are also very much prone to this injury.
Possible Treatment – Use of simple anti-inflammatory agents wears off the moment the player starts using the shoulder again. If the pain persists over 2 days then range-off-motion and rehabilitative exercises are recommended. And if this fails to ease the pain or any other sensation in the hand, a doctor must be consulted immediately.
2. Neck Pain
What is it? A sudden pull at the side of the neck. It becomes painful to turn the head on that side.
How does it occur? Keeping the neck for a long time in an awkward position stiffen the neck muscles. This is what happens to cyclists after a long ride. Then again, sudden violent movement of the neck for instance while hitting an overhead smash or when the tennis player suddenly looks up, can cause spasm in the neck.
Possible treatment – Stretch the neck in all possible direction and hold on it for 20 seconds. Apply ice for 20 minutes. Any pain running down to your hand is caused by stretching of a nerve and must immediately be shown to the doctor. Severe pain in the neck calls for a doctor consultation.
1. Muscle Pull
What is it? The commonest injury any sportsperson faces.
When does it occur? Sometimes called muscle tear, it is a sudden pull at the muscles causes the fibres to stretch beyond their capacity. A fall, overuse or fatigue can cause muscle pull.
Possible treatment – There is hardly anything one can do to prevent muscle pull, it can happen to any muscle in the body. But once the injury occurs, two fundamental treatments are icing the area for about 20 minutes on-off and rest. This routine must be followed for a couple of days. As soon as the pain becomes tolerable start stretching the muscles and once the pain subsides, the player can return to action.