Sports Injuries Relief

Sports injuries are common and can affect bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other structures throughout the body. You can treat many minor injuries at home with rest, ice, compression, elevation, and over-the-counter pain medications. However, some injuries require medical treatment, such as immobilization, physical therapy, and surgery.

What are sports injuries?

Exercise is important to good health, but people often get hurt when participating in sports or other physical activities. A sports injury involves damage to part of your body due to sports, exercise, or athletic activities.

A sports injury can be acute (sudden) or chronic (develop over time).

Who might get a sports injury?

Sports injuries can happen to anyone, particularly people who:

• Are out of shape.
• Don’t wear proper protective equipment.
• Exercise without warming up and cooling down.
• Participate in contact sports that may involve tackling or collisions.
• Take part in activities that involve jumping, running, pivoting, or changing direction quickly.

What are the most common parts of the body injured?

Sports injuries can affect any part of your body. They most often involve:

• Achilles tendon: The Achilles tendon is a thick cord that connects the back of your lower leg (calf) to your heel. It helps you walk. However, the tendon can become swollen, inflamed, and stiff, and it can even tear. This is called Achilles tendinitis or Achilles tendon rupture.
• Ankle: Your leg and foot join together at your ankle. It contains three joints, bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. A sprained ankle often causes ankle pain.
• Elbow: Your elbow is the joint that acts as a hinge between your upper and lower arm. People often experience pain in their elbow from repeat motions and overuse (for example, tennis elbow and Little League elbow).
• Head: Your head includes your face, skull, and brain. One of the most common head injuries is concussion.
• Knee: Your knee is a complex joint that acts as a hinge between your thigh and lower leg. It contains bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. Knee pain can be caused by a jumper’s or runner’s knee. Other common injuries include meniscus tears and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
• Shoulder: Your shoulder connects your upper arm to the trunk of your body. It contains your rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons that keep the upper arm in your shoulder socket. Rotator cuff tendinitis and rotator cuff tears are common sports injuries.

What are the most common sports injuries?

There are many types of sports injuries. Some of the most common are:

• Broken bone: A broken bone (bone fracture) can happen when sudden force is applied to a bone.
• Cartilage tear: Cartilage is a tough but flexible shock absorber that covers and protects the ends of some bones. Cartilage injuries can occur in joints such as your knee and shoulder.
• Concussion: A concussion is a brain injury caused by a bump or blow to your head.
• Dislocation: Dislocation occurs when the end of a bone moves out of its normal position in a joint. For example, if your shoulder pops out of its socket, it’s dislocated.
• Tendinitis: Tendinitis occurs when your tissues that connect muscles to bones (tendons) become swollen and inflamed. Repetitive movements cause it over time. An example is a jumper’s knee (patellar tendonitis).
• Sprains: A sprain happens when a ligament stretches too much or tears. Ligaments connect bones and stabilize joints. These injuries can be mild or severe, and they’re common in the ankle, knee, and wrist.
• Strains: A strain occurs when you overextend a muscle, causing it to stretch or tear. Examples include hamstring strain, back strain, and abdominal strain.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes sports injuries?

Sports injuries have many causes, including:

• Accidents, such as a fall.
• Bad habits with exercise, such as not warming up or stretching enough.
• Lack of safety equipment or gear that’s damaged or worn incorrectly.
• Shoes that don’t fit well or provide enough support.
• Sudden start to an exercise program or significant increase in physical activity that your body isn’t used to.

What are the symptoms of a sports injury?

The signs and symptoms of a sports injury depend on the type of injury. Common symptoms include:

• Aches, pain, or tenderness.
• Bruising.
• Deformity, such as a bone or joint looking out of place.
• Decreased range of motion.
• Grinding, cracking, clicking, or popping noise.
• Inability to bear weight on your hip, leg, or foot.
• Skin that’s warm to the touch.
• Stiffness or weakness.
• Swelling.
• You may have trouble moving a body part normally (for example, you can’t move it as far, or it locks up when you try to move it).

Diagnosis and Tests

How is a sports injury diagnosed?

To diagnose a sports injury, your healthcare provider performs a physical exam. They’ll ask questions about what happened and what symptoms you’ve had. They’ll also look at the injured area, possibly testing how it moves.

Depending on the type of injury and its severity, your healthcare provider may also recommend imaging tests. An X-ray, CT scan, or MRI can create pictures of the structures inside your body. The images will help your healthcare provider understand, diagnose, and treat your specific injury.

Management and Treatment

How is a sports injury treated?

Treatment for sports injuries varies widely, depending on the type and severity. Many sports injuries heal in a few days or weeks with rest and at-home strategies.

But for more severe injuries, treatment may involve:

• Immobilization with a cast, splint, sling, walking boot, or other medical device.
• Injections to reduce swelling and pain.
• Prescription anti-inflammatory medications.
• Surgery is needed to correct fractures or repair ligament, tendon, or cartilage tears.
• Physical therapy (rehabilitation or rehab) to heal and strengthen injured body parts.