Being active and letting your muscles work out is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Engaging in routine sports activity helps in building muscle strength, endurance and also works to reduce mental stress. However, sports activities can sometimes also lead to injuries. Here are some of the common sports injuries that can occur in daily life.
Strains
Muscle strains also known as muscle pulls are one of the most common injuries that occur in sports. They occur when a certain muscle group or tendon sustains overstretching of a muscle or a tendon Sports activities involve the flexible motion of a large group of muscles and tendons in our body and are likely to cause overstretching.
Sprains
Like strains, a sprain is an injury that occurs in ligaments. Since ligaments are connective tissues that attach bone to bone, sprains generally take longer to heal and require other precautionary measures to ensure a full recovery. Ankle sprains are among the most common types of sprains and occur quite commonly where rapid ankle movement is required. Sprains can sometimes be very painful and serious and may leave the injured part more susceptible to age-related degeneration.
Knee Injuries
The knee is the strongest joint in the body connecting the femur bone to the tibia. It provides stability to the posture and is used in many daily activities such as, walking, running, jumping, and even sitting. It is also one of the most complex joints in the body that can be impacted in a number of ways. The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament injury is the most common type of knee injury in sports and can have debilitating effects on the range of motion and overall stability of the joint.
Fractures
A fracture is a break or cracks in the bone. Contact sports such as boxing, ice hockey, football, are more likely to result in fractures as they involve high-impact activities such as running, jumping, and even tackling. Treatment for fractures includes complete immobilization of the affected area and a longer period of recovery.
Back Injuries/Back Pain
Low back pain is quite common among adults and usually resolves itself without any treatment. However, in some cases, severe back pain can indicate a more serious problem and might be a sign of back injury. Using ice packs and mild exercises can also work to alleviate pain.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow is a tendon injury that does not occur primarily in the two specific sports. Although, the use of backhand stroke especially with improper form is among the top reasons for this injury. It is caused by repeated strain on the forearm muscle with sudden or constant contraction of tendons outside the elbow region.
Ways To Prevent Common Sports Injuries
There can be a number of ways one could be susceptible to sports injuries – Improper form, Improper warmup, poor equipment all can have an impact on your ability to perform a certain activity.
No Proper Warm-Up –
A proper warm-up is the best way to prevent injuries while playing sports. Warm-up allows the body to stretch and prepare the muscle for the activity and also helps in slowly adjusting to the gradual overload.
Improper Form –
Performing sports activity correctly requires you to use certain techniques and make use of correct postures and stance. Improper form is one of the main reasons for muscle pull and can also lead to other injuries.
Fatigue –
Overdoing any physical activity can be detrimental to the muscles. When your muscles are fatigued, they are tense and work under stress which can make them more prone to injuries.
Poor/Bad Quality Equipment –
Equipements such as shoes, helmets, gloves, and other sport-specific gear need to be available in proper form and should be of good quality.
Cool Down
After the workout is done, you should always remember to cool down. Relaxing techniques after the activity help the muscles return back to a normal state and start recovering.
