There are several reasons for the occurrence of a sporting injury, with many parts of the body capable of being negatively affected by their impact. Here, we take a closer look at five of the most common sporting injuries one may encounter, and how best to deal with them.
The two most common types of sports-related injuries we deal with are related to strains or sprains. A strain is typically related to muscle injuries, and usually means they have come torn or damaged, resulting in pain and mobility issues. Common muscle strains include hamstrings, pulled groin muscles and strained quads. These types of injuries typically require rest, with the areas themselves needing massaging to handle the pain. Sprains meanwhile involve direct damage to your ligaments. Ligaments are the tissues that connect bone to bone and will often take longer to heal than a simple strain. Ankle sprains, knee sprains and wrist sprains are all very common injuries among athletes.
Knee injuries are common and complex and often result in painful or debilitating symptoms for an individual. The most common and painful type of knee injury is an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury, which will require surgery to fix. Knee injuries are common among footballers and typically take a full year to recover from. These kinds of injuries also include dislocation, fractures and cartilage tears.
Contact sports will inevitably lead to the risk of fractures of the bone, mostly in your arms, legs or feet, which are all incredibly painful and take time to properly recover from. Some fractures require weeks of rest, or even surgery, to fully recover from. Worse still, is the increased threat of broken bones, which will lead to further rehabilitation, potential surgeries and extended time out from sporting activity.
A common misconception of tennis elbow is that you don’t actually have to play tennis for it to happen. Tennis elbow is simply the name given to the injury caused by repetitive movement in the arm, leading to pain in your elbow. This is caused by a straining of ligaments due to overactivity and requires rest and rehabilitation in the event it occurs.
One of the most common injury types for many people, back and spinal injuries are painful and debilitating. Back treatments vary depending on the condition and location of the pain, with lower and upper back pain related to different muscles, but will generally require constant movement, stretching and massaging to reduce inflammation and pain.
In need of sports physiotherapy? At Essex Physiotherapy Clinic, we’ve been serving clients in the Chelmsford area and Epping for over three decades now. We offer manual therapies, massages, electrotherapy, relaxation remedies and much more. For additional details, contact us today.
