Sports injuries
What are sports injuries?
A sports injury involves damage to part of your body due to sports, exercise or athletic activities. Any part of your body can be injured. They most often are:
- Knee: It contains bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons which are commonly prone for sports injuries like meniscus tear and ligaments (ACL,PCL,MCL,LCL) tear
- Shoulder: It contains your rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons that keep the upper arm in your shoulder socket. shoulder dislocations, and rotator cuff tears are common sports injuries
- 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. But the tendon can become swollen, inflamed and stiff. It can even tear. This is called Achilles tendinitis or Achilles tendon rupture
- Ankle: Your leg and foot join together at your ankle. Ankle pain is often caused by a sprains or fractures
- 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 like tennis elbow
What causes sports injuries?
- Accidents, such as a fall
- Exercise without prior warm up or training
- Lack of safety equipment
- Shoes that don’t fit well or provide enough support
- Sudden start to an exercise program
- Significant increase in physical activity that your body isn’t used to
What are the symptoms of a sports injury?
- Aches, pain or tenderness
- Swelling, Bruising
- Deformity, such as a bone or joint looking out of place
- Popping or clicking noise
- Difficulty moving a body part normally
How is a sports injury diagnosed?
To diagnose a sports injury, your doctor asks questions about symptoms and performs a physical exam. Depending on the type of injury you have and how severe it is, they may recommend imaging tests like an X-ray, CT scan or MRI.
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 serious injuries, treatment may involve:
- Immobilization with a cast, splint
- Pain killers
- Physical therapy
- Surgery to correct fractures or repair ligament, tendon or cartilage tears
When should I seek medical attention for a sports injury?
Even though many sports injuries can be treated at home, you should seek medical attention for:
- Pain that interferes with movement and doesn’t get better over time
- Massive swelling that doesn’t slowly decrease
- Extreme bruising or bleeding
- Inability to use the injured area
- Obvious deformity, such as your leg bending in the wrong direction
Most of minor sports injuries can be treated at home with rest and other strategies. But seek doctor consultation if pain, swelling, bruising or inability to use the injured area doesn’t get better in a few days.