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In athletics, victory can come with a price—often in the form of a sports injury. As a result, you need to know what the common sports injuries are to stay one step ahead. While sports injuries aren’t 100 percent preventable, a little knowledge goes a long way toward staying in the game.
As one of your body’s weakest joints, it’s not surprising to learn that it’s also among the most commonly injured. Equally important to consider is how so many athletic movements (throwing, catching, blocking, etc.) depend on shoulder strength. The takeaway: Any shoulder pain that persists for more than two weeks should be evaluated by a sports medicine professional.
Hamstrings are tricky. As they’re often left tight, weak and un-stretched, injuries involving hamstrings have become quite common. Moreover, as they’re located on the back of your thigh, they can be easy to forget. Our advice: Keep your hamstrings well stretched and strengthened to avoid injury.
Concussions are among the most serious sports injuries; what’s more, they come with harmful, long-term consequences. Concussions are injuries to the brain, such as bruises, that result from blows to the head and can occur with or without loss of consciousness. A potential concussion should not go unreported or untreated. When you’re experiencing symptoms such as confusion, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or slurred speech, seek immediate medical help.
Shin splints (like many sports injuries) begin with chronic pain—in this case, pain of the lower leg bone (tibia). Runners are the primary victims of shin splints, but anyone who participates in any vigorous physical activity is at risk of developing them. The most effective ways to prevent and even treat nagging shin splints are rest, icing, stretching and cross-training. From there, gradually increase your running activities to prevent shin splints from reoccurring.
Your ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is one of the ligaments that helps stabilize your knee. Cutting, pivoting, or changing directions lead to tears or strains of the ACL. One of the most devastating sports injuries, rehabilitation, and even surgery, is necessary to get you back to your daily activities. Help prevent ACL injuries by warming up, stretching, and seeing a sports medicine physician to help develop an individualized ACL prevention program.
No one wants to be sidelined when it comes to sports injuries, which is why it’s important to take proper precautions. To learn more about sports medicine in Pomona Valley, call 909-630-7829.
