Sport Injuries

While exercise and physical activities are healthy for the body, injury as an inevitable part of these is not such a reasonable trade off.

Sport injuries are common. They happen for varied reasons – accidents, use improper gear, inadequate warm up, or poor training techniques. Some people who engage in certain activities hurt themselves mainly because they are not fit enough to perform the activities.

There are hundreds of sports injuries known today. And although the list is endless, there are some which happen more often than others. Sport injuries are classified into two general categories: acute traumatic injury, and chronic injury.

The first category is caused by a single trauma or impact from one lone force, for example, receiving a cross-body block while playing football. Acute traumatic injuries may be any of the following: fracture, bruise, strain, sprain, abrasion, or laceration. A fracture is a sports injury that involves the shattering, breaking, or cracking of the bone. A bruise is a type of injury that is otherwise known as contusion, and is characterized by a bleeding and swelling of the muscles and tissues. A strain can either be a tear or stretch of the tendon or muscle. Sprain, on the other hand, is the tear or stretch of the ligament. An abrasion is a mild type of sport injuries that causes mere scrapes or scratches on the skin. Lacerations is a more serious version of abrasion as it involves a skin cut that necessitates stitching.

The second category known as chronic injury occurs as a result of overuse or redundant activities like running, and others. Stress fractures fall under this category and are defined as the cracks along the surface of the bone. Tendinitis is another chronic condition that makes the tendon swell. Apophysitis or epiphysitis results from overload in the growth plate.

Most of the time, chronic sports injuries seem less significant than the acute ones. Thus, athletes often disregard minor sores and aches. However, they should realize that even if the injury may not be as dramatic as some others, it might get worse or lead to a more complicated problem later on.

So, regardless if the injury is chronic or acute, there is no reason to live with the injury or pain. That is, it is not a good idea to go on with the activity despite the presence of the injury. Some of the most common sports injuries may need immediate medical attention, although others may simply require simple home remedies.

Seeking medical attention is recommended if the injury: comes with severe swelling, numbness, or pain; can’t bear weight; or comes with abnormalities in the joint. The absence of the aforementioned symptoms means that the injury may be addressed using home treatment techniques. Using the RICE method may alleviate pain and swelling, and may also help speed up the healing process. However, if the swelling, pain, and other symptoms persist, the injury should be referred to a health care professional.

Even if some sports injuries are very minor and are not considered as emergency room cases, there are others that will necessitate the prompt attention of doctors. And even if the injury seems to be a mere case of “scrape”, it is best that a doctor evaluates the injury himself. Other times, the degree or severity of the injury may require you to see other health care professionals like an orthopedic surgeon, or a physical therapist.

Sports injuries are the evils in physical activities. However, that is not enough reason for us to give up the activities altogether. After all, we are capable of banishing evil if we really want to.