Even if your participation in sports is limited to the occasional weekends or as frequent as that of a professional athlete, you are susceptible to sports injuries. You could break your leg (literally) the first time you go out and play or you could develop a chronic condition over decades of playing the same sport. The point is that sports injuries are common, numerous and varied, and there’s no telling when you’ll suffer from one. So, while sports contribute towards a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to understand the associated risks and how you can protect yourself from a debilitating injury.

PREVENTION IS KEY

All the best sportsmen and players know that safety comes first. If you sustain an injury as soon as you step out on the field, you could miss out on the whole game- and at times- your whole possible career. In our next article, we will discuss some tips that can help you protect yourself and prevent sports injuries. But first let’s take a look at the types of sports injuries.

TYPES OF SPORTS INJURIES

Sports injuries can be broadly divided into two categories, acute traumatic injuries and overuse or chronic injuries.

ACUTE TRAUMATIC INJURIES

If you’ve ever sustained a sport injury from a single sudden blow that was powered by a single application of force, you have experience an acute traumatic injury. Acute traumatic injuries stem from sudden accidents and can range from the slightly unpleasant to life threatening. Following are the types of acute traumatic injuries:

• Fractures: The cracking, breaking and/or shattering of bones.
• Bruises: Medically known as contusions, bruises are a result of swelling or bleeding in muscles and other body tissue.
• Strains: Strains entail the stretching and tearing of muscles or tendons. A tendon is basically the end of the muscle and it connects the rest of the muscle to the bone.
• Sprains: Ligaments are tissue that join bones and cartilages and strengthen the joints. A stretch or tear in ligaments can cause sprains.
• Abrasions: These are the scrapes we know so well.
• Lacerations: Lacerations are cuts and wounds to the skin that usually require stitches.

OVERUSE/CHRONIC INJURIES

Overuse/chronic sports injuries develop over time. Repetitive training (as in running, tennis etc.) can cause chronic injuries. They include:

• Stress fractures: Stress fractures are the tiny bone cracks that can develop as a result of repeat pressure on the same area. For instance, they can develop in the feet if you’re a basketball player as that involves a lot of jumping.
• Epiphysitis or apophysitis: These are growth plate overload injuries.
• Tendinitis: Repetitive stretching can cause tendon inflammation known as tendinitis.

If you or someone you know has suffered a sports injury, visit us at the MedHelp clinic right away for treatment and advice.