Sports Injuries

Whenever an injury occurs during a sporting/athletic activity or even exercising, it can be classified or called a sporting injury. Almost all involved in such activities have suffered such injuries at  one time or the other.

These can occur because:

1.     They participate in what are called ‘contact sports’ like football or similar.
2.     Did not do a proper warm up before the activity.
3.     Have not been regularly active.

They are classified as:

1. Sprains & Strains: overstretching/tearing of ligaments/muscles or tendons.
2. Knee injuries.
3. Swollen muscles caused as a reaction to other injuries.
4. Achilles Rupture: achilles is the thin and powerful muscle at the back of the ankle which can break or rupture.
5. Fractures - breaking of bones and, Dislocations - forcible pulling of bones out of their joint sockets.
6. Rotator Cuff injuries. These are the four pieces of muscles that keep a human shoulder moving.

R.I.C.E. is the most common treatment procedure for such injuries. It stands for: REST - to prevent further movement/injury; ICE -  to reduce swelling and pain; COMPRESSION - to prevent swelling, but not too tightly; ELEVATION - to raise the injured part above the level of the heart, to reduce pain and swelling.

Common Injuries:

1. ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury - this is one of the major ligaments in the human knee and can tear/sprain. This occurs when fast movement is suddenly stopped or reversed putting enormous strain on the joint and ligaments. This causes the knee to swell, become unstable and very painful. 
2. Meniscus injury - another very common injury caused very much like ACL. The meniscus is a tough ‘C’ shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the thigh and shin bones.
3. Ligament injury / tear - ligaments are the tough, rope-like tissue that connect the bones to the body and also to limit the movement between the bones. During vigorous activities like sports they are under enormous stress. Injuries are very common, but the knee and ankle are the most vulnerable.
4. Rotator Cuff Injury - these are the muscles that surround the shoulder keeping the arm firmly in the shoulder socket. Injury occurs when one or more of  the four muscles here is damaged or torn. In sports this is due to repetitive overhead use of the arms or a sudden trauma like a fall or impact into something hard.

Blog reviewed by: Dr Vineeth MB
Mail Us: info@orthogencare.in
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