Sports injuries come with the territory. They are the inescapable part of every professional athlete, and you’ll hardly meet a casual one who didn’t at least suffer an ankle sprain. If recreation is an intrinsic part of your lifestyle, you should probably know what the most common sports injuries and whether they should induce any excessive concern if they happen.
Sprain
Sprains are by far the most common kinds of sports injuries. This is due to the fact that they can occur anytime – even casual sort of physical activity or recreation comes with the danger of spraining, especially if you do not have strong control of your motor functions. This is why they occur so much to children and the elderly.
Specifically, a sprain happens when a ligament stretches too much or when it tears, and when sports are concerned, it is most common in ankles. It can, however, occur also on your wrists and knees. Fortunately, for many athletes, this injury is not that serious and it is far from life-threatening, but it can be quite problematic in the short-term, especially if the ligament is severed. This is why you need to visit a doctor immediately after the sprain happens.
Knee injuries
Knee injuries are next on the list of the most common injury types. In fact, they account for a little over 50% of sports injuries, and they usually occur due to the friction between the kneecap and the bone below. However, this is far too simple of an explanation for the injury that has a thousand faces – from runner’s knee and tendonitis, to cartilage damage and iliotibial band syndrome, knee injuries are both common and hard to treat due to the delicacy of the anatomy in that part of the body.
Thankfully, knee protection gear has become the standard part of many sports equipment and uniforms exactly to avoid such long-term injuries. If not treated right and without proper rest, knee injuries can turn into chronic problems that can plague you till the end of your life, so the length of the healing period prescribed by the doctor should be taken very seriously.
Dislocations
The mere idea of a dislocation sets people’s teeth on edge, and for a good reason. The idea of a joint being forcefully shoved out of alignment paints a terrible and painful picture. Thankfully, when compared to fractures and breaks, this sports injury can be efficiently rectified (though the searing pain is inescapable).
It is usually related to sports that involve a lot of rough physical activity – pushing, shoving and falling. Dislocations are not an uncommon occurrence in sports like football, soccer, basketball and most competitive sports.
The dislocated joint can be put back into place by a professional doctor in the field, but the sharp pain of relocating the joint back in place is not the end of worries. The ligaments and tissues around the dislocation can be damaged or torn. In the best case, the athlete will end up with a strong and debilitating swelling which takes months to recover from.
Broken teeth
Chipped or broken teeth are not an uncommon sports injury. It happens under one of two circumstances: either when the athlete trips and falls without managing to use their hands to break the fall, or when they are hit in the jaw.
The problem with these injuries is that tooth fracture rarely occurs – it is usually a very severe sort of injury that requires reconstructive surgery and adding some new artificial teeth or, in the worst-case scenario, a complete prosthetic. The only solution for this injury is a visit to the dentist who can assess the damage and recommend further treatment.
Unfortunately, a staggering percentage of athletes and sports enthusiasts do not use protective sports mouth guards, even though they can make a lot of difference. In American football, it is an obligatory part of the uniform.
Fractures
Fractures are very nasty and dangerous injuries in sports. They are commonly known as broken bones and is an overwhelming number of types of fracture. Small cracks and oblique fractures can occur as the lighter variants. Compound and spiral fractures are severe types and open fracture is something you do not want to Google.
Fractures usually occur due to the strong and sudden physical impact trauma, which is a danger that lurks around every corner in most sports. This injury is also known as an acute fracture and it needs to be treated immediately. No matter where in the body the fracture occurred, the pain caused by it tends to be so overwhelming, the athlete requires assistance from present medical staff or fellow athletes.
Fractures are a true medical emergency, and if, by any chance, turns into an open fracture, it may become life-threatening, really fast. In this case, surgery is necessary to set the bone. The recovery from a fracture is long and arduous and there is always a danger of repeated injuries in the same place, which are also known as a stress fracture. This is why, no matter how eager or ready the athlete feels, they need to pass all the doctor’s checks and follow all the necessary precautions before returning to their regular training schedule.
Overall, the severity of sports injuries can vary significantly, and even the same injury can have many different levels of intensity based on numerous factors – from the overall state and shape of your body to the circumstances under which the injury occurred. Some of them even require drastic surgical procedures, but no matter what specific kind of injury you’ve had, there is one golden rule that counts for all situations – rest until fully healed.
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