5 Sports-Related Injuries

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Injuries are far too common in sports. From torn ACLs in football to overuse injuries in such sports as golf, tennis, and dance, injuries can keep you from doing what you love. Here are five of the worse injuries you can sustain while playing sports.

1. Torn ACLs

Possibly one of the worse injuries to sustain, a torn ACL most often means the end of a sports career or, at the very least, the end of a season. The ACL, or the anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the major ligaments in your knee that can oftentimes end in surgery. It’s most common in sports such as football, gymnastics, basketball, and other sports where you need to suddenly stop. It’s often too painful to bear weight and causes stability issues. With program rehabilitation and strengthening programs, you can recover from an ACL injury fully and even avoid surgery.

2. Shin Splints

Shin splints are most common in running or high-impact sports. It literally feels like the shin is splitting in two, with pain in the lower leg either on the outside or inside. Although not serious, it can keep you from doing what you love. The actual term for shin splints is medial tibial stress syndrome and is one of the most common overuse injury. It can also be the result of putting too much stress on your body too soon. Gradually adding on harder workouts and listening to your body will help prevent shin splints. Doing strengthening exercises that target that area for stability will also help in prevention of painful shin splints.

3. Tennis Elbow

Anyone can get tennis elbow, not just tennis players. It’s an overuse of the arm, forearm, and hand muscles leading to pain in the elbow. The most common sports that put you at risk of this type of injury are tennis, golf, swimming, baseball, and many other sports that rely heavily upon the use of the arms. You can significantly lower your risk and decrease stress in the arm by relaxing the hand and the wrist, strengthening the muscles of the entire arm, and using the proper technique for the sport.

4. Strains And Sprains

Strains and sprains are some of the most common injuries in sports. The injury can result from trauma, overuse, or not being properly conditioned. Sprains are the sudden over-stretching of ligaments. The ankle is the most at-risk area of the body for a sprain, but wrists and shoulders are also at-risk areas. Strains are also called “pulled muscles” and happens with overuse and stress on the tendon. Targeting the areas of the body that are most at-risk will help prevent such injuries. However, making sure you’re properly conditioned will also help.

OSR Can Help You Recover And Prevent Injuries

OSR Physical Therapy offers a variety of programs that will help you recover from any sports-related injury as well as help with injury prevention. Our athletic trainers and physical therapists have a deep understanding of the risks of certain sports and can target a program specifically with the athlete in mind. Contact us today for a consultation and evaluation.