Sports injuries can range from minor, such as a sprained ankle, to serious, such as a broken bone. Some injuries may require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation, which can significantly affect a person's ability to participate in sports or even perform everyday activities.
It is important to address sports injuries appropriately to minimize the risk of long-term complications and prevent recurrent injuries. treatments Common treatments for sports injuries include the use of ice, compression, elevation, physical therapy, and medications for pain and inflammation.
What are the causes of a sports injury?
Among the Causes of sports injuries , the most common are usually the following:
- Not warming up before exercising.
- Misuse of sports equipment and materials.
- Have a low physical condition.
- Performing exercises incorrectly, without paying attention to technique.
- Overtraining.
- Not respecting sports rest.
Most common types of sports injuries
There are different ones types of sports injuries , but these are some of the most common among athletes.
Lumbar sports injuries
He lower back pain It's very common in athletes. Often, during exercise, whether due to overuse or poor physical condition, we improperly engage the spine, causing it to suffer. Consequently, this can lead to short- or long-term injuries to the area.
Muscle injuries
They are usually caused by physical overexertion, forced movements and trauma. Some of the muscle injuries The most common are contractures, bruises, muscle cramps or strains, among others.
Bone fractures
Fractures are the best known among the bone injuries , but there are also others related to overload that can end up causing fractures.
Knee ligament injury
The knee ligament injuries They occur when a ligament is torn or ruptured. From then on, the area becomes inflamed and extremely painful. Examples include a sprain of the internal lateral ligament of the knee, or the anterior or posterior cruciate ligament.
Anterior cruciate ligament rupture
It occurs in the knee area and its main symptom is severe knee pain, swelling, and inability to walk. Treatment includes knee arthroscopy and ligandplasty.
Achilles tendonitis
This is a type of sports injury that occurs as a result of overuse of the Achilles tendon, which connects the muscles of the rear calf to the heel bones.
The Achilles tendonitis is one of the tendon injuries most common. In this case, you should know that there are two types: tendinitis, which is inflammation of the tendon, and tendinosis, which refers to discomfort and pain in the tissue.
How to prevent sports injuries
While it's true that completely avoiding the risk of injury in sports isn't feasible, there are a number of practices and recommendations we can follow to minimize the possibility of experiencing aches and pains after physical activity. These are some of the guidelines we should keep in mind to prevent sports injuries :
Always warm up before training
It is essential do a good warm-up so that the body gradually warms up. Going from inactivity to exercising at higher or lower intensity significantly increases the risk of injury.
Return to calm gradually
We said that you should start exercising directly without going through a warm-up phase. Well, the same goes in reverse. That is, we shouldn't go from intense physical activity to suddenly stopping. Therefore, the ideal is to do a gradual return to calm in the last minutes of training.
Never skip stretching
It is as important to warm up before training as it is to finish a good session. stretching. This allows the muscles to calm down again and, obviously, greatly prevents the occurrence of possible injuries.
Lead a healthy lifestyle
Physical exercise is a fundamental pillar to have a healthy lifestyle , but as you know, nutrition and hydration complete the perfect combination for improving health and quality of life. Therefore, don't forget to drink plenty of water and meet your nutritional needs.
Treatment of sports injuries
He treatment of a sports injury It will depend on the severity of the condition. Therefore, sports traumatology professionals are the best people to assess how to address each condition and apply sports rehabilitation in each case.
Broadly speaking, sports injuries are usually corrected with physical therapy sessions, ice, prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatories, plenty of rest, and, in some cases, surgical treatments, such as for bone dislocations and fractures, for example.
