Sports Injuries
Milind Bhatnagar, Period - 3
What are Sports Injuries?
Sports injuries are basically any injury or accident that happens while playing a sport or exercising. Sports injuries can be cause by many ways such as improper training or not wearing the right gear.
Types of Sports Injuries
There are many types of injuries which are categorized in Sports Injuries, However, there are some that are more often and affect more people, these sports injuries are :-
- Sprains & Strains - Very common and can occur in almost any activity or sports ; Sprains can occur as a ligament is stretched while Strains can often happen due to excessive amounts of activity or playing too much.
- Knee Injuries - Much more painful that sprains, these injuries are caused by a stretch or break in one of the two most important ligaments of the Knee, which are the ACL and PCL. These injuries can be caused by simple motions as twisting your knee or a sudden shift of weight from one leg to the other.
- Fractures - These are usually caused by playing a sports or an instant hit to the part of the body where the fracture will now be formed. There are few cases of stressed fractures also where repeated strains or hits cause the fracture. Fractures are small cracks or complete breaks of bones.
- Shin Splints - Pain in Tibia, usually affects runners but can also affect anyone who is walking/running on a hard surface improperly
- Concussions - Injuries that affect the brains and are caused by a sudden blow or immediate impact to the head. Multiples concussions can cause permanent damage to the brain and affect sensory functions along with memory functions of the brain.
- Ankle Sprain - Caused by the tearing of the ligaments, this is more common and can happen in almost any sports/activity. This is caused when the ankle is twisted or turns in a unusual way suddenly.
Two Types of Sports Injuries - Acute vs. Chronic
So the main difference between Acute and Chronic Injuries is the time frame in which each happens.
Acute injuries are what the name suggests like, sudden, immediate, blows to some part of the body. These are hard to prevent but with the right sports gear and proper training, these can be minimally reduced.
Examples of Acute Injuries are :-
- Getting hit
- Sudden blow to head which can cause a concussion
- Immediate change of weight
Chronic injuries are slowly occurring and usually cause injury which is permanent.
Examples of Chronic Injuries are :-
- Slow, and permanent injuries to Head which are concussions seen in Football
- Slow Swelling, and still continuing to play
Acute injuries are what the name suggests like, sudden, immediate, blows to some part of the body. These are hard to prevent but with the right sports gear and proper training, these can be minimally reduced.
Examples of Acute Injuries are :-
- Getting hit
- Sudden blow to head which can cause a concussion
- Immediate change of weight
Chronic injuries are slowly occurring and usually cause injury which is permanent.
Examples of Chronic Injuries are :-
- Slow, and permanent injuries to Head which are concussions seen in Football
- Slow Swelling, and still continuing to play
Treatment of Sports Injuries
Treating Sports Injuries, even with the many different types of injuries, are commonly characterized as resting, quitting the activity if it is causing chronic pain such as regular concussions, or putting ice and quitting the activity for a few days.
There are times when one need to consult a doctor, such as fractures or ankle sprains. One's doctor may tell them to use NSAIDs which are medical drugs such as ibuprofen, Surgery may also be required for few injuries such as when fixing broken tendons.
There are times when one need to consult a doctor, such as fractures or ankle sprains. One's doctor may tell them to use NSAIDs which are medical drugs such as ibuprofen, Surgery may also be required for few injuries such as when fixing broken tendons.
Prevention of Injuries in Sports
When playing, make sure to not partake in any immediate blows or sudden impacts, these can have an affect on the body immediately, but if not severe enough, they can surely have an impact in the long term.
Consult a doctor if any pain or sprain arises in any part of the body.
Sports athletes should take proper instruction especially when partaking in activities such as bodybuilding or weightlifting.
If a small injury does occur where ice can be used to substitute medication, one still needs to take rest from the sports activity so the body can rehabilitate.
Consult a doctor if any pain or sprain arises in any part of the body.
Sports athletes should take proper instruction especially when partaking in activities such as bodybuilding or weightlifting.
If a small injury does occur where ice can be used to substitute medication, one still needs to take rest from the sports activity so the body can rehabilitate.
Works Cited
- "Treating Sports Injuries." - Harvard Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
- "Sports Injuries: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
- "High School Sports Injuries -OrthoInfo - AAOS." High School Sports Injuries -OrthoInfo - AAOS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
- "Sports Injuries." Handout on Health:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.