Participating in sports is a great way to keep healthy and active, it can improve your cardiovascular system, build and maintain muscle, and help boost your immune system. If you have played sports, you are likely aware of the increased risks of injuries. Here are some of the most common sports related injuries:
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is a fairly painful condition involving the tendons which attach to the outside of the elbow. Those tendons may become inflamed or can develop degenerative tears where the tendon attaches to the bone making gripping and lifting painful.
There are many causes of tennis elbow
- Overuse
- Trauma
- Racquet Sports
Strains and Sprains
Strains and sprains are among the most common injuries you can get while playing sports.
A muscle strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon.Strains occur when a muscle is overstretched or overused.
Small strains can occur when you:
- Lift something heavy
- Not stretching or warming up before physical activity
- Losing your footing or slipping
- Jumping
Sprains
A sprain is a stretching or tearing of ligaments. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue
which connect two bones together in your joints and prevent excessive movement.
Ankles and knees are the most common joints that are sprained in sports injuries
Broken Bones
Broken bones or fractures are defined as any loss of continuity of the bone.
There are 5 main types of breaks or fractures.
- Closed or open fractures
- Displaced Fractures
- Complete Fractures
- Partial Fractures
- Stress Fractures
The most common body parts that fracture or break during sports are;
- Wrist
- Fingers
- Hands
- Tibia(shin bone)
- Ankles
- Collarbone
Concussions
Concussion diagnoses are becoming more common, especially with children between the ages of 10-14 years old. This is largely due to increased recognition and research on the condition, which has led to testing and concussion protocols being implemented in professional and recreational sports. Blows to the head, slips and falls and hits to the body causing whiplash are some of the common ways of sustaining a concussion in sports.
Symptoms
There are a wide range of concussion symptoms but the most common are;
- Headaches
- Problems Focusing
- Balance Issues
- Nausea
- Brain fog or a dazed feeling
Torn ACL
A torn ACL is a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, the tissue that connects your femur to your tibia in your knee. Torn ACLs are extremely painful and have been known to incapacitate the person with the injury. When someone tears their ACL there usually is a popping sound and extreme pain in the knee.
If you have been injured and want to see a physiotherapist. Contact the professionals at Durham Orthopedic Sports & Injury Clinic at 905-428-7800.
