Preventing and Treating Sports Injuries

Exercise is an important part of life in order to become or stay healthy. For many people, sports are a fun way of burning extra calories, socializing and getting fit. Unfortunately, this also means the occasional sports injury, or a flare-up of an old injury or condition.

You don’t have to be a professional or even amateur athlete to suffer a sports injury. In fact, many times those most susceptible to sports injury are people who have just started exercising or do it on a recreational level; your typical weekend warrior. Sports injuries are typically seen as injuries to the musculoskeletal system, including muscles, bones, and tissues such as ligaments, tendons and cartilage.

The most common sports injuries include:

Sprains: A sprain occurs when the ligaments that join the ends of one bone with another are stretched or torn. Sprains are caused by trauma such as a fall or blow to the body that knocks a joint out of position. Ankles, knees and wrists are most vulnerable to sprains. However, back, neck and shoulder sprains are very common too.

Strains: A strain occurs when a muscle or tendon is pulled, torn or twisted. Strains can occur from overstretching during a forceful movement whilst playing. A common example of a strain is a muscle spasm. A back or neck strain is a very common injury treated in physical therapy.

Knee pain and injuries: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the knee is the most commonly injured joint. Orthopedic surgeons see more than 5.5 million people annually for knee pain and injuries, which can include runner’s knee (pain or tenderness close to the knee cap at the front side of the knee), tendonitis and iliotibial band syndrome (pain on the outer side of the knee). Severe knee injuries often include bone bruises or damage to the cartilage or ligaments.

Shin splints: Shin splints occur when there is pain along the large bone in the front of the lower leg, known as the tibia or shin bone. Shin splints most commonly occur in runners, especially those who are just starting a running program. This is usually due to poor alignment of the body, or weakness in the leg muscles. The good news is that we can treat many orthopedic and repetitive motion injuries without the need for invasive surgeries or addictive medications.

Prevention

Proper training, strengthening and stretching are the most important elements to preventing sports injuries. It’s important to work with professionals, trained in your sport and are dedicated to making sure you are properly conditioned before doing the sport. Our physical therapists have years of working with different sports injuries and helping to train individuals on how to prevent injuries.

Our licensed physical therapists can customize an exercise and sports injury prevention program that recognizes the weaknesses of your particular musculoskeletal system, allowing you to recover quickly and stay active. Even, if you have an old injury, it is important to have it evaluated by our physical therapists to prevent long-term damage such as arthritis to your joints. If you have a new or old sports injury like tendonitis, arthritis, a stress fracture, or low back pain, our therapists can design a treatment program to promote wellness and minimize the chance of re-injury. Contact Washington Physical Therapy Rehab today to learn more!

Is Pain Stopping You From Getting Back in the Game?

Sports represent a healthy way to stay in shape, enjoy socialization with friends and family, and provide an effective outlet for stress. Nothing else in life compares to the invigorating and stimulating enjoyment that comes from participating in sports. As you play, however, you may develop some pain or injuries that prevent you from fully enjoying your sports activity. When this happens, a negative spiral can occur. The suddenly sedentary life may lead to weight gain, mood swings or depression, or feelings of hopelessness. If you choose to ignore doctor’s advice and play anyway, your small injury could turn into something that keeps you on the sidelines longer, or worse, require surgical intervention.

How Do Most Injuries Occur?

Many things can contribute to sports injuries. One of the most common contributing factors that physical therapists encounter is that of the “weekend warrior.” The weekend warrior is a term for a person who leads a relatively sedentary existence during the work week, but who gives it all they have on the playing field on the weekends. While the term warrior has strong connotations, it’s not smart to suddenly test and strain your body in fits and starts only on the weekends. You would be better off to participate in moderate exercise during the week so that your body has a more level pace of activity.

Other injuries occur from poor gear choices. It’s important to wear the right equipment for the right sport. Tennis shoes, for example, are designed to support the foot and ankle for the quick side-to-side footwork that occurs on the court. Running shoes are manufactured so that the impact of your body hitting pavement is somewhat absorbed and doesn’t injure your skeletal system.

Finally, many injuries occur because people neglect to warm up before practice and play. Your muscles, tendons, ligaments and other tissues need to be warmed up and trained first in order to work properly. They take enormous strain during running and sports activities.

You May Be More Prone to Injury as You Age

While age should not prevent you from participating in your favorite sports, you do need to consider the physical limitations that come with age. As you get older, your tissues become less elastic and less flexible. It would be foolish for anyone to think they can perform at age 60 the same as they did at age 26. However, exercising consistently, warming up before exercise, and keeping hydrated can help. When your muscles, tendon and ligament tissues have enough water, they become more supple and flexible, allowing you to do more activities safely.

How to Avoid Pain and Prevent Injury

With a little bit of preparation, you can easily do these activities and decrease your risk for injury.

  • Stretch before practice and play
  • Maintain or increase strength training
  • Practice eye-hand coordination with drills
  • Maintain or increase endurance with training

It is important to do sports activities, fitness and a host of other physical activities to keep you healthy and happy. Knowing the right exercises to do to prepare for fitness activities is key. Our physical therapists have years of experience helping people rehabilitate after injuries and return to the activities they enjoy. What some people might not know is that physical therapists can help put a specific exercise plan together based on your needs to prevent injury. If you do start to experience pain with activities, we can get you back to enjoying your activities, pain-free. Contact Washington Physical Therapy today to learn more about how we can help you get back in the game!

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