Things You Should Know About Managing a Sports Injury
If you have a physically active lifestyle, your body will be physically fit. You also stand to avoid many health complications that happen to many people. However, while there are benefits to vigorous physical activities, there are downfalls too. Persons involved in sporting activities are often at a higher risk of physical injuries than not. As such, if you are a sports enthusiast, you should ensure that you also take the necessary precautionary measures to protect yourself. Better yet, you should employ various strategies that will help you manage your sports injuries, should they occur.
What Are Sports Injuries?
They are injuries that occur when engaging in sporting activities. Sports often call for the high engagement of different parts of your body, particularly your ligaments. The activities can even include mere body exercise but still cause an injury. Depending on the type of activity and the areas of your body engaged thereof, it is expected that an injury can occur in a variety of places on your body. Some of the factors that cause injuries include the following:
- Overstraining
- Improper use of tools and equipment
- Improper technique when sporting
- Lack of conditioning
- Falls
Type of Sports Injuries
Depending on which part of your body is hurt, and how much of your tissues are affected, sports injuries differ. The common ones include the following:
- Muscle strain – commonly known as a pulled muscle. It is characterized by an overstretched and torn muscle. You will experience pain, swelling, and inability to use the muscle or general weakness in the muscle.
- Sprain – occurs when the ligaments that support a particular joint in your body are overstretched. It is a common occurrence with ankles and wrists.
- Tennis elbow – occurs due to overuse or disuse of the arm, leading to small tears on the outside of the elbow that cause inflammation to the tendons thereof. It is common among sportspersons involved in racket sports or people in professions involving a high usage of their arms. This includes painters and plumbers.
- Lower back pain – it is a common type of pain, even for people who do not engage in sporting activities. Such pain results from lifting heavy weights or overuse.
- Concussion – is a head injury that is often traumatic as it affects the brain. This kind of head injury can have various symptoms, including dizziness, memory loss, nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness, to mention a few.
- Runner’s knee – is also called patellofemoral pain syndrome and occurs when the joint lining, tendons, and soft tissues of the knee area are irritated. A misaligned kneecap or overuse of the knee can both be causes of the runner’s knee.
Tips for Managing Sports Injuries
In many cases, you may have to manage your injury at home before you get to a doctor near you. However, your first instinct should be to contact a specialist in chiropractic care treatment who can help resolve the injury completely. Some of the management tips, however, include the following:
- RICE technique – it is advocated for by all chiropractors in Tyrone, GA. The technique involves:
- Rest – minimizing or avoiding using the affected ligament for several hours.
- Ice – using an ice pack to cold compress the affected area.
- Compression – wrapping the ligament with a piece of cloth or bandage to compress the area and reduce swelling.
- Elevation – keeping the injured ligament slightly higher than the rest of the body to reduce blood pooling, which may increase swelling and pain levels.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – can help reduce inflammation on our injury as well as relieve some of your pain. Still, ensure you only take prescribed drugs usually from a doctor or sports chiropractor near you.
Physiotherapy – it is best offered by chiropractors near you. The sessions help engage your body, with a keen interest in the injured part, to boost functionality. Usually, physiotherapy is necessary when you have been resting for a while to allow for healing. The sessions will help you regain your mobility without any pain when you do so.
Surgery – although it is a drastic medical measure, it may sometimes be necessary to treat your injury.