The 5 most common sports injuries

Part of a healthy lifestyle is, of course, healthy eating a plenty of exercise. While most people jog or walk their dog, there are others that get hit by the sports bug. It may be the competition with others, or maybe the adrenaline of winning, but something compels people to begin a new sport or to take up an old one.

With sport or any exercise, there are risks involved, especially injuries. Some can be a minor annoyance for a while, but others are more serious and can take the time to repair. In worst case scenarios, some injuries last a lifetime.

Serious injuries caused deliberately by others can be grounds for a company such as the Merrillville personal injury law firm to become involved. Professional sports people in particular sometimes need legal help after an injury.

Hip Flexor Strain

A hip flexor is a group of muscles that helps lift the leg or knee. They can be damaged by overstretching, sudden movement or by failing to warm up properly.

In most cases, this is a minor injury that can be better in a couple of weeks, although it does show the importance of keeping your body warmed up before sport.

Concussion

This can be a relatively common injury in many sports especially soccer, football, boxing, and hockey, although, any game can lead to a concussion if something goes wrong.

Time is needed to heal a concussion fully, which is usually up to a week. It is important not to return to contact sport until the concussion is healed or there could be further damage if you receive another blow to the head.

Shin Splints

Quite a painful condition, shin splints are a result of working too hard too quickly. It also affects runners and other sports such as football and rugby.

While in most cases, it will get better over time, it is important to see your doctor as in some cases; there can be a fracture to the bone.

Hamstring Strain

Another very common injury, hamstring pulls occur when the muscles at the back of the leg are overstretched or pulled. It can lead to tearing of the muscles or tendons, so it is important to get it seen by a doctor.

Hamstring pulls can take up to 12 months to heal, so you should not participate in any sport for too long and stretch at regular intervals.

Tennis Elbow

Elbow injuries account for 7% of sports injuries, and it is easy to see why. Many sports involve the repetitive movement of the elbow such as tennis, badminton, and golf.

Although the injury is a minor one, it can be very irritating and painful. Trying to strengthen the elbow muscles and wearing an elbow brace should prevent further injuries.

Other very common injuries are knee which accounts for around 55% of sports injuries, shoulder, and sciatica. As with all injuries, trying to go too fast too soon will only cause more harm than good. You need to build up slowly and allow your body to rest and repair in-between.

This is a guest blog entry.