When you play sports or engage in athletic events at a high level there is a chance that you can injure yourself, either through a bad accident or fall, overexerting yourself, or failing to warm up enough to avoid tension.
However, some sports injuries are more common than others, so here are ways to reduce the risk of common injuries, as well as how to boost your recovery.
Spains And Strains
Of the seven most common injuries in sports, lower extremity sprains and strains are the most common, usually in the form of either ankle sprains or hamstring strains.
A sprain is a ligament injury, where the muscle bends that connect the different bones in a joint are either deformed or torn, whilst a strain is a pulled muscle, where an injury to the muscle fibres and tendons is caused by overuse or overstretching.
Hamstring strains are commonly seen in football as players will overreach, land badly or collide with another player during a tackle. Ankle sprains are exceptionally common in nearly any sport where you stand up and move.
The best way to prevent them is gently warming up your body and increasing the blood flow to the individual muscles, and gradually building up to a full session of activity rather than rushing back into full-intensity training.
Groin Pulls
Whilst pulling your groin can be incredibly painful, it thankfully is also an injury that commonly will recover by itself.
It happens when a pushing off motion strains the inner thigh muscles, and much like hamstring strains can be recovered from using rest, compression and ice.
Shin Splints
A common runner’s injury, they are pains that radiate down the lower leg, and can in some cases (but not all) be a sign of a stress fracture.
Typically, pain medications, rest and ice will help you recover from a shin splint but if pain continues or gets more intense, be sure to see a doctor and get your leg x-rayed.
For more information about how to protect yourself whilst staying active from a sports therapist in Maidenhead, get in touch today.
