Sports & Health: Common Injuries Associated with Sports

Fact Checked

As the end of summer nears and another school semester is about to begin, it is always a good opportunity for students to engage in extra-curricular activities, such as sports and cheer dancing. But you have to keep in mind that every time you step on the field to play sports, exercise, or even perform cheerleading stunts, you always run yourself at risk for developing a kind of injury at some point in time.

We have listed the common injuries associated with sports and here are some of them:

  • Ankle Sprains and Strains – Sprains and strains are the most common types of ankle injuries. These usually happen when there is too much tearing or stretching of the ligaments surrounding the joins of the ankles. Other causes of ankle injuries include too much jumping and improper landing.
  • Injuries to the Knees – Injuries to knees happen when an athlete changes direction or twists his body swiftly that too much force is received by the knees. A good example of this is the anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) injury, which usually happen when the athlete is not moving his feet, but needs to twist his body quickly to change direction.
  • Muscle Cramps – The usually symptoms of cramps are sudden tightness of the muscles associated with extreme pain. Cramps happen when the muscles experiences spasms, a sensation where the muscle contracts extensively but does not relax thereafter.
  • Epicondylitis – This is more known as the “tennis elbow.” Repeated use of the arm and forearm muscles can cause elbow pain, which is why they are more common among tennis players.
  • Wrist Injuries – Injuries are common among people performing stunts, such as a gymnast or a cheer dancer. It happens when too much force is applied on the wrist, usually twice as much as the body weight of the person.
  • Overall back and lower back pains – These are commonly associated with intense training without using proper body mechanics, such as when lifting heavy objects or too much force applied on the back.

What is an effective way to prevent sport injuries?

Although injuries resulting from accidents, such as fall or body contact, cannot be totally prevented, other sports injuries are easier to prevent with proper training and exercise. Stretching activities to help increase flexibility, for example, is one way to prevent overuse injuries including back pains, sprains, as well as wrist and knee injuries. Finally, avoid too much exercise and muscle stress if your body cannot handle the pressure properly.

Related Video on Sports Injury Prevention:

[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHq0715fWMo” width=”220″]

Source:

“Sports Injuries.” Medline Plus. Retrieved online on August 3, 2014 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportsinjuries.html

“The Seven Most Common Sports Injuries.” Web MD. Retrieved online on August 3, 2014 from http://www.webmd.com/men/features/seven-most-common-sports-injuries

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