If you’re an athlete, then you probably know firsthand that a sport injury can interfere with your life in more ways than just keeping you off the field. Sports injuries can get in the way of your every day life, making simple tasks much more difficult. Fortunately, although playing sports comes with a risk – and many injuries are unforeseen – it’s possible to reduce your risk for some of the most common sports injuries.
In addition to keeping up with general good habits such as strength training, stretching, and warming up properly, there are some specific steps you can take to prevent these common sports injuries:
1. Rotator Cuff Injuries. These can cause intense pain around the shoulder and severely limit your range of motion for daily tasks. Rotator cuff injuries occur when any of the four rotator cuff muscles are damaged.
Here’s what you can do:
Aside from avoiding overworking your rotator cuff muscles, you can prevent rotator cuff injuries by strengthening your rotator cuff. Internal and external rotation exercises are particularly beneficial.
2. Shin Splints. This is a common and painful injury that occurs frequently among runners.. “Shin splints” is a relatively general term for pain at the front part of the shin.
Here’s what you can do:
Shin splints occur when the lower leg is overused without properly conditioning the body beforehand. Taking time to stretch and strengthen your calves and hips can help prevent shin splints from occurring.
3. Strained Hamstrings. Hamstrings can be strained when the tendons or muscles at the back of the leg are torn or otherwise overworked. There are different degrees of hamstring strains, ranging from pulled muscles to muscle tears.
Here’s what you can do:
One of the best ways to prevent staining your hamstrings is to keep strength of your hamstrings and your quadriceps balanced; having quadriceps that are much stronger than your hamstrings can actually cause damage to the hamstrings. It’s also essential to make sure that your hamstrings are properly stretched before a match or workout.
4. Tennis Elbow. This occurs when the tendons in your elbow become overworked and ultimately injured. As you probably know, tennis elbow isn’t limited to tennis players.
Here’s what you can do:
One of the simplest ways to prevent tennis elbow is to simply try to balance the amount of strain that you put on each arm. For example, if you typically use your right arm, try using your left arm whenever possible. You can also focus on strengthening your arm and shoulder muscles.
5. Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains occur when the ligaments around the ankle are torn. Depending on the severity, ankle sprains can limit your mobility for weeks of months.
Here’s what you can do:
Ankle sprains can happen to anyone depending on the level of trauma that the ankle experiences. However, strengthening your peroneal muscles – which are located on the sides of your ankles – can decrease instances of sprains caused by rolled ankles.
Most sports injuries are easier to prevent than they are to treat, which is why it’s essential to consult with your trainer and your health care professional about what you can do to keep yourself healthy throughout the season. Depending on the types of sports that you play, you’ll want to customize your prevention routine to target the injuries that are most likely to occur.
If you’ve experienced a sport injury, or want to know more about how to prevent the most common sports injuries, please visit our website or contact us. We’ll be more than happy to talk to you about how we can keep you healthy and in the game.