PAIN & SPINE PHYSICIAN

Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are common and can occur throughout your body to bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and other structures. You can treat many minor injuries at home with rest, ice, compression, elevation and over-the-counter pain medications. But some injuries require medical treatment, such as immobilization, physical therapy and surgery.

Exercise is important to good health, but people often get hurt when participating in sports or other physical activities. A sports injury involves damage to part of your body due to sports, exercise or athletic activities.

Who might get a sports injury?

Sports injuries can happen to anyone, particularly people who:

Are out of shape.
Don’t wear proper protective equipment.
Exercise without warming up and cooling down.
Participate in contact sports that may involve tackling or collisions.
Take part in activities that involve jumping, running and pivoting or changing direction quickly.

What are the most common parts of the body injured?

Sports injuries can affect any part of your body. They most often affect:

Achilles tendon: The Achilles tendon is a thick cord that connects the back of your lower leg (calf) to your heel. It helps you walk. But the tendon can become swollen, inflamed and stiff. It can even tear. This is called Achilles tendinitis or Achilles tendon rupture.
Ankle: Your leg and foot join together at your ankle. It contains three joints, as well as several bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles and tendons. Ankle pain is often caused by a sprained ankle.
Elbow: Your elbow is the joint that acts as a hinge between your upper and lower arm. People often experience pain in their elbow from repeat motions and overuse (for example, tennis elbow and Little League elbow).
Head: Your head includes your face, skull and brain. One of the most common head injuries is concussion.
Knee: Your knee is a complex joint that acts as a hinge between your thigh and lower leg. It contains bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. Knee pain can be caused by jumper’s knee or runner’s knee. Other common injuries include meniscus tear and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.
Shoulder: Your shoulder connects your upper arm to the trunk of your body. It contains your rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons that keep the upper arm in your shoulder socket. Rotator cuff tendinitis and rotator cuff tears are common sports injuries.

What causes sports injuries?

Sports injuries have many causes, including:

Accidents, such as a fall.
Bad habits with exercise, such as not warming up or stretching enough.
Lack of safety equipment, or gear that’s damaged or worn incorrectly.
Shoes that don’t fit well or provide enough support.
Sudden start to an exercise program or significant increase in physical activity that your body isn’t used to.

What are the symptoms of a sports injury?

The signs and symptoms of a sports injury depend on the type of injury. Common symptoms include:

Aches, pain or tenderness.
Bruising.
Deformity, such as a bone or joint looking out of place.
Decreased range of motion.
Grinding, cracking, clicking or popping noise.
Inability to bear weight on your hip, leg or foot.
Skin that’s warm to the touch.
Stiffness or weakness.
Swelling.
Trouble moving a body part normally (for example, you can’t move it as far or it locks up when you try to move).

How is a sports injury treated?

Treatment for sports injuries varies widely, depending on the type and severity. Many sports injuries heal in a few days or weeks with rest and at-home strategies.

But for more serious injuries, treatment may involve:

Immobilization with a cast, splint, sling, walking boot or other medical device.
Injections to reduce swelling and pain.
Prescription anti-inflammatory medications.
Surgery to correct fractures or repair ligament, tendon or cartilage tears.
Physical therapy (also called rehabilitation or rehab) to heal and strengthen injured body parts.

What can I expect if I have a sports injury?

The outlook after a sports injury varies, depending on the type and severity. Most sports injuries are minor and heal in a few days or weeks with rest and simple recovery strategies. Other injuries, such as broken bones and concussions, need medical intervention and can take several months to heal.