3 Common Sports Injuries

Many people play sports in some way or another, whether they are playing for fun in their backyard or competitively on the field. Exercising by playing sports can be very beneficial to your health, but sometimes these benefits to your health are outweighed by negative aspects such as an injury. The severity of these injuries can range from minor to very serious, with some injuries requiring surgery to fully heal. These injuries may be caused from poor training practices, improper equipment, flawed techniques, or may just be an accident. Injuries can also occur when a person is not properly coached to play the sport, such as not warming up or stretching muscles beforehand.

Here are the three most common sport injuries.

Ankle Sprain
An ankle sprain refers to the "injury to the soft tissues, usually the ligaments, of the ankle" when it turns in during physical activity. As you know, the ankle sprain is that familiar sports injury that usually results from twisting your ankle – maybe from coming down from a jump incorrectly, planting your foot in the wrong spot during a cut or just from losing your footing while running. There's often that moment when you wonder whether you just harmlessly rolled your ankle or truly sprained it. The prolonged pain as you keep moving gives you the answer you weren't looking for.

Lower Back Stress Fractures
These are also an overuse injury commonly seen in fast bowlers in cricket or those doing repeated extension movements as part of their sports. The sportsperson usually comes to physiotherapists with general back pain and so it is crucial the physiotherapist has knowledge of biomechanics and the stresses and strains involved with your particular sport in order to pick these up. Usually a CT or MRI is the best option for scans and can be managed in conjunction with a sports doctor for the best guide on medication and return to sport.

Quad Strains
Quad strains can come about from a variety of factors. Essentially, any muscle imbalance between from the hips down to the toes can impact the quadriceps muscle. One of the common causes is simple overuse like pushing the quad further than you usually do on any given day, but there are several other ways to come down with it. Putting stress on the muscle when it's not ready (like sprinting without doing a proper warm-up) is another common cause, while overstretching and trauma can be factors as well. The extent of symptoms run the gamut many quad strains can produce mild discomfort, but some cause severe pain that will leave you in need of crutches.

These injuries can be prevented by getting the right training. Furthermore, once you get affected by them, visit a physiotherapist as soon as possible. Physiotherapy is one of the best ways to deal with sport related injuries, prevent it from becoming worse and eliminate the need for surgery. If you're in Edmonton, HCR Solutions is one of the best physical therapy clinics in the city.

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