Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are the injuries that occur during sport and exercise. These injuries may result from accidents, poor training practices, use of improper protective gear, lack of conditioning and insufficient warm up. They can be acute (sprains, fractures, tears) or chronic (tendinopathy) injuries.
Sports Injury Management
When you suffer an injury during sports events, never try to continue the activity in pain because it may cause further harm. Some injuries may require prompt attention by a doctor, while others can be treated at home.
You should seek medical treatment if:
- The injury is causing severe pain, swelling or numbness.
- You are not able to put any weight on the injured area.
- The joint feels unstable.
If you do not have any symptoms mentioned above, you can adopt self –care treatment at home. You should follow the PRICE method immediately after injury to relieve pain and inflammation. These steps should continue for at least 48 hours.
- Protection: to prevent further injury.
- Rest: You should take rest from regular exercises or daily activities as needed.
- Ice: Apply an ice pack over the injured area for 20 minutes at a time. This should be done four to eight times a day.
- Compression: Compress the injured area with elastic wraps, special boots, air casts, and splints. This helps to reduce swelling.
- Elevation: Keep the injured joint elevated on a pillow, above the level of the heart. This is to help decrease swelling.
Your doctor may recommend other treatments to help your injury heal. These include:
- Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs(NSAID)
- Immobilization
Immobilization involves reducing movement of an injured area to prevent further damage. This may involve the use of a sling, brace, walking boot, cast or splint. This helps to reduce pain, swelling, muscle spasm, and allows the injured tissues to heal. - Surgery
Surgery may be necessary to repair torn tendons and ligaments or to realign the broken bones. - Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation involves exercises that get the injured area back to normal condition. Exercises start with gentle range-of-motion exercises followed by stretching and strengthening exercises.
