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There are many benefits to doing sports and physical activity and more and more people are getting into it. Be it cardio, lifting, competitive sports, almost anyone who exercises on a regular basis will develop an ache, pain or sports injury at some time or another.
Different types of sports are predisposed to certain types of injuries because of the mechanics of the movement and the repetitive strain in certain movements.
Sports injuries result from acute trauma or repetitive stress associated with athletic activities. Sports injuries can affect bones or soft tissue (ligaments, muscles, tendons n nerves).
These Injuries can be classed as chronic or acute.
Understanding the mechanics of the body is important to know what are the optimum positions for the body to function in and the consequences if these positions are not followed through in sports and exercise.
Acute injury is due to an impact from a direct force by collision, being hit by an object or fall and if the injury is less than 2 weeks old. E.g. Sprains/strains, fractures, dislocations, hamstring tears, ACL tears.
Strained (pulled) muscles result from muscles being suddenly and forcefully overstretched.
This tears the muscle fibres, usually where they attach to the tendon. The muscle is painful and its strength is reduced.
Bruises and strains should be treated with ice to reduce the swelling
Sprains are different to strains – they involve ligaments rather than muscles and tendons.
Sprained/ twisted ankle Sprains occur when ligaments at joints get stretched and torn. A sharp twist of the foot can give you a sprained or twisted ankle. Severe sprains result in torn ligaments.
Sprains are more serious than strains, and result in considerable pain and loss of function at the joint. The symptoms are similar to a fracture or dislocation.
Sprains should be treated with ice and rest.
Chronic injury represents Tendonitis, joint instabilities, strained muscles and is generally a pain which has lasted more than 6 weeks and is caused by:
- Overuse or repetitive stress of muscles
- instability
- Insufficient warm-up with lack of stretching and conditioning
- training too hard
- not allowing time for recovery
- Improper sport gears or footwear
- bad sporting technique
Common chronic sports injuries are: Tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, carpel tunnel syndrome, shin splints, general muscle ache/tightness.
Golf and tennis put a lot of strain on the elbow. In golf and tennis elbow, the tendons that attach muscles to the elbow joint become inflamed, sore and painful.
These injuries should be treated by applying an icepack and resting for several weeks.
Physiotherapy treatment will be helpful to relieve the pain
Shin splints are pains in the lower leg, caused by continuous stress over a long period of time.
Either the tendons around the tibia become inflamed, or ‘stress fractures’ develop – these are cracks along the length of the bone.
Shin splints should be treated with ice and plenty of rest. Cushioned footwear and special insoles or orthotics and strengthening exercises can help to prevent the injury returning.
General Tips to prevent injuries during sports:
- Overuse of muscles or muscle weakness/imbalance. – Ensure your exercise program exercises all the major muscle groups working both the agonist and antagonist muscles.
- Poor training methods – When starting a new exercise regime always seek advice from a trained professional in that field.
- Postural defects– Hyper mobility puts you at increased risk of injury, consider leg length differences, scoliosis etc.
- Improper training equipment – Choose the right weight and number of repetitions for your ability.
- Level of fitness/aging- Take in to consideration what you can realistically achieve.
- An ideal posture –is when your joints sit and are worked in a neutral position. Poor alignment may result in frequent injuries. To train muscles most effectively you need the joints to be in their optimum alignment.
As experienced physiotherapists with sports injuries we believe:
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
Effective planning with your physiotherapist at Physio Asia:
- Commences immediately following injury
- Integrate pain relief for sports injuriesand activities accordingly
- Stages – initial, intermediate, advanced and return to sport
- Look for and correct any biomechanical abnormalities
Physiotherapist will advise you on:
- Warm up
- Stretching
- Taping and Bracing
- Protective Equipment
- Suitable Equipment
- Environmental factors
- Appropriate Training
- Nutrition