You may be a highly trained athlete but still, there are high chances you could get injured especially if you are playing as a professional hence here are a few pointers of most common sports injuries and its remedies.
- Concussion:
A concussion is an injury to the brain that may occur due to a blow to the head. This is a serious injury that should not be lightly taken and any athlete who experiences this should visit a physician immediately to get it tested and treated. Common concussion symptoms can include;
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Sensitivity to light
- Nausea or vomiting
- Slow response to questions
Athletes diagnosed with a concussion should not return to sports till they are medically cleared by a health care professional.
Treatments include complete; mental and physical rest for a few days and slowly increasing physical activities after the rest period to check for prolonged symptoms if any.
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest:
Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of many young athlete deaths in the US. In fact, studies have shown that SCA is more frequent in young athletes than non-athletes because of vigorous routine exercise. Any underlying heart condition can also be the cause and males are more vulnerable to SCA.
The only way to avoid such untimely deaths is by carrying an AED Unit for sports (Automated External Defibrillator) which will avoid any delays to get medical help which is the main cause of SCA deaths.
- Shin Splints:
Shin splints occur mostly to athletes who need to run a lot like someone who plays in a soccer team. A shin splint causes pain in the lower leg bone or the tibia. This can be best treated by using the RICE technique (rest, icing, compression and elevation). You can avoid this by gradually increasing running activities rather than running a great deal at the beginning of the season.
- Tennis Elbow:
Athletes who perform a lot of gripping activities usually suffer from tennis elbow. It is because of the overuse of the elbow. This condition can be extremely painful, and the only treatment includes rest and icing the inflamed area. Anti-inflammatory drugs can also suppress the discomfort. Stretching exercises can help in breaking down the stiffness gradually to build strength which is needed to return to athletes.
- Shoulder Injury:
Shoulder injury includes sprains of ligament, misalignment, and dislocations. The main reason this happens is because of the lack of flexibility or stabilization. The treatment is simple, rest and icing which will help with pain and swelling relief.
- Ligament Tear or Strain:
The most common ligament strain or tear injury that occurs during sports injury is to the ligaments of the knee. The reason would be a sudden change of directions which can cause the ligament to tear, resulting in instability in walking while turning corners as well as swelling in the knee. A complete ligament tear will require surgery and a few months to recover along with aggressive physiotherapy before you could join back the team.
While the occurrence of any of these injuries can be a misfortune but the worst part would be that you may need to tag out for the season if it is a major injury hence get a physics examination before the season starts and practice well to be agile and aware of all techniques that can avoid any sports injury.