5 Common Amateur Sports Injuries

There is nothing worse for an athlete than becoming injured. It means days or weeks of rest, unable to train or compete and the dreaded fear of re-injuring an already vulnerable part of your body.

Any professional athlete will probably tell you that some form of injury when partaking in physical activity is more or less inevitable but being properly prepared, and being able to recognise some of the more common injuries can help you get ahead of your problem.

First, it is important to note that prevention is extremely important if you want to keep playing your favourite sport. So, warming up properly and not pushing yourself beyond reasonable limits is vital to your long-term health. Also, if you are injured you should get off the field immediately and treat it to make sure that a simple injury to the knee or shoulder doesn’t become something more problematic and enduring pain that attracts its own treatment requirements.

Without further ado, here are

5 Common Sports Injuries that amateurs should be aware of

Pulling a muscle

Pulling a muscle is when a quick movement tears a few muscle fibres and causes a whole lot of pain. Pulling a muscle normally happens when an athlete doesn’t warm up properly before playing their sport and most often happens in the lower part of the body such as the calf or hamstring. To avoid pulling a muscle make sure to start slow and warm up your body with the right stretches or exercises before starting to push yourself.

Concussion

A concussion is most common in contact sports such as rugby or water polo but realistically can happen to any athlete that suffers from a blow to the head. A concussion occurs when a force causes the brain to move back and forth quickly within your skull, causing injury and inflammation. This can result in headaches, loss of consciousness and confusion that should be treated immediately by a medical professional.

Suffering from Runners Knee

Runners Knee is caused by repeated misaligned movement of the kneecap, which can pull off to the side and rub against bone, wearing out the cartilage. This can cause pain, inflammation and swelling which should be treated by rest and cold treatments. Wearing supportive footwear and strengthening the quadriceps can help provide stability for the knee and prevent injuries in the future.

Shoulder injuries

Shoulder injuries are common in sports that use the arms and are so frequent because the alignment of muscles in this part of the body is very delicate. Inflamed tendons, torn rotator-cuff and shoulder sprains happen regularly and are best avoided by strengthening the muscles through rehabilitation and recommended exercises.

Ankle problems

Similar to the shoulder, the ankle is a joint that experiences a disproportionate amount of wear and tear. A sprained ankle is caused by rolling injuries to the foot and Achilles tendinitis is caused by overuse and fatigue which then develops into inflammation. Both of these injuries require rest and treatment before going back into the sport to ensure that they don’t develop into something more serious.

Two articles to check further:

Tips from a Sports Physio to Avoid Injuries this Winter-Sports Season
Tips from Sports Physio on How to Avoid Injuries this Footy Season