Sports injuries
The miracles of sports and exercise far outweigh the risks, but injuries occasionally happen. Sports injuries are generally shared and can occur throughout your body; you can usually treat common minor sports injuries yourself.
Causes of sports injuries
Common causes for sports injuries can be:
- Accidents, such as a fall or heavy blow
- Fail to warm up properly before starting to exercise
- Operating inappropriate equipment or lack of proper technique
- Testing yourself too hard
Almost all parts of the gets injured; the bones, muscles, joints, and connective tissues (tendons and ligaments). The ankles and knees are especially prone to injury.
Signs of sports injuries
The symptoms of a sports injury rely on the type of injury you encounter.
Common symptoms include:
- Discomforts, pain, or tenderness
- Decreased range of motion
- Stiffness or weakness
- Deformity
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Grinding, cracking, clicking, or popping noise
- Warm under-skin tone
- Can’t stand upright
- Trouble moving a body part comfortably
Treatments
Stop exercising if you feel discomfort; continuing to exercise while undergoing injury may cause additional damage and slow down your recovery.
You are not usually required to see a doctor for a minor injury and can take self-care measures at home. However, you may want to visit a doctor if you face intractable pain or discomfort; they may refer you to physiotherapy.
You can treat common minor injuries yourself by:
- Resting the affected part for the first forty-eight to seventy-two hours to control further damage
- Regularly applying a cold compress to the affected area during the first forty-eight to seventy-two hours to lessen the swelling
- Using painkillers, like paracetamol or ibuprofen, to relieve your pain
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 04 October 2022