Types of Sports Injuries, Their Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
As you participate in exercise or sports activities, you may sustain injuries. Proper precautions and preventive equipment may limit sports injuries and enhance safety, but total prevention of sports injuries is impossible. In addition, a sports injury may be chronic where this injury does not heal completely.
Chronic sports injuries are managed at a sports injury urgent care near you. An acute sports injury results from accidents like collisions, tackle, or falls and has noticeable symptoms. Acute injuries may require a visit to the emergency room in Abilene for immediate diagnosis and treatment.
Types of Sports Injuries
The following sports injuries may be sustained on different parts of the body during sporting activities:
- Muscle injuries
- Concussions
- Sprains and strains
- Labral tear
- Fractures
- Lateral epicondylitis
- Medial epicondylitis
- Dislocations
- Joint injuries
- Shinbone pain
- Achilles tendon injuries
- Patellofemoral pain
- Plantar fasciitis
Causes of Sports Injuries
- Wearing unsuitable sporting gear
- Using the wrong equipment
- Wrong warm-up practices before a sport activity
- Poor health condition
- Poor training
- Overuse, which causes chronic wear and tear of joints, muscles, and joints
- Resuming sports activities too soon after an injury and following the previous routine instead of easing your injured body into the sports activity.
- Improper rehabilitation that does not focus on strengthening muscles specific to the sport.
Symptoms of Sports Injuries
Visit an urgent care near you if you participate in a sports activity and have any of the following symptoms:
- Pain on the affected area.
- Swelling of joints (effusion), swelling caused by bleeding of soft tissue (hematoma), and soft tissue swelling (edema)
- Stiffness that affects the range of motion
- Unstable joints that may give out
- Numbness and tingling
- Redness at the injured site
- Headache
- Confusion
- Memory problems
- Irritability
- Nausea
- Dizziness
When to Visit an Emergency Room for Sports Injuries Treatment
Sports injuries treatment at an emergency room near you may be required after a severe acute injury during the sports activity. You will require immediate treatment if you have the symptoms below during or after a sporting activity:
- Loss of consciousness
- Severe back pain
- Double vision
- Confusion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bone fracture
- Slurred speech
- Severe swelling
- Broken bones
Diagnosing Sports Injuries
The doctor will perform a physical exam to diagnose a sports injury based on your medical history, how you sustained the injury and the symptoms that you have. The doctor may prescribe medication to internally cure the injury or perform further diagnostic imaging tests to rule out the severity of the sports injuries.
Diagnostic testing at an ER near you provides the doctors with fast, accurate, and detailed information on the area injured during a sports activity. Our emergency room in 79605 is equipped with equipment like x-ray machines, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines that give more information on the injury sustained.
The results from these imaging types of equipment are combined with results from physical examinations to facilitate correct diagnoses and proper treatment.
Treatment of Sports Injuries
Your doctor may prescribe medication, or you may buy over-the-counter medication for injuries that are not severe. The R.I.C.E method is recommended to complement treatment at home. R.I.C.E stands for Rest for the injured areas, Ice application to reduce swelling and pain, Compression for the affected area through wrapping, and Elevation where the patient is advised to keep the injured area elevated to reduce pain.
Mild injuries are treated by rest and temporary avoidance of physical activities to give the injured body part time to heal. The doctor may advise you to go for physical therapy to regain proper pain-free movement in the affected area.
Tips to Limit Sports Injuries
- Use the right gear suitable for each sporting activity and put on shoes that provide adequate support to prevent foot problems leading to injuries.
- Follow a fitness plan that decreases your chance of injuries like cardiovascular exercises, flexibility, and strength training.
- Stay hydrated to prevent heat stroke, heat exhaustion, or dehydration.
iv. Perform correct stretching exercises that improve your muscle’s ability to contract therefore reducing the risk of injury. - Rest when tired or in pain.
- Receive adequate rehabilitation after sustaining a sports injury.
- Warm-up and Cool down in the proper way before and after a sports activity.