Being aware of what could go wrong when you work out or when you participate in a sporting activity is important for both the casual and the professional athlete. The truth is there are always some risks that you have to be aware of, regardless of the sport you love. In fact, in some cases, the risk of being injured is just as high as having to deal with a personal injury lawsuit in an auto accident. As a result, you need to be aware of the following as being the most common of all sports injuries.
Strains
These are really common because we use numerous tendons and muscles as we play games or exercise. Moving parts can easily end up stretching much more than they should. They can even move in ways that are not good. All of these can lead to pain, damage, and torn ligaments or muscles.
The very common muscle strains affect groin muscles, quads, and hamstrings. Fortunately, most of these are minor and will naturally heal as you rest. Always warm up and then stretch before any strenuous activity to reduce the risk of muscle strains.
Sprains
A sprain is basically the same thing as a strain but it affects ligaments, which are tissues connecting bones. As these ligaments turn in an inappropriate way, they can easily tear or pull.
The very common sprains we see affect the ankles. Then, we have sprains affecting elbows, wrists, and strains.
The truth is that sprains can be really painful and they will take much longer to heal when compared to strains. Sometimes, immobilization is necessary so you do not end up with an additional injury.
Knee Injuries
The human knee is a complicated joint. It has to deal with a lot of wear and impact during sports. Due to this, you need to be prepared for the possibility of getting your knees injured.
ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears are very common, just like cartilage tears, fractures, and dislocation.
You need to know that almost all knee injuries are debilitating, painful, and some might even require surgery. Once again, make sure you stretch and warm up to avoid knee injuries. Also, maintaining good posture while you play or work out can help a lot, just like using bracing and padding if the sport requires it.
Fractures
Contact and impact sports can easily lead to bone fractures. All of them would be painful and require weeks of immobilization. Sometimes, you might even need surgery.
With most contact and strenuous sports, fractures are a huge risk. You can easily reduce this when you wear appropriate padding, you work out, warm up, and practice very good technique. In addition, you should never play through any serious pain since this is a sign of the presence of a sprain or a strain. Both of these could lead to fractures when not treated.
Tennis Elbow
Last but not least and contrary to what you might think, tennis elbow is not restricted to those that play tennis. This is practically a condition that appears because of repeating the same motion over and over again. Your elbow ligaments will be strained due to this repetitive and overused activity.
The very best way to be protected is to always space yourself. You need to do other activities, take breaks, and make sure you stretch before you play.