It’s never good or fun to be injured, causing you to be out of a game. Depending on how severe the sports injury is, will 
determine what further actions need to be taken. At Westland Clinic, our goal for kids playing sports and athletes is to help minimize the effects of injuries. We also want to make sure further or greater injury does not occur. We want our male and female athletes to stay in the game!
In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercising is vital. One thing you should do and in some cases be required to do, is have a sports physical. No matter if you enjoy running, playing baseball, basketball or another sport, staying active and making sure you are healthy enough for sports is imperative. However, as with any sport that you play, there are often injuries. Here are a few common sports injuries that people playing sports should be aware of.
What Are Some Common Sports Injuries?
Shoulder injuries:
Shoulder injuries can occur in sports such as tennis, weightlifting, swimming, and baseball. Daily activities like these can cause:
- Frozen shoulder-stiffness of the tendons, muscle, and ligaments in the shoulder, causing pain or difficulty with the movements of the body.
- Shoulder instability-the shoulder joint is dislocated, making it feel as if the shoulder is out of place.
- Rotator cuff tendinitis-an inflammation and irritation of a group of tendons and muscles that forms around the rotator cuff.
- Rotator cuff tear-pain, weakness, and a limited usage of motion that is caused due to the tearing of one or more rotator cuff tendons or muscles.
Back injuries:
Back pain is very common, especially for people with healthy, active lifestyles. You may experience back pain with sports that require a lot of repetitive twisting such as gymnastics, golf, dance, cheer, and baseball. Back pain can lead to back injuries if not treated with care. These include:
- Herniated disk-the disk or rubbery cushion between the vertebra ruptures.
- Spondylolisthesis-the spine vertebra moves out of position onto a lower bone.
- Ligament/muscle strains-the tearing of a ligament or an injury to the muscle.
Leg injuries:
There are two types of leg injuries in sports, overuse injuries and sudden (acute) injuries.
Overuse Injuries
Overuse injuries occurs when certain sports require a lot of jumping or running. Common overuse injuries include:
- Muscle strains
- Shin splints
- Stress fractures
- Muscle cramps
- Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS)
Sudden (Acute) Injuries
Sudden (acute) injuries occur when performing in a sport that requires a high level of contact such as wrestling, basketball, hockey, and football. These types of injuries usually happen when bending, twisting, or falling and the pain can be sudden and severe. Common sudden (acute) injuries include:
- Dislocation
- Muscle ruptures
- Pulled muscles
- Broken fractures or bones
What should you do?
When you are first injured, applying the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) method is recommended. If that doesn’t provide relief and the pain is severe
, you should see a doctor. They can see what’s going on by doing an examination of your injury; taking x-rays in many cases or recommending MRI’s along with reviewing your medical history. For prevention and care please contact the Millennium medical center near you. Have your boy or girl had their sports physical yet? In order to play any sport in school, having a sports physical examination is important and often required. Contact our Westland Clinic to set up your sports physical appointment!
