Sports Injuries

What are Sporting Injuries?

Participating in sports is good for you and fun but it can lead to injury.

Sports injuries are unfortunately very common and can occur at any age. They tend to range from minor muscular injuries and strains to severe muscular, ligament and bone disruption.

In most cases they occur as a result of overuse of a particular part of the body (such as tennis elbow), awkward falls or collisions.

The most common indicator that you have a sports injury is if you have one or more of these symptoms:

• Inflammation
• Localised swelling/redness
• Pain
• The inability to easily move a part of your body

The Most Common Sports Injuries:

• Sprains and muscle strains
• Pain in the joints
• Swollen muscles
• Meniscal tears
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Fractures
• Dislocations

What To Do If You Suffer a Sports Injury

The first thing to do is stop playing if you get hurt as ignoring the pain and continuing to play can cause more damage.

You should then rest the area that is hurting, put ice on it, compress it with a sports bandage and if relevant elevate it. This should help to reduce the initial swelling.  You could also take a mild pain killer like Paracetamol to reduce the pain.

Once you have done this it is important to get the problem diagnosed as quickly as possible to help speed up your recovery.