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Most sports injuries are due to either trauma or overuse of muscles or joints. The majority are caused by minor trauma involving muscles, ligaments, tendons, or bones, including:
A contusion (bruise) is an injury to the soft tissue. It is often caused by blunt force such as a kick, fall, or blow. The immediate result will be pain, swelling, and discoloration.
A sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament. Ligaments are flexible bands of fibrous tissue that connect bones to bones, and bones to cartilage. They also hold together the bones in your joints. Sprains often affect the ankles, knees, or wrists.
Learn more about ligament injuries to the knee.
A strain is twist, pull or tear of a muscle or tendon, and is often caused by overuse, force, or stretching. A tendon is a tough cord of tissue that connects muscles to bones.
Some examples of strains are:
Fractures are breaks in the bone that are often caused by a blow or a fall. A fracture can range from a simple hairline fracture (a thin fracture that may not run through the entire bone) to a compound fracture, in which the broken bone protrudes through the skin. Most fractures happen in the arms and legs.
Stress fractures are weak spots or small cracks in the bone caused by continuous overuse. Stress fractures often happen in the foot or leg after training for gymnastics, running, and other sports. The bones in the midfoot (metatarsals) in runners are especially vulnerable to stress fractures.
A dislocation happens when extreme force is put on a ligament, allowing the ends of two connected bones to separate. Stress on joint ligaments can lead to dislocation of the joint.
A rehabilitation program for sports injuries is designed to meet the needs of the individual patient, depending on the type and severity of the injury. Active involvement of the patient and family is vital to the success of the program.
The goal of rehabilitation after an injury is to help the patient return to the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving the overall quality of life–physically, emotionally, and socially.
In order to help reach these goals, sports injury rehabilitation programs may include the following:
Rehabilitation programs for sports injuries are usually conducted on an outpatient basis. Many skilled professionals are part of the sports injury rehabilitation team, including any or all of the following:
It can sometimes be confusing whether to use heat or cold when treating sore muscles or an injury. But keep these facts in mind.
Be sure to protect any type of heating pad device from coming in direct contact with the skin. Precautions should be taken to avoid burns, especially if you have nerve damage, such as from diabetes or other health problems.
When muscles work, chemical by products are made that need to be eliminated. When exercise is very intense, there may not be enough blood flow to eliminate all the chemicals. It is the build-up of chemicals (for example, lactic acid) that cause muscle ache. Because the blood supply helps eliminate these chemicals, use heat to help sore muscles after exercise.
When an injury or inflammation, such as tendonitis or bursitis occurs, tissues are damaged. Cold numbs the affected area, which can reduce pain and tenderness. Cold can also reduce swelling and inflammation.