Top 5 Common Sports Injuries You Didn’t Know

Being an athlete comes with many health benefits as you learn to treat your body the right way to stay involved in different sports. Unfortunately, sports and recreational injuries are also common among athletes. For this reason, Austin sports injuries specialists at Urgent and Family Care at Avery Ranch focus on treating and preventing the common injuries athletes can incur. Here are the top five common sports injuries and how to manage them.

1. ACL Tear

This is one of the common conditions, which is a non-contact knee injury often associated with sports that involve sudden stops, jumps, and changes of direction. You can hear or feel a pop in the knee where it swells and becomes difficult to bear weight.

Women are more affected by ACL tears than men due to differences in their biomechanics. The condition is also likely to reappear if you had experienced it previously.

If you experience this condition, you need to seek immediate medical attention when you have severe pain or swell immediately when you get the injury. If you are unable to completely straighten your leg, your knee buckles or locks at one position, and you can’t bear weight, it is time to call your doctor or visit urgent care.

2. Ankle Sprain

Ankle sprains are common sports injuries. They can happen to any person at any age and with any shape or size. Although sporting activities often contribute to this condition, many other activities outside of sports are also associated with this condition. Such include wearing inappropriate footwear and stepping or walking on an uneven surface.

Any musculoskeletal injury can be managed through the mnemonic ‘RICE’ treatment option. This means that your doctor can recommend rest, icing, compression, and elevation. Although these options can help relieve mild and moderate ankle sprains effectively, they are much less effective for severe ankle sprains.

3. Groin Pull

This is a common condition for athletes who participate in activities involving a lot of jumping and running. If you experience immediate pain in the groin area or inner thigh while engaged in an activity, it is likely you strained your groin. Other signs of a pulled groin include tenderness, swelling, stiffness, and discoloration.

Stretching and strengthening exercises can help you recover from this condition. It is also recommended you pause any activity that causes more strain so as to prevent the injury from being aggravated further.

4. Concussions

Several factors contribute to concussions, including participating in contact sports such as football. How aggressive you are, as well as your playing position or style, do increase your chances of sustaining a concussion.

The most appropriate way to manage concussion is through rest. However, you may also need to avoid physical exertion or activities that demand a lot of mental concentration. Pain medications can also help relieve concussions, but should be prescribed by your doctor as some medications can actually cause a worsening of symptoms.

When concussion symptoms are relieved, it will be important to discuss with your doctor your plan to resume sporting activities, as returning too soon can increase the risk of a second concussion, which can be fatal.

5. Hamstring Strain

This is a very typical condition in athletics, especially in sporting activities that require sprinting. While a hamstring strain generally results from muscle overload in the back of your legs, there are other causes as well, including muscle tightness, poor conditioning, and imbalance or fatigue.

Although most mild hamstring injuries can be relieved at home, you need to see your doctor if the injured leg can’t bear any weight. Your provider will perform diagnostic testing to recommend the best treatment option for you.