The Reality of Sports Injuries

Introduction

If there’s one thing we all can agree on, it is that we’ve all had an injury at one point in our lives. Whether it was a papercut, a broken bone, or a cut in our legs, we’ve all been hurt. However, for our sports fans out there, I know you’ve experienced far worse than just a papercut before. Each sport is different, but they are all taxing in one way or another and can all lead to many different sports injuries. So today, let’s learn about more of them! 

Classifying Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are classified by onset (acute vs. chronic/overuse), cause (direct vs indirect),  tissue affected (muscle, ligament, and bone), and severity (Grade I-III for tears/strains). The two categories that they are grouped into are either acute (sudden) from trauma or chronic (gradual), which is often from overuse of the site injury. To make this easier to understand, here are a few examples of the different classifications of sports injuries and common examples that fall under them, and explanations! 

Classification by Onset/Cause	Classification by Severity
Acute- Sudden injury from a single event	Grade I (Mild)- Minor damage, tissue stretched
Chronic/Overuse- develops slowly from repeated movements	Grade II (Moderate)- Tissue partially stretched
Direct- external force causes injury at contact point	(Grade III) Severe- Complete tearing of the tissue
Indirect- internal force causes injury away from the impact

Common Examples of Sports Injuries

Acute Injuries

• Sprains

• Strains

• Fractures

• Dislocations

• Concussions

Chronic Injuries

• Tendonitis

• Stress fractures 

• Overuse injuries

• Impingement syndromes

• Degenerative joint conditions

Common Treatments

Common treatments for sports injuries include treatments focusing on swelling, pain, and restoring function. This can be done using the RICE Method: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation during the first 24-48 hours. Other examples of common treatment include physical therapy, surgery, casts/splints, or medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce pain and inflammation. 

Prevention

There are many simple ways to help prevent sports injuries. John Hopkins Medicine reports that one can follow these steps to do so: 

• Stretching exercises 

• Stay hydrated 

• Use proper equipment and gear

• Rest when tired and avoid exercise when exhausted or in pain 

• Learn proper techniques in your sport

Final

We love to watch sports on our TVs, but we also love to partake in them, too. Of course, it’s always important to look out for our health and prioritize it! Keep safe when enjoying sports of any kind, stay hydrated, and make sure to stay tuned for more posts! Thank you all once again.