Sports injuries are one of the most common ways people experience injury, especially children. According to Johns Hopkins, more than 775,000 children, ages 14 and younger, are treated yearly in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries.
There is a lot of confusion regarding sports injuries and what course of action you should take when you experience these injuries. Below we have listed some of the most common sports injuries and what you should do if you experience any of these.
Sprains
A sprain occurs when a joint turns too far in the wrong direction, causing the ligaments to pull, overstretch, or even tear completely. The most common place for a sprain is in the ankle, and it’s likely you’ve even had an ankle sprain yourself at some point. Because sprains happen from turning a joint too far in the wrong direction, running, jumping, turning quickly, or landing on uneven surfaces are often the cause of sprains. This is one of the most common injuries athletes experience.
Strains
Strains are another one of the most common types of sports injuries. The groin, hamstring, quads, shoulders, and hip flexors are some areas that are most frequently strained. Similar to sprains, strains happen when muscles get overstretched or overused. Symptoms of both of these injuries include the following:
● Pain
● Redness or Bruising
● Weakness
● Limited range of motion
If you experience an extreme amount of tenderness, have trouble bearing weight on the affected area, or if any of the above symptoms persist for several days, you should reach out to seek treatment.
Fractures
Fractures are one of the most serious sports injuries and are especially common in contact sports such as football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and wrestling. Though most people are familiar with fractures, most don’t know the types of fractures that can occur.
● Stable Fracture: the broken ends of the bone line up and are barely out of place
● Transverse Fracture: a horizontal fracture line
● Oblique Fracture: an angled fracture line
● Comminuted Fracture: the bone shatters into three or more pieces
● Open Fracture: a breaking of the skin occurs. Infection to both the bone and skin can
occur if not attended to immediately. Commonly found in sports and less commonly with
home fractures.
Treatment For Sports Injuries in Morgantown, Fairmont, and Bridgeport | Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates
Bone and joint health are significant because they play many roles in the body, such as providing structure and protection. At MOA, our goal is to return patients to an active lifestyle and allow them to get back to doing the activities they love pain-free. Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates has been providing care to our patients since 1977. Don’t let fractures hold you back from living your life. Call us at (304) 599-0720 to schedule an appointment.