Most Common Injuries In Sports

You can’t mention sports without injuries - whether you are a professional or beginner. Some injuries happen suddenly, while others develop over time.

(Image credit to BBC)

Big or small, injuries are an unavoidable part of sport and can happen to anyone, no matter the level or experience. Injuries can happen with sudden movements or build up over time through repeated overuse on the body. In this article we’ll go through the most common injuries, helping you understand what actually happens when the athletes you watch get injured.

Sprains and Strains:

These two are very alike but still different.

A sprain happens when ligaments - which connect bones and support joints - get stretched or torn. Sprains can be mild, with only slight stretching or more serious with a partial or complete tear. They mostly happen in areas like ankles, knees or wrists.

A strain is when a muscle or tendon (the thing that connects muscles to bones) gets stretched or torn. Same as sprains, they can be mild or more serious. Strains mostly occur in muscles or tendons that cross two joints.

Tendonitis:

Tendonitis is an inflammation in a tendon, which is often caused by repetitive movements or overuse in the body. The risk of getting it actually increases with age, as the tendons become less flexible.

The most common areas for this are places like the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, or ankle.

Dislocations:

A dislocation happens when the bones in a joint are forced out of place. This is very common in contact sports like football, basketball or in sports with a lot of falls. 

They often need medical treatment, but sometimes the joint can move back into its place on its own. 

Dislocations mostly happen in the shoulders, elbows, fingers, kneecaps, and knees.

ACL Injuries:

This one you may have heard of. ACL stands for Anterior cruciate ligament, which is a ligament in the knee that helps stabilize it, by preventing the shin bone too far forward compared to the thigh bone and helps control twisting movements.

An injury to the ACL can both be a partial tear or fully tear and can be medically treated with an ACL reconstruction surgery. This can happen when the knee overextends or twists, most often when the person moves suddenly or lands from a jump.

Shin Splints:

Shin splints are pain in the lower leg caused by inflammation around the shinbone, often happening to runners, especially those who have just started or increased their training too quickly.

Meniscus Tears:

The Meniscus cartilage acts as a shock absorber to the knee, by protecting the joint during movement.

A tear to the meniscus cartilage usually happens when you twist your knee, but can also happen from more minor injuries such as twisting when standing up.

Concussions:

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that happens when the head is jarred or shaken violently, resulting in temporary brain dysfunction.

Most recover within a few weeks, but symptoms sometimes last a bit longer. The most common sports for this are American football, ice hockey, wrestling or football.

Article written by Laura Friis