The Most Common Sports Injuries and How to Avoid Them

You love being active, playing with friends, and pushing your body to its limit. But, in an instant, you can sustain a sports injury that can take weeks or months to recover from.

At Orange Orthopaedic Associates, James M. Lee, Jr., MD, can help you overcome sports injuries. Better yet, you can avoid these common sports injuries. Here’s how. 

Common sports injuries

There are countless ways you can hurt yourself while playing sports. Here are the most common sports injuries.

• Sprained ankles
• Hamstring strains
• Groin pulls
• Meniscus tears 
• Anterior cruciate ligament tears
• Rotator cuff tears
• Tennis elbow
• Shin splints

This list isn’t comprehensive, but it provides a glimpse of the injuries that can sideline you when playing sports. These injuries can occur suddenly or develop over time.

Strengthen your muscles

Strains and sprains rank among the most common injuries. Fortunately, many of them can be prevented with the proper preparation.

When you play sports, you ask your body to perform uncommon tasks at a high level. To ensure your muscles are up to the task, you should perform targeted strengthening exercises at the gym. For example, if you play golf or tennis on weekends, you should hit the gym once or twice a week to strengthen your arms and shoulders.

By strengthening muscles, you can protect them against strain, improve your performance, and increase your endurance.

Don’t forget conditioning

While you need to concentrate on strengthening key muscles and joints, it’s also vital for you to condition your entire body.

Consider your body as a finely tuned machine that relies on strength and balance to perform well. One of the best ways to tune your body is to spend time in the gym exercising your entire being, taking a yoga or pilates class, or playing another sport now and then to improve your overall functioning.

Listen to your body

Many injuries develop over time, such as tennis elbow and rotator cuff tears. When you’re active, it’s important to listen to your body. At the first sign of pain, take immediate action to prevent an injury. Sometimes, all it takes is resting or dialing down your activity for a little while to give your beleaguered tissue a chance to recover.

Choose the right equipment

You need the right tools to play sports without getting injured. Properly fitting sneakers, for example, can prevent damage to joints in the lower half of your body. Protective padding and helmets can also safeguard your body from harm.

Dr. Lee can help you create an injury prevention plan. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with Orange Orthopaedic Associates today.