An Overview Of Sports Injuries And Their Treatment

Sports and games have existed since Greek times. A sport sows the seeds of healthy competition. As winning is not always certain, sports people tackle rejections in a better way. Today obesity is one of the major diseases that could be avoided if athletics and physical activities become part of the daily routine.

Therefore it is necessary that an affinity towards sports and games is inculcated since childhood. Children love to play; it’s their birthright. But slowly, as they grow up, playtime is only meant for relaxation.

Children have great fun as they learn to play a new game. It teaches them coordination, communication, and teamwork. These are essential qualities required later in life. So learning a new sport can really be fun and fruitful. Sports and games reduce stress; ensure physical and mental fitness in adults.

Achieving in sports events like the Olympics adds to national pride. Sportspersons can get jobs in the public sector, and notable achievers also earn from endorsements. All types of sports today are highly competitive.

Here, the race is with the entire world, not within the state or the country. People need strong determination, rigorous training, and a healthy diet to shine and win sports. Aspirants in the field have routine training sessions. In sports, people are prone to injuries during warm-up sessions/ exercising/ practice sessions /gaming events.

To sustain, it becomes imperative to treat the wounds and injuries as quickly as possible. There are separate courses for sports medicine in India, and a job as a health and fitness instructor for a sports team or a person is a lucrative career option.

Wounds And Injuries

Nothing could be gained without some pain. So is the case for sports. For sports people, injuries are very common due to overuse (especially hands, legs, and the neck region), sudden application of force (this happens unknowingly while playing), and accidental slips.

Some of the common sports injuries are:

Sprain:
Sprains occur when the ligament tissues tear or overstretch. in ankles, knees, and wrists are very common.

Strain:
A Strain injury is very similar to a sprain. Here the pain is more severe. It is common in the hips, ankles, groin, and hamstring (a muscle located at the back of the thigh). Both sprain and strain have common symptoms like bruising, swelling, and limited flexibility. In case of a strain, people experience muscle spasms too.

Concussion:
It is an injury to the brain when the head gets hit accidentally. It’s pretty serious, with symptoms ranging from headache, dizziness to difficulties in speech and response, loss of consciousness, short-term memory loss, etc.

Shoulder Injuries:
The shoulder joint has four muscles working simultaneously for the rotation. It is very weak and can get easily hurt. It could be strengthened by exercise and stabilization.

Dislocations and Misalignments:
This could happen in the jaw and joints. Here a bone slips either partially or completely out its socket. The most common form involves the knee joint. Due to such an injury, the kneecap doesn’t move well in the groove of the thigh bone. This is very painful and takes time to heal. Sometimes even the teeth could get dislodged from their positions.

Fractures:
Sportspersons often in the aggressiveness to win apply over a force which might result in bone fractures. They need complete rest to recover in such a scenario.

The common sports injuries treatment in India might appear threatening but they are easily forgotten in the sweetness and glory of success. Moreover, advances in the field of sports medicine have made life easy for players.

The Healing Procedures

Injuries while playing or practicing can neither be left as such nor led astray. Even small bruises should be medicated properly. Sometimes a sprain or a strain may go undetected. It could lead to serious irreversible consequences in the future. For first aid purposes, the RICE method is usually followed.

RICE expands to Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate. Complete rest in the first few hours of injury is a must. Covered ice decreases swelling and relieves pain. Compressing the hurt area with a bandage or wrapping it up with a strip of cloth provides immovability to some extent; this is helpful in case of fractures.

Elevating the injured part above the heart level or keeping it along the heart level reduces the blood flow to the region and decreases swelling. It is better not to return to practice or the game until complete recovery.

Nowadays, a lot of specialized care is available. Moreover, advances such as minimally invasive surgeries, regenerative medicines, platelet-rich plasma therapy, etc., ensure a fast recovery.