Sports ranging from hockey to golf cause thousands of injuries every year. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 2008 there were 351,922 sports-related head injuries alone, along with many other injuries such as broken bones and sprains. These injuries occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from blunt force trauma to simple overuse injuries.
Overuse
Overuse is the most common cause of sports-related injuries, according to The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. These injures occur both during actual competition and during practice. An overuse injury typically occurs to the muscle or joint with repetitive movements. These repetitive movements can cause trauma over time, especially when you start too quickly into training after the off-season or train with improper technique or poor form. These injuries become more common with age.
Strains and Sprains
Strains and sprains are also common reasons for sports injuries, with the ankle sprain being the most common. In fact, an estimated 25,000 ankle sprains occur each day, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Sprains occur to your ligaments when they are pulled or stretched too far. This commonly occurs from twisting, pulling or abnormally falling on the joints, especially the ankles, wrists and elbows. Strains occur to muscles and tendons. These occur when muscle fibers tear or tendons are overstretched.
Blunt Athletic Trauma
Blunt athletic trauma can cause injuries such as concussions, contusions or fractures. These occur when blunt force is applied to the body, such as a serious fall or a hard blow during sports like rugby or football. Concussions occur with a high impact hit to the head. Contusions -- also known as bruises -- occur when enough force is applied to the body to internally damage or break blood vessels. Fractures or breaks occur to the bones when enough force or stress is applied to the bone to snap its structure.
Warming Up
Lack of preparation of the muscles, ligaments and tendons is another reason why athletic injuries may occur. However, there is still controversy on whether taking time to warm up before playing a sport can cause injury, the MayoClinic.com notes. Regardless of the controversy, warm-up activities like stretching still provide other athletic benefits such as increasing flexibility, increasing circulation and improving the range of motion of your joints, especially after athletic activity.
References
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Approach to Sports Injuries
- MayoClinic.com: Stretching: Focus on flexibility
- MayoClinic.com: Overuse Injuries
- ACE Clinics: Sports Related Head and Brain Injury
- Union Memorial Hospital: Sports Conditions and Injuries
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Sprained Ankle
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