Sports Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation

More than 10,000 individuals receive treatment in emergency centers throughout the United States due to sports, recreation or exercise injuries, suggests the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injuries Center. With injuries being so prevalent in sports, it's important to understand how to prevent injuries, as well as what types of rehabilitation options are available to help treat injury sustained while playing a sport.

Strength and Flexibility

Building up both your muscle strength and muscle flexibility is one way to help prevent sports accidents, as well as reduce the severity of a sports accident if it occurs. When an injury does occur, it typically affects the bones, muscles, tendons or ligaments. Strength training exercises build both bone and muscle strength, making them more resistant to injuries. Flexibility training, whether through regular stretching exercises or through classes like yoga, help increase the overall flexibility of muscles, tendons and ligaments, increasing their ability to withstand twisting motions, falls, and other movements that can result in injury.

Preventive Gear

One of the most obvious ways to prevent sports injuries is to wear appropriate safety equipment both during game play as well as practice. The type of protective gear needed will vary widely depending on the sport being played but may include items like a helmet to protect the head against concussions, a neck roll to protect against neck and spinal cord injuries, padding to protect major muscle groups and joints such as chest, shoulder, knee and leg pads, cups to protect against groin injuries or mouth guards to protect the teeth and mouth tissue.

Know Your Limits

Understanding your limits is important for preventing sports injuries, especially as you grow older in age. Although you can stay active well into your 40s and beyond, your bones, muscles and other connective tissues are typically not going to be in the same shape as your teenage years or early adulthood. As such, taking sports gradually and being aware of your body while playing can go a long ways towards preventing more serious injuries. For example, instead of playing through the pain, consider stopping or significantly reducing the intensity level of your activity.

RICE

One of the first steps in rehabilitation for a sports injury is reducing swelling. This can be done from home using the RICE technique. First, "Rest" the injury site, such as staying off a leg injury or putting a sling on an arm injury to mobilize it. Next, "Ice" the injury in 10 to 15 minute segments, followed by at least an hour before icing the injury again. Never put heat on an injury in the first 72 hours, as heat encourages blood flow to the area, possibly making swelling worse. Next, place "Compression" on the injury, such as through the use of a bandage wrap. Finally, "Elevate" the injury to a level above the heart to help facilitation the draining of the fluids associated with swelling.

Physical Therapy

For more serious sports injuries physical therapy may be needed to help the injury heal, as well as to help the injured area regain mobility and range of motion. Physical therapy can take many forms including stretching exercises, strengthening exercises and aquatic therapy to help the muscle, bone or affected connective tissue recuperate.