How to Prevent Common Sports Injuries 

From a pulled muscle to a sprained ankle, unfortunately athletes are more susceptible to experiencing injuries when they play sports. If you’re an athlete, our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center is here to talk you through the common sports injuries we see, and what you can do to prevent and treat them. 

Common Sports Injuries 

Unfortunately, sports injuries happen all too often. From a sprained ankle to a knee injury, here is a list of the most common sports injuries that occur:

Ankle Pain 

Foot or ankle pain can present as:

• Chronic pain
• Irritation
• Redness and inflammation
• Swelling
• Burning sensations
• Prickling or a feeling of pins and needles
• Problems with shoes and standing
• Pain that is triggered by activity and rest. 

Ankle pain is most common in sports where there is regular running or jogging, especially on hard surfaces or have ill-fitting shoes. Treating ankle pain at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center includes undergoing a sports injury assessment, advice on how to protect your feet, deep tissue massage, and vibration therapy to promote healing. 

Groin pull

The most common cause of groin pain is a muscle, tendon, or ligament strain and is most commonly found in athletes who play sports like hockey, soccer, and football. It can happen slowly over time, or the pain can be worsened due to continued use of the injured area. At our clinic, we can help treat your groin pain by providing you with gentle yet effective physical therapy to help heal the injury. 

Hamstring strain

A hamstring strain occurs when these muscles stretch a little too far and they begin to tear. The pain and tear can be mild-to-severe. To treat your leg pain, we often begin by recommending rest and easy exercise to help you train without furthering the injury. Further, we offer assisted stretching to help loosen tight muscles, massage to work out knots, and trigger point therapy to further help with the pain. 

Shin splints

When the muscles and tendons around the tibia become inflamed, you can experience shin splints. This pain is felt in the inner part of the tibia. To treat shin splints, our office offers Active Release Technique (ART). ART is a tissue-focused massage technique that precisely targets muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments. This helps relieve muscle tension by aiming to remove fibrosis that can develop in tissues when they’re overused. 

Knee Injuries 

The most common injuries that involve the knee are an ACL tear and patellofemoral syndrome. Symptoms of knee pain include:

• Tenderness of the surface or when the knee is pressed
• Pain that increases with exercise and activity 
• Tingling and numbness around the knee or extending down the knee
• Instability or buckling when weight is placed on the joint
• Swelling
• Popping, snapping, or cracking noises 

To treat knee pain, we typically recommend rest, soft massage, guided stretching, joint injections, and more. 

Tennis Elbow

Also known as golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow comes along with pain, stiffness, weakness, and even numbness in some cases. A form of Tendinitis, this elbow injury is a result of inflammation in the tendons. Treatment for tennis elbow includes massage, trigger point therapy, joint injections, chiropractic adjustments, and more. 

Preventing Sports Injuries 

Within the United States, 30 million children and teens participate in organized sports. Of that, there are more than 3.5 million injuries each year. Preventing sports injuries can help make sure no play time is missed — and keep your muscles healthy for years to come. Unfortunately, some accidents can’t be prevented no matter how hard you work to prevent a sports injury. However, there are things you can do to try and prevent serious injuries from occurring and keep your muscles healthy: 

• Have rest days. Just like your body needs exercise, your body also needs time to rest and recover. Incorporating one to two rest days a week is ideal to help give your body enough time to recuperate. 
• Get strong. One of our best tips for preventing sports injuries is to make sure that you are frequently conditioning the muscles. While some sports require more muscle usage than others, it is important to stay strong and keep your muscles flexible and mobile to prevent injury. To further prevent injury, make sure you are using proper form when exercising and playing your sport. 
• Use the right equipment. Make sure, if your sport requires it, that you are wearing protective gear like knee and/or elbow pads. Further, make sure you are wearing shoes that properly support your activity and also using equipment like mouthguards to protect your teeth during the sport. 

Make an Appointment with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy

Whether your injury occurred due to a sport or some other way, our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center is here for you. Get yourself healthy today by calling us to make an appointment: (512)-806-0015.