Sports injuries are a very common occurrence in people who are generally athletic and enjoy getting a good workout in. However, these injuries can lead to severe problems and an appointment with orthopedic surgeons. Here are some overuse or overexerting injuries, which can normally occur when you play sports.

Osteochondritis Dissecans

This is a type of knee injury in which swelling is predominant. It can also occur in other joints, like the elbow and shoulder, but the main symptom of this sports injury is inflammation in the affected area. It usually doesn’t go away and you need to consult a doctor for the pain. Runners and swimmers are the people who are affected the most by this injury.

Usually, cold compresses do the trick in the preliminary stages, but if the pain persists, then there might be a bigger issue, like inflammation in other areas or tears.

Little Leaguer’s Elbow

This elbow injury is common in younger athletes who are just starting out their training with vigorous exercises and sports. The stress on the elbow isn’t enough to be endured by the bone and this can lead to immense pain and swelling in the elbow and arm region. In most cases, the bone is dislocated, because of too much stress applied on the growth plate of the elbow.

Pain is usually predominant when you’re preparing to engage your elbow in throwing or receiving something, like a ball. It can also radiate all the way down to your palm and fingers.

Jumper’s Knee

Patellar tendinitis or jumper’s knee is caused by sports that involve producing a lot of tension in your legs, like jumping or sprinting. Usually, the pain is in the knee area and also on the upper part of the shin. Pain is accompanied by swelling and tenderness in the area as well.

When the tendons are pulled during jumping, this can cause tendon tears and severe inflammation, which, if left untreated, can lead to severe pain and can prevent you from walking properly. This is why jumpers need to rest after vigorous sessions, to give their knees healing time.

Shin Splints

Shin splints are very common to occur in runners and joggers. The area which is affected in this injury is the area attached to the tibia, called the shin. Usually, there is no indication of swelling or redness around the affected area, but walking will be a literal pain for you, especially in the shin area.

Your gait will also be affected because the muscles don’t have the capacity to support your weight. It’s best to give your feet proper rest after a hectic running session and massage it from time to time.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

The rotator cuff is the part of the shoulder, which allows you to rotate and move your shoulder in any direction. A lot of sports and overexertion can cause tears and inflammation in this area and it can severely affect the shoulder. Sports that require excessive stretching of the hand and jerks can cause rotator cuff injuries.

The main symptoms of this injury, besides pain in the shoulder, are inflammation and tenderness in the upper shoulder area as well as physical deformation of the shoulder if the injury is left untreated for a long time.

Spondylolysis

Spondylolysis is a stress fracture, which can occur in the back region. Usually, the L5 Bone is affected in this sports injury. If you tend to play a lot of sports that involve your back like swimming, football, rowing, wrestling, etc. then it can cause a lot of back pain and ultimately a stress fracture.

Generally, this stress fracture isn’t caused as easily, given that you take proper rest after each sport session. The lack of resting and overexerting is what causes immense stress to build up in the bones, to the point of breaking. In some cases, the pain may radiate down toward your leg, and in the worst cases, it can cause numbness in the legs too.

Stress Fractures

Some fractures are caused by impacts, which can lead to bone breaking, but stress fractures are different in the sense that they occur when your bones are under stress, to the point where no trauma is needed for the bone to fracture. It can usually occur near the legs or hands, especially if you play a lot of high-intensity sports on a regular basis, like sprinting, jogging, gymnastics, ballet, etc. Therefore, go to a hand injury doctor Woodbridge ASAP if you notice the symptoms.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is the injury of the tendons and this can lead to severe inflammation in the areas where your bone and muscle meet. It is usually caused by sports that involve tension, like running, throwing something, or even jumping. The tension produced in your body while playing these sports is enough to adversely affect the tendons and cause tears and inflammation. Tendonitis is of two kinds:

• Acute Tendonitis, where the pain usually goes away after a couple of days.
• Chronic Tendonitis, also known as Tendinosis, is where pain persists.

Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is also known as lateral elbow tendinopathy. It usually affects the outside portion of your elbow, along with your wrist. If you try to grip something in your hand, like a ball or rod, then the tendons will pull and it can cause extreme pain, which in turn, can also affect your grip on things. The main sports which can lead to injury of this kind are tennis, cricket, baseball, etc.

Usually, the pain goes away after some time, but if it persists, then you should consult with a doctor because there might be excessive inflammation in the elbow region, which can lead to more issues.

Bursitis

Bursae are sacs filled with fluid and they act as cushions to prevent your bones from breaking under impact it also eliminates friction in the bones and muscles. Bursitis is a common sports injury that can occur in runners. The main cause of this injury is the inflammation of the sacs, which can be due to overuse or overexertion.

The main area which it affects the most in runners is the hip and pelvic region. Bursitis occurring in this region is called Trochanteric bursitis. Pain will usually occur on the thigh bone, near the hip and it will be excruciating, to the point where you will find it difficult to walk.

UCL Injuries

Ulnar collateral ligament injuries happen near the elbow region. It is typically an injury that occurs when you put too much stress on the elbow. The jerks on your elbow ligament, when throwing a ball, can be quite harmful to the ligament and they can cause tears.

The ligaments will weaken first, and afterward, because of excessive stress and overuse, the ligament can rupture and it can lead to a lot of pain. The key symptoms of this injury are pain in the inner part of the joint, as well as clicking or popping sounds when the elbow is moved or bent.

Conclusion

Injuries can become permanent if you keep overexerting that part of the body, without giving it a break. Therefore, it is advised to take things slowly and give your injury proper time to heal with the help of a sports medicine specialist Woodbridge.