6 Common Sports Injuries and How To Avoid Them

The world of sports is full of injuries with the potential to send you to the sidelines for days, weeks or even months. These strains, sprains and pulls can affect just about any part of your body.

Some of these are the result of nothing more than bad luck – being in the wrong spot an instant too soon or too late. But there are strategies to reduce your risk for many of the more common ailments.

The most important and simplest thing you can do? Set aside 10 minutes or so before and after your activity to give your body time to warm up and then cool down. Get the blood flowing to your muscles before you put them to work. And don’t skip stretching afterward to help your body recover more quickly.

Let’s look at common injuries and how you can protect yourself.

Sprained Ankle

Sprained ankles occur when the ligaments that support your ankle are stretched too far, causing them to tear. This is one of the most common injuries that athletes suffer. They commonly occur while running (particularly in basketball, football and soccer) or making sudden changes in direction that cause the ankle to roll.

Protect yourself through stretches and exercises that focus on building strength in the various muscles in your foot and lower leg. Among these is the single leg stance, a simple exercise that activates and engages all the muscles used when running. You balance on one leg, slightly bent, for 20 seconds. Repeat three times for each leg.

Shin Splints

This is an overuse injury that occurs when the muscles, tendons or bone tissue around the tibia become inflamed. Muscles and tendons pull too hard on the bone (or the lining of the bone), causing irritation and pain. Runners, dancers and people who do high-impact cardio exercise are more likely to get shin splints.

To avoid them, focus on not putting too much pressure or wear on your legs. Don’t push your body too hard, particularly if you are just starting a new routine. Make sure you stretch before and after running. Run on softer surfaces (an indoor track versus pavement, for example.) And make certain that your running technique isn’t causing problems.

Hamstring Strain

Hamstring strains are injuries to the muscles at the back of your thighs. They are more likely to happen in sports involving sprinting, jumping and lunging. Often, hamstrings are strained when someone tries to go all-out without having adequately warmed up beforehand.

There are various exercises that can bolster the muscles and tendons around your hamstrings. Also be sure to stretch your hamstrings before exerting yourself. Among your options is the simple hamstring stretch, which starts with you sitting on the floor with both legs straight out. Extend your arms and bend forward at the waist as far as you can. The goal is to create a gentle pull at the back of your thighs. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat three times.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Rotator cuff injuries involve damage to the group of muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint. The injuries can be caused by overuse or by a single event. They are more common in sports (swimming, basketball, baseball and tennis) that involve overhead arm movements.

You can protect your rotator cuff through exercises – often with resistance bands – that target the various muscles and tendons that control shoulder movement. Also, be sure to include your shoulder during your warmup – focusing on stretches that move your scapula in all directions.

Groin Pull

A groin pull or strain is an injury to the adductor muscles and ligaments on the inside of your thigh. These injuries are often caused by a sudden or unexpected change of direction while running or in sports like soccer, hockey and football.

This is another injury that often results from inadequate warmup. Several stretches help protect you, including the simple adductor stretch. Start out lying on your back, with your knees bent and feet touching. Slowly drop one leg to the side until you feel a stretch on the inside of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds, repeating three times on each side.

Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow

Tennis and golfer’s elbow both involve the damage to the tendons in the elbow. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) involves the tendons on the outside of the elbow, while golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) involves those on the inside. Both versions tend to be caused by overuse and repetitive forearm motions.

The easiest way to avoid these injuries is not to overdo it. Give your body time to heal if you start feeling lingering discomfort in your elbow after playing. And if the pain or discomfort gets progressively worse as you play, it’s time to take a break. Also, be sure that you are using proper form in your sport, whether it’s tennis, golf or pickleball. If your wrist is in the wrong position when striking the ball, it can put extra pressure on your elbow.

One final bit of advice. Even if you love a particular sport, you will do your body a favor if you mix things up. Cross training with other sports or exercise routines will help you work on muscles and tendons that might otherwise be ignore – and more easily injured.

This content is not AI generated.