Why injuries occur in sport

By rolling inwards, the foot spreads the shock of impact with the ground. If it rolls too easily, however, it can place uneven stress on muscles and ligaments higher in the leg. While an overly flexible ankle and foot can cause excessive pronation, a too-rigid ankle will cause the effects of cavus foot. Although the arch of the foot itself may be normal, it appears very high because the foot doesn't flatten inwards when weight is placed on it. Such feet are poor shock absorbers and increase the risk of fractures higher in the legs.

Bowlegs or knock knees add extra stress through knees and ankles over time, and may make ankle sprains more likely. Having some muscles that are very strong and others that are weak can lead to injury. If your quadriceps front thigh muscles are very strong, it can increase the risk of a stretched or torn hamstring rear thigh muscle.

Tight iliotibial bands may be the cause of knee pain for many athletes in running sports. Overuse injuries are caused by repeated, microscopic injuries to a part of the body. Many long distance runners experience overuse injuries even after years of running. For road runners, the surface is hard and sometimes uneven, and the running movements are repetitive. In addition, there are usually both up- and downhill elements, and these increase the stress on tendons and muscles in the lower leg.

You will more likely develop running injuries if you wear the wrong shoes or sneakers. You should use footwear that doesn't allow side-to-side movement of the heel, and that adequately cushions the foot. People who play racquet sports tend to injure their upper body. The need to firmly grasp the racquet and the shock of impact with the ball can cause various injuries to the tendons of the wrist and elbow, such as "tennis elbow," which may extend into the muscles of the forearm.

In addition, the human arm really isn't designed to handle strenuous activity above the head. Tennis is a leading cause of rotator cuff shoulder joint tendinitis. This is potentially one of the most difficult sports injuries.

If you continue to play tennis when you have a sore shoulder, the rotator cuff tendons can fray or tear and may require surgery. Shin splints: Shin splints have a number of causes and may occur on the outside or the inside of the shin. With anterolateral shin splints, pain around the front of the shin starts immediately when your heel strikes the ground awkwardly. In posteromedial shin splints, the pain is felt on the inner part of the shins and is worse when you stand on your toes.

If you keep running on a regular basis when you have a shin splint, the pain tends to spread toward the knee. Tests are often required to understand the exact nature and cause of shin splints. Achilles tendinitis: The Achilles tendon the tough sinew that attaches the calf muscle to the back of the heel bone is most likely to be damaged if you participate in running or jumping sports.

The injured Achilles tendon feels tender when squeezed between the fingers. Pain is usually at its worst in the morning and improves with walking. Vigorous exercise will increase the pain for a bit, then improve it. However, you should never exercise a damaged Achilles tendon without the supervision of a sport medicine physician or therapist, or until it's healed.

Lumbar strain: The standard weightlifter's injury can also occur in sports that involve sudden twisting of the back, such as golf and baseball. Sudden lower back pain appears with twisting or lifting. It may seem fairly minor for an hour or two, but carrying on the exercise will usually bring a sudden deterioration with extreme pain and back spasms. Lateral and medial epicondylitis: More commonly known as backhand and forehand tennis elbow.

Backhand tennis elbow can also occur with overuse of a screwdriver, but tennis may be more problematic because not only are you gripping hard, but there are also repetitive shocks being transmitted to the flexed wrist tendons. Forehand tennis elbow is also common in golfers, baseball players, and people who have to lug heavy suitcases around. You feel pain when you flex the wrist backward lateral tendons or forward medial tendons.

Metatarsal stress fracture: The second to fourth toes are vulnerable to breakage if you push off with your toes when sprinting or running long distances. Army cadets doing running and marching drills are likely to suffer stress fractures during training camps.

Drink water to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Stretching exercises can improve the ability of muscles to contract and perform, reducing the risk for injury.

Each stretch should start slowly until you reach a point of muscle tension. Stretching should not be painful.

Aim to hold each stretch for up to 20 seconds. Use the right equipment or gear and wear shoes that provide support and that may correct certain foot problems that can lead to injury. Always take your time during strength training and go through the full range of motion with each repetition. If you do sustain a sports injury, make sure you participate in adequate rehabilitation before resuming strenuous activity.

The benefits of sports and exercise far outweigh the risks, but occasionally injuries do happen. Almost any part of the body can be injured, including the muscles, bones, joints and connective tissues tendons and ligaments. The ankles and knees are particularly prone to injury.

If you've injured yourself, you may have immediate pain, tenderness, swelling, bruising, and restricted movement or stiffness in the affected area.

Sometimes, these symptoms may only be noticeable several hours after exercising or playing sports. Continuing to exercise while injured may cause further damage and slow your recovery. If you have a minor injury, you do not usually need to see a doctor and can look after yourself at home.