Most people will suffer a physical injury at some point in their lives, and sports injuries are prevalent among youth. Every year, more than 3.5 million children and teenagers are injured in organized sports or physical exercise. Sports-related injuries account for one-third of all injuries in youth.

The most prevalent sports ailments are patellofemoral injuries or trauma to the kneecap, such as a dislocation or fracture, shoulder injuries, tennis or golf elbow, hamstring strains, and sciatica.

For those who have been injured, the typical guideline is to begin rehab with range-of-motion exercises 72 hours after the accident and continue for several weeks or months. However, the timing of your physical therapy will be determined by the type and degree of your injury, and your physical therapist will be able to build a customized treatment plan for you. Some injuries require rest during the first 72 hours, while others require rest for ten days or longer. Physical therapy will also help to improve the sports performance of the athletes. 

The Seven Most Common Sports Injuries 

Patellofemoral Pain

Patellofemoral agony, or PFP, is a kind of knee inconvenience that emerges toward the front of the knee or under and around the patella, or kneecap. It’s known as “runner’s knee” since it’s usually caused by overuse. It is one of the most frequent types of knee pain in the United States, accounting for 20 to 25% of all knee pain reports. 

Running or any other intense activity that puts pressure on the knees will be replaced with physical therapy when a patient is diagnosed with PFP. The goal of physical therapy will be to strengthen the muscles around the damaged knee. Exercise should be done three times a week for roughly six weeks to reduce discomfort and improve physical activity. 

Shoulder Injuries

There are numerous ways to hurt your shoulder since the structures that hold it together are so interconnected. Before beginning physical therapy exercises, contact sports injury for treatment and medication. After a two to three-week period of rest, physical therapy for a shoulder sprain should begin. Rest is typically two to four weeks for rotator cuff tendonitis or a slight tear, but severe cases may take months. 

Ice, heat, hands-on therapy that helps tissues loosen up, stretching, strengthening, joint mobilization and stability, ultrasounds, electric stimulation, athletic taping, activity modification, and workplace posture adjustments are examples of physical therapy approaches. 

Tennis Or Golf Elbow

Tennis or golf elbows are caused by damage to the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the elbow. It is produced by repeatedly performing the same motion, which puts stress on the elbow joint and is common in sports such as tennis and golf. Basic movements such as shaking hands and holding objects are hampered by tennis or golf elbow. 

Suppose your condition does not improve in one to three weeks. In that case, our physical therapists, Morgan City, LA, will devise an exercise program to strengthen and enhance the flexibility of the muscles that surround the elbow. Wrist extensions, wrist flexions, and towel twists are examples of exercises you might be advised to do. Tennis or golf elbows usually improve in six to eight weeks, but it can take months in some circumstances. 

Hamstring Strains

The hamstrings are one of the essential muscle groups for athletes. They are placed in the back of the upper leg. They safeguard the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), the knee’s most crucial stabilizer. Pain in the back of the thigh when bending or straightening the leg, tenderness, swelling, bruising in the area, and chronic weakness in the leg are all symptoms of hamstring strains. 

Rest, ice, and compression should be started promptly after any hamstring strain and continued for 48-72 hours, after which physical therapy activities can usually begin. 

Strains

Strains are the most prevalent of all sports-related injuries since when we exercise or play, we use so many muscles and tendons. All of these moving parts are prone to stretching farther than they should or moving in ways they shouldn’t, causing them to tear, damage, and cause pain. Pulled hamstrings, groin muscles, and strained quadriceps are all common muscular strains. The majority of strains are small and recover on their own when given the time to relax. Warming up and stretching before participating in the rigorous activity is the most effective approach to avoid strained muscles and tendons.

Fracture

Impact and contact sports frequently result in bone fractures (primarily in the arms, legs, and feet), which can be painful, require weeks of immobilization, and sometimes necessitate surgery to cure. Fractures are a concern in most rigorous and contact sports. Still, they can be minimized by using proper protection, warming up, working out to maintain muscles strong and flexible, and practicing good technique, among other things. 

Sciatica

Sciatica is a type of pain that radiates down each leg along the course of the sciatic nerves, which run from the lower back to the hips and buttocks. The sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed, resulting in this condition. Discomfort in the buttocks or leg, burning or tingling down the leg, trouble moving the leg or foot, continuous pain in one side of the buttocks, and shooting pains that make standing difficult are some of the symptoms. 

Herniated discs can be damaged and cause sciatica if you do a lot of hard lifting or sit for a long time. When you have sciatica, the first steps you should take are primarily at home. Applying cold and heat to the painful areas, stretching the hips, legs, and hamstrings, avoiding extended sitting, and using anti-inflammatory medications as prescribed by a doctor or physical therapist is just a few of the options. 

Final Thoughts!

Some sports injuries used to be enough to finish an athlete’s career and permanently bench the amateurs. Those days, however, are a thing of the past due to contemporary sports medicine and the availability of competent physical therapy. Don’t let an injury prevent you from working out.

Physical therapy should be started if home therapies aren’t working and symptoms haven’t improved for more than a week. The lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, and sports injuries will be strengthened and mobilized during physical therapy.