Many sports require repetitive movements, which can lead to injuries if you overextend yourself. This scenario is especially familiar during the summer when people resume outdoor activities. As warm weather drives people back into the athletic activities, they may not have the physical conditioning to support their new workout routine, making them vulnerable to sports injuries. Learn more about some common ones below, and what you can do to avoid them.
Some of the Most Common Summertime Sports Injuries
- Elbow Pain
If you play a sport that involves a racket or a club, such as tennis, backgammon, squash, racquetball, or golf pay attention to your form. If you grip the racket or club too tightly or swing from too far away, it can injure the tendons that connect your elbow and forearm muscles. Gradually, this can cause tennis or golfers elbow, which is also called lateral epicondylitis or medial epicondylitis.
Symptoms of these conditions include elbow pain, inflammation and tenderness, weakness, stiffness, numbness, or tingling, and difficulty moving and twisting your wrist for everyday activities, such as turning a doorknob. Treatment includes rest, ice, activity modification, bracing, NSAIDs, steroid injection and possibly surgery if non-operative treatment does not relief the symptoms.
- Running Injuries
Athletes from almost all sports run as part of their training, but the exercise is high-impact and can increase your odds of developing a sports injury. According to Runners World, nearly 13% of runners experienced a knee injury in the last year, 8% had Achilles tendonitis, 7% developed a hamstring injury, and 10% had plantar fasciitis. Shin splints are 15% of running injuries. Part of this frequency has to do with shock absorption—when your foot strikes a hard surface, such as pavement, the impact radiates.
Form is another pervasive issue. Running is an easily accessible, free exercise, and most people assume they know how to do it well. However, simple missteps, such as overpronation, affect your stride and can lead to injury. Unsupportive sneakers are also problematic.
Running injuries often include pain in your joints, muscles or bones that gets worse when running downhill, “twinges” that get worse with activity or long periods of sitting, and bruising or inflammation. Symptoms often start out mild and increase in intensity. It is important to recognize the early signs of injury. Rest to allow recovery. If pain persists, see your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and treatment.
- Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries are common among people who play baseball, tennis, volleyball or swim. In addition to adults, children and teenagers who pitch are especially vulnerable because they might not know when they’re overusing their arms. These sports injuries vary from tendonitis and rotator cuff tears to labral SLAP tears.
In general, people with shoulder injuries experience pain, locking or grinding, instability, weakness, limited mobility, deep aching, and trouble sleeping comfortably. Initial treatment should include rest, activity modification and NSAIDs. Appropriate diagnosis is key to treatment and will often include specific testing maneuvers by your orthopedist and radiographic studies like X-rays or MRI.
How to Avoid Sports Injuries This Summer
When you play a sport, you usually don’t use muscle groups in isolation, as these movements follow a kinetic chain. For example, when you swing a bat, racquet or club, it involves muscles in your core, back, hips, legs, arms, and chest. Weak connections in the chain are more likely to experience muscle strain or tendonitis. Remember to condition your whole body to help avoid injury instead of targeting just one specific area.
Injury prevention includes appropriate nutrition to maintain healthy bones and muscles, strength training to maintain your muscles and balance, and avoiding sudden increases in frequency or duration of your exercise sessions. Most importantly, listen to your body. If you feel pain during or after exercise that is not relieved by rest and NSAIDs see an orthopedic doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
If your sports injury doesn’t go away after resting, see an orthopedic doctor for an assessment. Athletes in Passaic, Bergen, and Morris counties turn to Advanced Orthopaedic Associates for compassionate and immediate care. Located in Wayne, NJ, this team is accepting new patients for surgical and non-surgical procedures. With X-rays, MRIs, and other diagnostic testing, they can determine the right treatment. Call (973) 839-5700 to learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment.
