Sports Injury SOS – Ready, steady, ouch? Sports injuries can happen to anyone, anytime. Here’s how to deal with them to ensure a speedy recovery.

Getting active has a lot of benefits for your health to offer. Sometimes – particularly when people overdo it or don‘t properly train or warm up – these benefits can come at a price: sports injuries.

The term sports injury, in the broadest sense, refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or exercise. Some sports injuries result from accidents; others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm-up and stretching.

Although virtually any part of your body can be injured during sports or exercise, the term is usually reserved for injuries that involve the musculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons.

 

MOST SPORTS INJURIES CAN BE PREVENTED IF YOU TAKE PRECAUTIONS

 

Fortunately, even though there are acute or chronic cases, most sports injuries, especially those due to adaptational processes or instabilities, can be treated effectively, and mostly you will be able to return to your previous satisfying level of physical activity after an injury. Even better, many sports injuries can be prevented if you take the proper precautions.

Joints can swell and suffer from inflammation and redness. They can become immobile, in which case your range of motion may be reduced. Typical joint injuries are knee and elbow injuries.

How do joint injuries occur?
Joint injuries are often seen after falling in contact sports, bicycle and car accidents.

Symptoms?
Pain, stiffness, weakness, instability, swelling and locking may be symptoms of joint injuries.

Find out what to do about them here.

Muscles and tendons (a tendon is the fibrous tissue that attaches muscle to bone in the human body) can become too weak which will lead to them not being able to stabilise the joints anymore. (This can quickly become a challenge for the joints which, in turn, might also, be affected.) Weak muscles will mean they will deliver less endurance and are more susceptible to injury.
When there is excessive stretching of a muscle or tendon resulting in pain, soreness and inability to use normally it’s called a strain. Signs of strain: pain, muscle contraction or tremor, and loss of strength.

How do muscle and tendon injuries occur?
Causes of strain are excessive use, pull or stretch of tissue affected. Strain may come about suddenly or develop from chronic use or overuse.
A typcial tendon injury is Tendovaginitis (inflammation of the sheath of the tendon) from overuse, or tendinitis.

Symptoms?
Swelling, moderate hematoma, pain at weight bearing.

Find out what to do about them here.

A severe sprain might feel the same as a broken ankle.

Learn more about ankle injuries.

Make sure that the sprain is examined and attended to by a doctor to rule out a fracture.

Ligaments are the fibrous, slightly stretchy connective tissues that hold one bone to another in the body. Because their function is stabilising the joint so that the bones move in the proper alignment, they are highly susceptible to injury. They also control the range of motion of a joint. For example, they are what prevents your elbow from bending backwards and they also help to perform the complex coordinated activities needed for sport.

Ligaments are made of dense connective tissue consisting of a protein substance called collagen. The organisation of collagen fibres gives the ligament its tensile strength.

Another function of ligaments is to provide proprioceptive input to the brain that allows a person to know what position their joints are in, without having to look.

How do ligament injuries occur?
A great deal of force is required to damage ligaments. In a collision sport such as football, this is easily done by opposition players or when a player catches their foot in the turf and their whole body weight goes over on one joint. This force then produces the structural damage to the joint capsule and ligaments known as a ligament sprain.

The anterior cruciate ligament located behind the knee (often referred to as the ACL) is commonly damaged in rough sports.

Another commonly injured ligament is the anterior talofibular ligament in the ankle joint.

Knee ligament injuries are most common, often caused by:
• Twisting your knee
• Getting hit on the knee
• Extending the knee too far
• Jumping and landing on a flexed knee
• Stopping suddenly when running
• Suddenly shifting weight from one leg to the other

General symptoms:
• Pain, often sudden and severe
• Loud pop or snap during the injury
• Swelling
• Feeling of looseness in the joint
• Inability to put weight on the point
without pain

Find out what to do here.

Several factors can make it more likely that you will have a muscle strain in your leg, including:

Whether it’s a sprain or a twist, applying RICER will help as first aid measure.

The RICER rule – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Referral – will help with sprains, minor bruises, muscle soreness, and painful movement.

What it is: RICER is the golden standard and recommended formula for recovering from injury.

What it does: RICER prevents further injury to the damaged body part, immediately after the injury. If applied right away and correctly, RICER can greatly reduce the recovery time.

Act fast. The most important time while treating acute sports injuries is the first 24 to 48 hours after they have occurred. Soft tissue damage happens, for example, when a muscle tears or blood vessels rupture, which will lead to the injured body part beginning to swell. The increase in blood volume in the area can lead to more swelling and oedema, which should be prevented.

RICER works so well because each step helps to limit swelling and decrease pain.

Rest. Rest is the first line of action for any sports injury. It prevents you from damaging the joint or injured body part further. Avoid movement as much as possible to limit further injury.

This does not only refer to resting immediately after the injury, but also for a period of time following it. Talk to your doctor or physiotherapist about how long this should be.

Ice. Cooling the tissue helps to reduce pain, swelling and internal bleeding. You can cool the injured body part by using an Elastoplast Hot Cold pack or a Cold Spray. 

Do not apply the cold pack directly to the skin, especially if the skin is grazed (also, do not use the cold spray), but wrap it in a towel and place it on the injured area. Leave it in place for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, not more. Then reapply after a few hours.

Compression. Wearing a stabilising brace, tape or bandage will prevent additional swelling. Make sure that the bandage is not too tight.

Elevation. Elevating the injured body part, e.g. with a pillow, will help to reduce bleeding and swelling, as gravity will help to draw the fluid away from the injured area. Decreasing the swelling can also decrease pain.

In lower limb injuries, you should try to keep the ankle above the level of the hip. Upper limb injuries can be elevated by use of a pillow or sling. For the first 48 hours, try to elevate the injured limb for as long as possible.

Referral. This stands for consulting your doctor or a physiotherapist. Only a specialist can make a precise diagnosis and arrange for ongoing care and treatment. 

If you are unsure about the type of injury you might have, consult your doctor.
Please remember: the advice given on this page is no substitute for a medical examination and diagnosis.

Anyone who has been injured will know that the best cure is prevention. Make sure an old injury has completely recovered before working out again, and if needed, consult your doctor or physiotherapist first.

Cold packs and heat pads are among the most commonly used treatments for sports injuries, even in orthopaedics in general. So which one is the right one to use for your injury, ice or heat? And for how long should the ice or heat treatments last?

Most commonly used for acute injuries. If you have a recent injury (within the last 48 hours) where swelling is a problem, you this is the first measure you should take: Cold packs can help minimize swelling around the injury.

Cold packs are often used after injuries such as an ankle sprain have occurred. Applying a cold pack early and often for the first 48 hours will help minimize swelling. Decreasing swelling around an injury will help to control the pain.

Cold treatments may also be used for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries in athletes. In this case, cool the injured area after activity to help control inflammation. Never cool a chronic injury before activity.

Heat treatments are used for chronic conditions to help relax and loosen tissues, and to stimulate blood flow to the area.

Use heat treatment for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries, before participating in activities.

Heating tissues can easily be accomplished using a heat pad, which will relieve pain and stiffness, help decrease muscle spasms and increase mobility.

Making sure you take the right preventive measures is key to avoiding further sports injuries. Find out what you can do.

"Balancing between stretching and strengthening in your workout is the best you can do for your musculoskeletal system. Do not only train the things that come easily, as these are your predisposed strengths.

 

“BALANCING YOUR
WORKOUT IS KEY
TO PREVENTING
SPORTS INJURIES.”

 

A person who is slender and very mobile should include strengthening exercises in their routines, and vice versa.”

 

Please note that none of the above tips replace professional medical advice. Consult a health expert in case of an injury or if you suspect overuse of joints or a medical condition such as a fracture.

A physician should be consulted in those acute cases when the condition is accompanied by reddening, swelling or hyperthermia of joints, ongoing joint trouble or severe pain and/or it is associated with neurological symptoms (e.g. numbness, tingling, loss of motion).

For further information about Elastoplast products, please contact us at consumer.relations.uk@beiersdorf.com