Accident and emergency departments in England saw a 14% rise in sports injury cases in 2012 with just over 388,500 cases, up from nearly 338,200 in the previous 12 month period. Just under 6% of sport injury cases seen in A&E resulted in admission to hospital, while just over half (53%) saw the patient discharged with no further treatment.
While sports injuries accounted for about 2% of A&E cases recorded, they were also responsible for 12% of all crutches issued by A&E departments (7,500) and 9% of splint treatments (18,600); not to mention the 7% of plaster of Paris treatments (13,600).
So what are the most common sports injuries sustained, and what can be done to try and prevent them?
10 - Achilles Tendon
The Achilles tendon can be found at the back of the ankle. Overuse can result in pain and inflammation (known as Achilles tendinitis), this can become worse if left untreated. It’s usually seen in runners, or those whose sports involve running or jumping.
Prevention: Stretching and strengthening exercises for the calf muscles can help prevent injury, once injured it’s important to rest and wait for full recovery before resuming sporting activity.
9 - Concussion
A concussion is an injury to the brain, usually caused by a blow to the head and are most common in contact sports, such as football, boxing and rugby, although they do also occur in sports such as skiing, cycling and gymnastics.
Prevention: The simplest way to prevent concussion is to avoid contact sports, but if that’s not a viable option suitable protective headgear can reduce the risk. Again it’s important not to return to the activity until fully recovered from the concussion, failure to do so could result in second impact syndrome, which is a potentially fatal condition
8 - Groin Strain
A groin strain is to do with the muscles in the upper thigh that pull the legs together and often occurs if you suddenly change directions while running. It is common in sports like football, tennis, netball and basketball.
Prevention: It is important to warm up and stretch properly before exercising and it’s also possible to do exercises to strengthen the groin muscles.
7 - Shin Splints
is the pain on the inner side of the shinbone caused by inflammation of the muscles that surround it. They can occur by running or jumping on hard ground, especially if wearing inadequate footwear and are also common in people who aren't used to exercising.
Prevention: Stretching, wearing good shoes and not attempting to increase the level of your workout too quickly.
6 - Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can affect runners, cyclists, golfers and tennis players and is usually caused by insufficient stretching.
Prevention: Warming up properly before exercising can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
5 - Pulled Muscles (Hamstrings)
Pulled muscles can occur in all athletes, especially if they fail to warm up properly, are tired or weak. The ones we hear about most commonly are the hamstrings (muscles behind your thighs), followed by the calves.
Prevention: As with many of these common injuries the best way to prevent them is to stretch properly before and after exercising. Also don’t work out if you are feeling tired or weak.
4 - Tennis (or Golf) Elbow
Tennis or Golf elbows account for around 7% of sports injuries and are caused by the repetitive movements of swinging the racket and clubs. Tennis elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow, however Golf elbow often, but not always, affects the inside of the elbow.
Prevention: Strengthening of the forearm can help, as can wearing an elbow brace.
3 - Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains are often seen in sports that involve running, jumping and turning quickly, such as football, tennis, netball and hockey.
Prevention: Again strengthening the area affected can help as can wearing a brace.
2 - Shoulder Injury
Almost 20% of sports injuries involve the shoulder, including dislocations, sprains and strains. They are seen in sports that involve lots of overhead movement, such as tennis, swimming and weightlifting. , baseball, and volleyball — basically, any sport that involves a lot of overhead movement.
Prevention: We know the drill by now, stretching and strengthening.
1 - Knee Injuries (Runner's Knee)
Knee injuries account for roughly 55% of all sports injuries with many knee problems grouped into the category "runner's knee", which occurs when the tendon below the kneecap is overused or affected by arthritis. Despite the name runners are not the only athletes who suffer, it is also common in swimmers, cyclists and footballers to name a few.
Prevention: Warm up, wear suitable shoes and where possible choose a softer running surface.
As you can see from the above many sports injuries occur due to a lack of, or insufficient, warm up or because the muscles are not strong enough to cope with what’s being asked of them. In our rush to get started, or get ahead, we can often end up putting ourselves out of action of weeks, months or in some cases for good. So make sure you take the time to warm up properly and don’t push yourself too far too fast.
Sporting Injuries Compensation Specialists
Many sports injuries are the result of someone elses negligence or complicated by medical negligence. If you have suffered a sporting injury that wasn’t your fault, or medical negligence in relation to a sporting injury, then you may be entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
We Can Help
Our friendly specialist advisors can talk to you about your situation and see if you have a valid compensation claim. There is no charge for this service and you are under no obligation to claim with us.
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If you’ve had an accident that wasn’t your fault and suffered an injury - you can trust us to handle your claim professionally.
http://info.mayiclaim.co.uk/personal_injury_compensation_claim_news/bid/335715/Top-10-Most-Common-Sporting-Injuries
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