Injuries are an unfortunate and often unavoidable side effect of physically demanding sports.

While many are not harmful long term, they can take an athlete out for many games at a time, and the worst injuries are often the cause of a young career ending early. If you are planning on competing in these sports, or even just enjoy them casually for exercise, you should be aware of these injury possibilities. 

Boxing

Everyone has heard of the infamous boxer’s fracture. This is caused by the small bones in your hand breaking from the repetitious training involved in the sport. Oftentimes these fractures are minor and non-threatening, but many promising boxers have had their careers ended early as a result of extreme fractures. On this note, many people are unaware that boxing gloves are actually not for the protection of your opponent’s head, but rather to preserve the small bones of the hand. Other common injuries include detached retinas, broken noses or orbital bones, and the long term brain damage that may occur. Ouch! 

American Football 

It should be no surprise that injuries in American football are not only common, but expected and planned for. The athletes of other sports may become injured on occasion, but in the NFL it is sadly a regular affair. This is why teams have a great deal of depth in every position, with star players regularly taking breaks to let their secondaries have a chance on the field. 

Also unlike other sports, there is a wide range of injuries that occur in American football. This is a sport that even something as seemingly minor as a thumb sprain can take an all-star player out of commission for weeks. According to several studies, the most common injuries in the sport revolve around the knees, ankles, shoulder, and head. These all make sense when you consider the aggressive full-contact playstyle. 

Feet injuries can be a real problem for athletes. Losing the ability to properly support your weight and move around can be both physically and mentally frustrating. Each specific sport comes along with its own potential risks for various foot-related injuries. Here are 4 sports that cause the most feet injuries.

Football

Football is a very physically demanding sport for all those involved. Whether you’re playing on the front line or are out receiving, this sport requires you to be on your toes. Some of the most common foot injuries in this sport include lateral ankle sprains, deltoid complex avulsion, Achilles ruptures, jones fractures, syndesmotic diruption, turf toe, and lisfranc injuries. Stretching beforehand and avoiding overuse are your best measures of precaution when dealing with injuries to the feet.

When most people think of elbow injuries, they think of overuse injuries like tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow. Overuse injuries like these are common, but so are acute elbow injuries like an elbow hyperextension.

Many professional athletes have suffered from hyperextended elbows during their careers, including former Phoenix Suns center Kurt Thomas, former Florida Gators running back Jeff Demps, and current free agent wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell.

Whether you’re a budding professional athlete or someone who enjoys the occasional recreational game, it’s important to understand elbow hyperextension. It’s especially important if your sport of choice is basketball, football, or boxing.

Read on to learn about the most common causes of this injury, along with tips on how to prevent and treat it.

What is Elbow Hyperextension?

Elbow hyperextension is an injury that occurs when the elbow is bent backward and moves beyond its normal range of motion. When the elbow is beyond its normal range, people typically experience the following symptoms:

• A popping sound

• Immediate pain

• Pain when touching or moving the elbow

• Swelling at or around the elbow

• Redness at the elbow

• Joint stiffness

• Muscle spasms

• Loss of strength in the affected arm

• Loss of joint mobility

Sometimes, people with elbow hyperextensions also experience elbow dislocations. In severe cases, people with a hyperextended elbow may also experience elbow deformities or a reduction in circulation in the affected arm.

Some research also shows that repetitive hyperextension injuries can cause some pathological changes to the bones and soft tissues of the elbow joint. Read the rest of this entry →

As far as sports injuries go, one of the most common is the rotator cuff tear.

Rotator cuff tears can affect any athlete, especially at the competitive or professional level. For example, both Jets wide receiver Eric Decker and former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant have dealt with rotator cuff injuries during their careers.

Whether you’re a competitive athlete or just an average gym-goer, it’s important to take steps to protect your rotator cuff.

One of the best things you can do is to make sure you warm-up properly before every practice, game, or workout. Listed below are four essential exercises that will help you warm up and prevent rotator cuff tears.

Understanding the Rotator Cuff

Before getting into the specific exercises for the rotator cuff, it’s important to understand what the rotator cuff is and why it’s so susceptible to injury.

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that surround the shoulder joint. These muscles help stabilize the shoulder and prevent injuries.

Rotator cuff tears typically occur slowly over time and are the result of overuse. They’re especially common among weightlifters and other athletes who do a lot of repetitive overhand movements (throwing, reaching, swinging, etc.).

If you experience a rotator cuff tear, you likely won’t realize it right away. Over time, though, you may start experiencing the following symptoms:

• Pain while at rest and while lowering or raising your arm

• Weakness, especially when rotating or lifting your arm

• A cracking sensation when you move your shoulder Read the rest of this entry →

Each sport has its own personal risk of injury, even the sports where you may think a problem is highly unlikely.

Darts, for example, is not exactly what you may call ‘high intensity’ but players often fear the dreaded Dartitis which is when the players lose the ability to allow the dart to leave the fingers effectively. This is also known in other sports, especially golf, as the ‘Yips’. It is essentially the loss of fine motor skills in athletes and can occur completely at random.

Dartitis is a psychological disorder and very real, but there are sports injuries and sayings that need dispelling as pure fantasy as we look at cracking some of the myths surrounding sports injuries.

No Pain No Gain

Let’s start with a famous saying that is repeated in every single gym around the world. However, strictly speaking, no pain no gain is the opposite of the words uttered.

Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Continuing through sores or cramp is not an immediate problem but if there is acute pain (something sharp and severe) or a clear indication that something is not right (a sprain for example) then it is time to stop immediately and seek medical advice.

Injuries heal fastest when rested

Football injuries cost clubs millions of pounds a year by having to pay injured players and in some cases, when key players are absent, it has a direct impact on a team’s ability on and off the pitch. Read the rest of this entry →

Sports provide numerous benefits, from teamwork to dedication to improving fitness. They can also, however, be dangerous. It is important to understand how to protect yourself from the dangers of sports and how to prevent injuries. If injuries do occur, knowing how best to treat them is the key to a quick recovery.

Knee Injuries

Most sports can cause a knee injury if people aren’t careful. Stretching is one of the best ways to prevent this type of injury. Perform a quad stretch by grabbing your ankle and pull your leg behind your body. This will stretch out your knees and quadriceps. A simple toe touch will suffice as well.

An ACL injury is one of the most common injuries, often happening during games like soccer and football where legwork is important. A knee replacement surgery may the final option if rehabilitation and pain medication do not work. Look at total knee replacement pictures and you’ll see the difference between a knee that needs replacement and one that has been replaced. Read the rest of this entry →