Who wouldn’t like to spend more time outside? Whether you want to soak up more sunshine and relaxation or meet a new healthy challenge, it’s important to be familiar with common exercise injuries to prevent harm.

They can affect anybody at any exercise level: very active sports, training, or even during less impact exercise activities. Taking care of yourself while participating in a sport, competitively or recreationally, is incredibly important.

Living better through an active lifestyle can be very rewarding, but an injury can take all that fun away or even cause a negative impact on our health. Today Dr. David Dunkle from our Sports Medicine team gives us some tips about common sports injuries and ways to prevent them.

#1:Ankle Sprains and Strains

One of the most common sports injuries are strains and sprains.

Sprains are injuries to the ligaments. Ligaments are tough tissues that hold your bones together. Suddenly stretching ligaments can deform or even tear them.

Strains are injuries to the muscles or tendons that connect bones to muscles. Strains are often called "pulled muscles." Overstretching or overusing a muscle can cause a tear in the muscle fiber or tendon.

William Roberts, MD, a sports medicine physician at the University of Minnesota said,“Think of ligaments and muscle-tendon units like springs. The tissue lengthens with stress and returns to its normal length — unless it is pulled too far out of its normal range.”

#2: Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is very common and one of the main causes is inactivity. Regular exercise can strengthen your core which helps prevent back injuries. Lower back injuries can result from:

• constant bending
• stretching motion
• moving boxes
• painting a room
• doing yard work

#3: Knee Injuries

Knee injuries are often the cause of improper technique, lack of conditioning or poor flexibility. Certain people, like those with flat feet or high arches, may be more prone to knee injuries. Like sprains and strains, knee injuries can be a result of a sudden change of movement. At times, surgical repair may be needed.

#4: Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries can be quite debilitating if they are not treated properly. Usually injuries are a result of repeated movement or overstretching of a muscle. Shoulder injuries are commonly a result of throwing activities.

#5: Groin Injuries

A groin injury is an injury to the muscles of the inner thigh or front of the hip. This can result from overuse of the muscles, or from sudden contraction or overstretching of the muscles. Like most injuries, groin injuries vary and are classified by grades. Grade 1, 2, or 3 representing mild, moderate and severe, respectively. A severe injury can make it very difficult to put weight on the leg and can sometimes be visibly seen as a “dent” in the muscle.  

Preventing Injuries

Injuries can happen at any time and while not all are preventable, there are precautions we can take that will make injury less likely.

• Exercise Daily: Some injuries are a result of our bodies not being conditioned for the activity we are doing. The best advice is to exercise daily, so that you can participate in fun weekend activities with less worry about injury.
• Warm-up: Starting an exercise with warm up will increase the blood flow to your to your muscles making them more flexible and ready for increased movement.
• Be aware of overuse: Overuse injuries are common and preventable. Don't go on a long hike or practicing pitching for a long time if you haven't done it in a while. Build up to longer periods of time before participating in activities. While you may be inclined to pick up where you left off long ago or to jump up and get moving, if you do it without prior practice it could lead to injury.
• Listen to your body: Recognize when you are tired, and stop. "Muscle fatigue takes away all your protective mechanisms and really increases your risk of all injuries. You can always come back and play again next weekend--if you don't get injured today," said William Roberts, MD.
• Drink water: Staying Hydrated is another good way to prevent injury. Dehydration can make you more susceptible to injuries or illness.
• Proper equipment: Having proper equipment is so important!  Keep your equipment in good shape and replace it when it gets worn out. You can also get braces for your back or knees if you know that you need a little extra support in those areas.
• Cool down: Finally, don't forget to cool down. Take about ten minutes to slow down and stretch after your workout. This helps return your heart rate to normal and reduce soreness in muscles.

How To Treat Injuries at Home

It's important to know that swelling can be a normal part of injuries. Excessive swelling can make healing even slower. You can limit swelling and heal faster if you use the PRICE method.

• P = Protect from further injury with a splint or crutch
• R = Restrict activity to prevent making the injury worse
• I  = Apply Ice, 20 minutes every 2 hours. Don't use heat!
• C = Apply Compression with elastic bandage
• E = Elevate the injured area above the heart

Over the counter pain relievers can usually relieve the pain of most injuries. If you have tried these things to no avail, it's probably time to call a doctor.

When To Get Medical Attention

We know you are tough, but you also need to be smart. Sometimes, you need to see a doctor for your injuries. If you have any of these signs or symptoms, call your doctor:

• Deformities in the bone or joint--it looks crooked or moves abnormally
• You can't bear weight on your limb without it giving out
• excessive swelling
• Changes in skin color beyond bruising
• It's not getting better after a few days of home treatment

If you have any doubts or want advice on a possibly minor injury, it’s always best to ask. Delay can result in long-term effects and unneeded discomfort. With more than 100 physicians and medical specialists Johnson Memorial is dedicated to providing the highest quality care.