As the weather starts heating up, sunshine and clear skies lure people off their couches and outdoors to enjoy summer. For many people, the warm summer weather is the perfect opportunity to get their bodies moving again with summer sports after a cold winter.
With more time spent outdoors and increased activity during the summer months, sports-related injuries are a lurking danger for kids and adults alike. Additionally, according to research, athletes and other fitness enthusiasts were among the 3.7 million to have experienced injuries related to a variety of sports over the summer. While this statistic is alarming, we have some information that can help you in this upcoming season!
Before beginning any type of new exercise or stretching routine, you should consult with a qualified healthcare professional.
With outdoor sports in full swing, let’s dive into effective sports injury prevention so you’re not sidelined this summer and see how physical therapy can help you reduce the likelihood of summer sports injuries or get you on the pathway to recovery after sustaining a summer sport injury.
Just as there are many different sports-related injuries, there are many things that can increase the risk of injury. One of the biggest dangers is that people start doing too much, too soon, and injure themselves in the process.
When the summer months arrive, people often try to make up for months of decreased physical activity by increasing the duration or intensity of their workouts too quickly. Here are additional behaviors that can increase the risk of injury:
Sometimes called repetitive stress injuries, overuse injuries occur when too much stress is placed on one part of the body, often from repetitive motions. While anyone can be impacted by this type of injury, they are most common for people who have trained too much, trained improperly, or have weakness from previous injuries. Overuse injuries typically cause pain, swelling, redness, stiffness, and/or weakness.
If experiencing a repetitive stress injury, effective sports injury treatment techniques include rest, proper training education, progressive capacity training, ice, and over-the-counter medicine to ease the pain and swelling. However, if these methods don’t completely resolve the injury, seeing a physical therapist can help strengthen the affected muscles and joints to heal and prevent future injuries.
While sprains and strains are very similar, they are two distinct types of sports injuries.
A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament within a joint like the ankle or the wrist. Often caused by falling, twisting, or hitting the joint, sprains can cause bruising, swelling, pain, or reduced motion of the affected joint.
Strains are stretched or torn muscles or tendons such as a hamstring or bicep. This injury is often caused when the muscle or tendon is pulled or twisted and can cause pain, muscle spasms, swelling, and difficulty moving the muscle.
For many minor muscle strains and ligament sprains, the injury can be treated with at-home methods like resting the injured joint or muscle, icing the injured area to relieve pain and swelling, or taking medicine that can help to reduce pain and inflammation.
A more severe type of sports injury, bone fractures typically result from repetitive stress or acute trauma to the bone. For example, athletes may be prone to stress fractures when a particular bone takes too much repetitive stress without enough time to recover. Stress fractures, also referred to as hairline fractures, are most common in the feet, heels, and lower legs.
In many cases, surgery is not needed to resolve a hairline fracture; instead, it is treated with rest, ice, over-the-counter medicines to treat pain and inflammation, elevation of the affected bone, a cast to immobilize the injury, or crutches to take pressure off the injured bone. More severe fractures may require surgical intervention to assist in the healing process. For example, if the stress fracture goes untreated it can progress to a complete fracture which may result in needing immobilization or even surgery.
As fractures are a serious injury, physical therapy can play an essential role in the recovery process and help athletes regain a normal range of motion, strength, and mobility after breaking a bone. After the injury, the immobilization of a cast or a sling can reduce the strength and mobility of the affected region. Physical therapy will include exercises to improve the range of motion and strengthen the surrounding muscles, bones, and joints to ensure the healed bone can withstand the stress that everyday activities will put on it.
A vmore uncommon injury, dislocations occur when a bone has been pushed out of its socket in a joint like the shoulder, knee, or finger. They are caused by trauma to the joint that applies enough force to move the bone out of place. True dislocations need to be reduced in an emergency room, but some partial dislocations (or subluxations) will relocate on their own.
While most dislocations heal completely, they may also cause bone fractures, sprains, muscle strains, or nerve damage. In addition, dislocations of the knee and shoulder may be more likely to happen again in the future. To reduce the risk of future dislocations and improve sports injury rehabilitation, working with a physical therapist can help to strengthen the surrounding muscles to minimize future sports injuries to the same joint.
A knee injury is common to experience, especially in the summer season. These kinds of injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, from sudden changes in direction to repetitive stress during play. Specific examples of knee injuries include:
Ankle injuries are also common to experience during summer sports. They can occur in a number of ways. Ankle injuries can occur when the ligaments and other parts of the ankle are overstretched or torn. When this happens, symptoms like swelling or not being able to bear any weight on the ankle in question may present over time. Specific examples of ankle injuries can look like:
While uncommon, hand injuries can greatly impact not only one’s athletic performance but everyday activities off of the field or court. Certain athletes are more prone to these injuries due to the pressure or stress placed on their hands from competition play or practice. Injuries to the hand can result from repetitive stress movements, which can also lead to numbness or weakness in the hands as well. Examples of a hand injury can include:
Another common injury to experience during the summer season are shoulder injuries. These typically occur because of continuous stress from being used in repetitive motions, like swinging, throwing, physical contact, or falls. When not treated, symptoms can look like limiting one’s range of motion, weakness, and soreness. Here are a few examples of specific shoulder injuries:
Heat-related injuries are one of the more common injuries that athletes and fitness enthusiasts are subjected to experiencing, particularly during the hot summer months. These kinds of injuries can occur when the body overheats when engaging in intense physical activity in extremely hot environments. If not treated or adjusted, one can be subjected to a variety of symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and rapid heart rate. Here are some examples of heat related injuries:
Lastly, concussions are one of the more serious injuries to experience while participating in sports this summer season. A concussion may occur when someone experiences a strong hit or jerking motion to the head or neck area. As a result, the symptoms of this injury may progress from headaches and dizziness to temporary confusion and memory loss.
While it can be difficult to eliminate all risks of sports-related injuries during the summer, there are many ways to reduce the likelihood of getting injured. Some of the most effective sports injury prevention techniques include stretching to improve flexibility and implementing warm up periods before engaging in strenuous exercise or sporting activities. Here are simple stretching routines for athletes:
Regularly stretching your calves is a great exercise to use when seeking to prevent injury for many of the common activities that will take place during summer sport season including running, jumping, and quick twitch movements.
Leg swings are a great stretch to use as they assist with improving one’s mobility in their hips and lower body. Warming up with this exercise also helps improve your range of motion, making it easier to participate in sports this summer while reducing the risk of re-injury.
Implementing a chest stretch can help to increase your flexibility in your upper body and reduce the risk of experiencing muscle tightness before, during or after athletic performance.
After engaging in sports and other summer physical activities, we encourage you to repeat these stretches while the muscles are still warm. This can help reduce muscle soreness after a workout and prevent further injuries from occurring. Beyond stretching, you can prevent sports injuries by ensuring you utilize the right protective equipment, practice the right training techniques, and by working with a licensed physical therapist to improve range of motion, address deficiencies, and work to improve mobility.
While injuries during the summer sports season might not be eradicated completely, taking precautionary measures can help to reduce the likelihood of injury and keep you active during the warmest months of the year. Practicing habits like staying hydrated, stretching and warming up before activities, and pacing yourself are essential steps to help reduce any risk of injury.
If you experience any injury or pain from participating in summer activities, physical therapy for sports injuries can help get you back to doing what you love as soon as possible. At Results Physiotherapy, our expert team of physical therapists understands the unique challenges of sports injuries. We will work with you to develop a customized care plan that aligns with your needs and goals. We are committed to ensuring a smooth recovery that allows you to stay active and prevent future injuries beyond sports.
Request an appointment with us and allow us to support you so you can return to the activities you enjoy.
