As the weather starts to get warmer, many of us are more motivated to enjoy the outdoors and the activities we love, including sports. However, if we’re not being careful, we can cause ourselves some serious injury.
Here are the following common sports-related injuries during summer and tips on how you can avoid them:
Sprains and strains
Muscle sprains and strains are the most common sports-related injuries during summer.
What’s the difference between the two?
Sprains refer to the tearing or stretching of the ligaments while strains refer to the tearing or stretching of the muscles. Both cause pain and discomfort but both can also be prevented through proper warm-up and cool down before and after any activity.
Knee injuries
Knee dislocation, tendon tears, and ligament injuries are just some of the knee injuries one encounters with summer sports.
Some of these injuries can heal on their own within a few days while others (such as an ACL tear) may take longer than that. But who would want to waste those days or months recuperating when you can prevent them?
Just like with muscle sprains and strains, knee injuries can be avoided with proper stretching or warm-ups, wearing good-fitting and supportive shoes, and taking the appropriate rest (overtraining the muscles can add to injury risk).
Elbow injuries
With the beautiful weather outside, many are getting into sports like tennis and golf. Sports like these also increase the risk of elbow injuries.
If you enjoy tennis, golf, or a similar sport, you don’t have to stop to avoid elbow injuries. Proper warm-up and cool down, getting some rest between sessions, and doing elbow stretching and strengthening exercises can help you avoid elbow injuries.
Shoulder injuries
Activities like baseball, basketball, tennis, and volleyball can make you prone to shoulder injuries. Some of the most common shoulder injuries with these sports include dislocations, muscle strains, tendon and ligament tears.
Proper warm-up and cool down, taking time to ease into sports, and regular stretching and strengthening exercises can reduce your risk of shoulder injuries.
Bone fractures
Bone fractures can occur in young healthy athletes as well as those with conditions such as osteoporosis. These can often be avoided with regular exercise (including a combination of weight-bearing, resistance, and balancing exercises). Additional preventative measures may also include ensuring intake of enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet.
Summer opens up a ton of opportunities for sports and other activities. You definitely don’t want to spend your summer days attending to your injury indoors. However, if an injury does occur, our orthopaedic experts at South Florida Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine can help. For appointments, you may call us at (772) 288-2400. For urgent, acute orthopaedic injuries, visit our Ortho Injury Walk-in Clinic. Located at: 9401 SW Discovery Way #101, walk-ins are welcome from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday–Friday and from 8 am to 2 pm every Saturday. For more information, call (772) 261-OUCH (6824).