Achy Muscles or Torn Ligaments? Recognize and Treat Sports Injuries

Whether you're a coach potato determined to get more active this spring or a high-school athlete trying out for a varsity team, exercise has proven benefits in terms of health and overall enjoyment of life. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most sports and recreational activities include some risk of injury:

• More than 3.7 million emergency room visits occur each year for injuries related to participation in sports and recreation.
• Approximately 715,000 sports and recreation injuries occur in school settings alone.
• Adolescents and young adults who participate in organized sports experience almost one third of all sports and recreation-related injuries.
• Sports-related injuries among people age 65 and older increased by more than 54% in the first five years of the last decade.

Some sports carry greater risks than others—and for people within various age groups. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 2009, nearly one million children between the ages of five and 15 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to the following sports:

For baby boomers, aged 50 to 69, the sports that most frequently result in trips to the emergency room are bicycling, golf, soccer, basketball, exercise and running, weightlifting and in-line skating.

Reducing the Risk of Sports Injuries

Many sports injuries are purely accidental—you're simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most preventable sports injuries result from poor training practices, improper gear or insufficient warm up and stretching before play or exercise.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends the following precautions:

• Don't be a "weekend warrior." Don't try to do a week's worth of activity in a day or two.
• Learn to do your sport right. Use proper form to reduce your risk of "overuse" injuries.
• Use safety gear.
• Know your body's limits.
• Build up your exercise level gradually.
• Strive for a total body workout of cardiovascular, strength-training and flexibility exercises.

When exercising:

• Don't bend your knees more than halfway when doing knee bends.
• Don't twist your knees when you stretch. Keep your feet as flat as you can.
• When jumping, land with your knees bent.
• Do warm-up exercises before you play any sport.
• Always stretch before you play or exercise.
• Don't overdo it.
• Cool down after hard sports or workouts.
• Wear shoes that fit properly, are stable and absorb shock.
• Use the softest exercise surface you can find; avoid asphalt or concrete.
• Run on flat, even surfaces.

Acute and Chronic Sports Injuries

The most common sports injuries are:

• Sprains and strains
• Knee injuries
• Swollen muscles
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Pain along the shin bone
• Fractures
• Dislocations

Sprained ankles, strained backs and fractured hands are considered "acute" injuries or injuries that suddenly occur during exercise. Symptoms of an acute injury include:

• Sudden, severe pain
• Swelling
• Not being able to place weight on a leg, knee, ankle or foot
• An arm, elbow, wrist, hand or finger that is very tender
• Inability to move a joint normally
• Extreme leg or arm weakness
• A bone or joint that is visibly out of place.

Chronic injuries happen after you play a sport or exercise for a long time. Signs of a chronic injury include:

• Pain when you play
• Pain when you exercise
• A dull ache when you rest
• Swelling

Stop playing or exercising when you feel pain. Playing or exercising more only causes more harm. Some injuries should be seen by a doctor right away. For others, you can treat yourself.

In general, an emergency room visit is recommended any time that:

• An injury causes severe pain, swelling or numbness
• You can't put any weight on the area
• An old injury hurts or aches
• An old injury swells
• The joint doesn't feel normal or feels unstable

RICE: Home Treatment of Sports Injuries

The NIH recommends using the following RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) to relieve pain, reduce swelling and speed healing. Follow these four steps right after the injury occurs and do so for at least 48 hours:

• Rest. Reduce your regular activities. If you've injured your foot, ankle or knee, take weight off of it. A crutch can help.
• Ice. Put an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes, four to eight times a day. You can use a cold pack or ice bag. You can also use a plastic bag filled with crushed ice and wrapped in a towel. Take the ice off after 20 minutes to avoid cold injury.
• Compression. Put even pressure (compression) on the injured area to help reduce swelling. You can use an elastic wrap, special boot, air cast or splint. Ask your doctor which one is best for your injury.
• Elevation. Put the injured area on a pillow, at a level above your heart, to help reduce swelling.

Concerned About a Sports Injury?

If you're not certain whether you or a family member needs immediate medical attention—or the injury isn't responding to home treatment—contact your medical professional to evaluate the seriousness of your symptoms and suggest ways to ease the pain associated with your injury.