The warm, bright and sunny summer months always inspire us to go outside, especially here on Long Island. In addition, we naturally want to engage in sports, swimming and other activities. The pleasant weather turns many of us from lazy and sluggish into physically-active people – and this often invites summertime injuries.
3 Common Sports Injuries & How to Prevent Them
People who are out of shape from the cold, dark winter season are suddenly running, swimming, and playing sports outside. That’s exactly why sports injury prevention is essential to keep doing what you enjoy doing. Also, it’s critical to safely engage in physical activities all summer long.
1. Knee Injuries
Probably the most common summer injury is a knee injury. You use your knees for almost all movements – walking, running, jogging, jumping, cycling, skating, and skiing. The sudden acceleration of physical activity, especially if done without a preliminary warm-up, can easily lead to a knee injury.
To avoid suffering hip and knee injuries, always be sure to warm up and stretch before engaging in exercise and sports of any kind. If you’ve been inactive over the past several months, it is in your best interest to consult a sports medicine doctor for proper conditioning.
2. Shoulder Dislocations
Another common summer injury is a shoulder dislocation. This often happens while playing sports that require throwing and hitting motions, such as football, hockey, baseball, tennis, and volleyball. It can even happen if you overexert yourself while swimming, or if you swim – particularly the breaststroke – for too long without taking a break.
To avoid getting a dislocated shoulder, regularly perform strengthening and flexibility exercises and proper warm-ups. Make sure that you are conditioning the muscles that will be getting the biggest workout while you play.
3. Sprains & Strains
A sprain is an injury to a ligament, whether it is stretched or torn. Ligaments are the thick tissues that connect bones to other bones in a joint, such as in the ankle. Most of us have had a sprained ankle at some point in our lifetime.
A strain is an injury to a muscle or a tendon. Tendons connect a muscle to a bone in a joint. Just like a sprain, a strain can occur when the tissue is stretched, torn partially, or torn fully.
Sprain and strain injuries can be prevented by performing proper warm-ups and cool-downs before and after every session of play or exercise. The more warm and flexible your ligaments, tendons, and muscles are, the less likely they are to tear or overstretch.
Conclusion
The experienced team at Central Orthopedic Group offers diagnostic and rehabilitation services to patients who have sustained injuries from playing sports and other physical activities. Additionally, it’s important never to postpone your orthopedic treatment. Our sports medicine doctors can also provide recommendations for exercise and proper conditioning so you can reduce your risk of injury this summer and all year long. And in the event of orthopedic surgery, you can be totally confident that you’re in the hands of Long Island’s #1 orthopedist.