Ask the Expert: Sports Injuries

What the most common sports injuries?
One of the most common sport injuries is knee pain, and knee pain often occurs with overuse of the affected knee or sometimes just from direct trauma.

How do I know when I should seek emergency medical attention for a sports-related injury?
Significant swelling, especially immediately after an injury, can be an indication of a more serious problem that likely would require an emergency room visit or a visit to a physician in order to clarify that diagnosis. But if you’re unable to walk, or to push off against an upper extremity, that maybe be an indication that it’s serious enough to go to an emergency room.

Why are knee injuries so prevalent?
It’s very common, because people have desk jobs, for them to sit with their hips flexed all day long. When that happens your muscles adapt to that shortened position and then when you stand and expect those muscles to stretch during activities they become overused and overstrained. 

What tips can you offer for how office workers can prevent this?
My recommendation is several posture breaks a day where you stand erect and walk around. It’s important to get circulation to the muscles and also do a couple stretching exercises throughout the day.

What other athletic injuries do you see often?
Individuals that play tennis, volleyball players and other individuals who do repetitive racket sports can have pain in the shoulder due to the fact that there is a lot of freedom of motion around the shoulder. If it is occurring from the bursa, which is a fluid-filled sac that lives between the rotator cuff and the underside of your collarbone, sometimes anti-inflammatory medicines, ice and avoidance of overhead activities can minimize the pain and inflammation from that area.

How can I prevent injuries during physical activity?
An adequate five-to-seven-minute warm-up of a light jogging followed by stretching activity prior to starting your activity is one of the best things you can do to prevent injuries during the activity. And then following activity a cooldown period, as well as additional stretching, helps you recover quicker and avoid swelling and stiffness that can occur. 

What types of exercise can I do that won't take a huge toll on my joints?
Doing things such as an elliptical machine, a stationary bike or swimming activities which don’t require impact loading to your hips, knees and ankles are all easier for someone to perform and take less toll on your joints in order to perform on a regular basis. An athlete’s best defense against injuries is to prepare their body adequately for the activity. So nutrition, hydration, warm-up and cooldown and adequate flexibility are their best defense mechanisms.  

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