Common Summer Sports Injuries (and treatments)

From sprains and strains, to pulls and cramps, summertime is prime hours for injury given all of the diverse activity. Whether sports related, vacation gone wrong, or just a result of fatigue in the mid-year heat, there are many ways we end up accidentally hurting ourselves during the summer months. Here’s some of the most common we see this time of year and how to approach care for them.

---

Knee & Ankle

            One of the most common summer injuries medical offices will see is knee and ankle damage. Soccer, track and football are sports which start up again in summer, both of which involve a significant amount of sprinting, jumping, coming to quick stops, and fast changes in direction. The performing of these activities, especially in the intense summer heat, increases the chances of potential muscle or ligament injury.

Here are some of the best ways to prevent injuries to these areas:

·  Making sure you’re adequately hydrated

·  Warming yourself up properly (just because it’s hot outside doesn’t mean your muscles are warm too)

·  Wear the right equipment for your activity (such as the proper footwear and supportive braces)

·  Train your surrounding muscles like quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, and glutes to help keep your stability

·  Do not overwork yourself. Failing to give your body proper recovery time can result in muscle fatigue and can lead to serious damage

·  Listen to your body. If you feel a slight pain during games or workouts, do not ignore it. It is always better to end a day slightly early than to be out for months with a serious injury

If you do suffer an injury to the knee or ankle, here are some steps you can take to help try and relieve the area:

·  RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It’s well known for a reason. Resting the injured area is vital to make sure you don’t further antagonize it. Ice will help with any soreness or inflammation, especially given the summer temperatures, as overheating and inflammation occur more often. Compression will also aid in reducing any swelling. Elevation will do the same, as placing the injured area above heart level help swelling go down too.

·  Using heat can also be effective if you are experiencing stiffness or pain, and can be done with anything from a heat pad to a warm bath

·  Massaging the area can reduce muscle tension and improve circulation to the area

·  Stretching can also reduce stiffness and improve flexibility in the area

·  Seeing an orthopedic specialist is the best next step if the suggestions above don’t seem to get you back to full fitness

Shoulder

       The shoulder is heavily used in sports like swimming, tennis, volleyball, arm-heavy track events, and even casual activities like frisbee. The most common type of shoulder injury you will see from activities like this will be impingement syndrome or damage to the rotator cuff. The best ways to avoid shoulder injuries include:

·  Increasing your flexibility will be incredibly helpful in preventing injury as a better range of motion will help you avoid damage

·  Staying hydrated will help keep your joints healthy

·  Warming up properly before using them in any kind of strenuous or heavy-use activity

·  Stay active but do not overuse. As they say, “motion is lotion”, but overusing the muscle in ways it isn’t strong enough for will result in damage and injury, so make sure not to overdo it

·  Exercise in ways that target the different areas of the shoulder; for example, doing scapular retractions, lateral raises, upright rows, rear delt flys, etc.

If you do find yourself nursing a shoulder injury of some type, the best things to do for it are as follows:

·  Gentle shoulder mobility exercise like wall crawls, and pendulum swings will help prevent stiffness from setting in and limiting range of motion

· Using heat therapy like heat packs and heated massage devices can aid with stiffness

·  Cold therapy like ice packs can help reduce swelling and inflammation

·  Try and avoid sleeping positions which put pressure on your shoulder or cause it pain

·  Try to limit the amount of overhead arm movement until pain and swelling has decreased

·  See a doctor if pain doesn’t subside after a week or 2, if the immediate injury seems more serious than standard pain (intense pain and extreme limit of movement without sharp pain), or if you begin noticing symptoms such as numbness, tingling sensations, concerning swelling, or if the shoulder seems misshapen at all

Back

            During sports like cycling, running, weightlifting, and any activity that involves bending and twisting, your back is constantly being called into action at a high level. Making sure you don’t aggravate it in any way is vital to staying healthy. To avoid back strains or any kind of misalignments, try to follow these suggestions:

·  Make sure you focus on posture when doing anything involving lifting large amounts of weight.

·  Strengthening your core muscles can help maintain stability which will help prevent damage to your back muscles

·  Make sure to stretch all muscles properly, as something like tight quads or glutes can often lead to lower back pain for example

·  Wear proper footwear for your chosen activity. If you’re running shoes are old and worn down, they will not support your legs and back through the impact of the steps

·  Hydration is the most obvious step in all activities, but that’s for obvious reasons, the better hydrated you are, the better your muscles will function

·  Avoid repetitive twisting at the lower back level, as this puts quite a significant strain on the area. This also ties back into the core strength step as the stronger your core is, the better protected your back is when doing twisting motions

Should you end up with a back injury of some kind anyway, here are some steps you can take in pursuit of recovery:

·  Using cold therapy like ice packs immediately after the injury can help with pain and any inflammation. Post injury heat therapy like heat pads and hot baths can help soothe and loosen the stiffness of the area

·  Make sure to keep attention to your posture as it will likely cause more pain if you don’t maintain correct form

·  Pay attention to how you sleep and make sure it isn’t causing your back to hurt. If it does you may want to try sleeping in a different position or even changing the elevation of your legs

·  Light stretching focusing on loosening up the muscles of the back will help reduce pain and soreness

·  Massage therapy is a good option to help blood flow to the area which will help in healing

·  See a doctor if you find your pain or symptoms don’t seem to improve after 1 or 2 weeks

*As we here at SMO do not have a specialist in back injuries, a good place to look for appointments with a doctor would be at Summit Spine or Pursuit Sports Medicine.