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How to recover from a sports injury
A drain on both your physical and mental well-being, sports injuries are a challenge that athletes at all levels are likely to face at some point. They’re even more common than you might think, with data from UK Sport showing that over 40% of athletes will get an injury at least once per season. This, combined with normal illnesses and setbacks, can have a big impact on your progress and performance, which is why taking the right steps and precautions to help lower the risk of potential future injuries is so important.
From sprained ankles to joint and back pain, if you’re used to playing sports or exercising regularly then having to sit back while you slowly heal can feel like a struggle. In this blog, we take you through everything you need to know about how to recover from current injuries, as well as ways you can prevent recurrent issues so you can focus on those important games, races and competitions without the worry of putting your goals on hold.
What causes a sports injury?
Exercise is important for good health, but the process of pushing your body can put it at risk of injury, especially when best practices aren’t followed before training. It can be all too tempting to overlook things like warming up properly, but it's essentials like this that will get your body ready to move and keep it safe while you do.
To limit your risk, it pays to be aware of the most common causes of sports injuries and taking steps to avoid them. These include things like:
- Not wearing the right protective equipment
- Not knowing your limits and pushing yourself too far
- Exercising without warming up and cooling down
- Participating in extreme or contact sports that involve tackling or collisions.
While some of these causes can be prevented, like investing in the right equipment and ensuring you warm up and cool down before exercises, some can’t be avoided. Accidents can happen, especially in activities when you’re running, jumping or anything where you could potentially fall. Even if you’re being careful, sports injuries might still happen, and in that case, it’s important to familiarise yourself with common areas and symptoms of sports injuries and how to treat them, which we will talk through below.
Common areas and symptoms of a sports injury
Familiarising yourself with the most vulnerable areas on your body for injuries will help you to protect them from future harm, it will help you to know what areas to focus on when stretching and the right protective gear to invest in while exercising.
The most commonly affected areas for sports injuries are sprains and strains on a muscle or tendon from running, jumping or twisting. To help you know what areas of your body are the most susceptible to injury, we’ve included a list of the most common sports injuries and the symptoms that come with them:
Sprained ankle - This happens when the ligaments to the ankle are stretched or torn, and is usually caused by twisting, jumping or rolling on your ankle. Symptoms of a sprained ankle include pain (even when resting), swelling, bruising and tenderness.
Tennis elbow - This is often caused by repetitive motions and overuse which will strain the ligaments in your elbow. Sports players most affected by this are tennis, squash and baseball players but it isn't limited to these sports, anyone overusing their forearm muscles could get tennis elbow. The most common symptoms of tennis elbow are pain and inflammation to the outside of the elbow.
Knee pain - About 41% of sports injuries occur in the knee and are caused by overuse and repeated motions like jumping which can cause your kneecap to rub against your leg bone. The most common symptoms of knee injuries are pain (even when resting), inflammation and stiffness or lack of movement.
Lower back pain - This is often caused by repetitive straining from things such as carrying heavy items and jumping. Back pain's most common symptoms are reduced movement, sharp or aching pain, muscle spasms, and posture problems.
Pulled hamstrings - A pulled hamstring occurs when there's an excessive stretch or tear in the muscle fibres caused by overstretching, overloading your muscles and sudden movements. The most common symptoms of a pulled hamstring are sudden or sharp pain in the back of your thighs, swelling, tenderness, and difficulty walking or standing.
Other common injuries in sports include concussions, broken bones and dislocations. While some sports injuries occur through no fault of your own, they can still affect your everyday life. Keep reading as we are going to take you through how to look after a sports injury so you can make a speedy recovery and prevent further injury,
How to take care of a sports injury
No matter what your type of injury, time spent in recovery can be both physically and mentally stressful. You might be itching to get back into your exercise routine, but it’s important to let yourself heal properly to prevent further issues.
Treatments for sports injuries widely vary so it’s essential you make an appointment with your local GP for further support and help, however, there are many things you can do at home to help treat and care for your sports injury.
Here are some general rules for caring for a sports injury at home so you can have a speedy recovery:
Get plenty of rest - Avoid using or moving the injured area as much as possible. If you’ve injured your leg then consider using crutches to get around, or if you’ve injured your arm, use a sling to stop you from jolting the injured area around and keep it comfortable.
Apply ice to the area - Ice packs can help reduce the swelling and pain of a sports injury, we would recommend doing this for 15-20 minutes every couple of hours to help the swelling come down.
Use compression materials - Try wrapping bandages around the injured area to help improve blood flow and calm inflammation to help speed up recovery. Though this can be useful, make sure not to tie the bandages so tight that it restricts blood flow.
Keep the area elevated - Elevation reduces swelling, relieves pain and can help speed up recovery as it will send the blood back to your heart, working to increase blood flow.
You might also want to consider taking ibuprofen or naproxen to help with any pain and inflammation as well.
Sports you can play while recovering from an injury
If you find yourself itching to get back into your exercise routine and are worried about recovery taking too long, there are a few safe, low-impact, exercises you can do while recovering that won’t put any strain on your injury or cause further issues, but will allow you to still be active. Below are a few safe recovery exercises you can do, be careful to the right one for you and your injury, for example:
Swimming - Swimming is a great low-impact activity for when you want to exercise without putting any strain on your muscles and will also help to increase blood flow. The cool water should also help to reduce any swelling, but be careful not to swim if you have any cuts or open wounds due to the risk of infection.
Light cardio - Going for walks or light jogs is a great way to get exercise without the risk of further injury, however, this is better for people with arm injuries, as people with foot or leg injuries should avoid walking or jogging as this may make your injuries worse.
Stretching and yoga - These types of exercises can help you work on your strength and range of motion while injured. Yoga also has a range of mental health benefits as it can release cortisol levels, a stress hormone that can inhibit injury recovery.
It’s important to consult your doctor before conducting any sort of exercise while injured, your doctor will be able to help you better understand what sort of low-impact activity will be best for your specific injury so you don’t have to worry about not getting regular exercise while recovering.
How long does it take to recover from a sports injury?
Depending on the severity of your injury, most sports injuries can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to fully heal with simple rest and recovery strategies. However, injuries such as broken bones and concussions will need medical intervention and will take a few months to fully recover.
If you’re unaware of how much time your injury will need to fully recover you can make an appointment with your local GP for more advice specific to your issue.
How to prevent a sports injury
While accidents can happen, there are many ways to avoid sports injuries, or at least reduce the risk of them happening. From ensuring you warm up and cool down properly to making sure you’re completely prepared for your choice of sport and exercise with the right equipment can all help with prevention.
Compression tops and leggings are a great protective base layer for supporting your exercises. By applying pressure to the muscles and preventing excessive twisting or stretching of muscles you will greatly reduce your risk of injury. This means you can run, jump, and twist without worrying about hurting yourself as the compression clothes will work to support and stop any harmful movements of your muscles.
If you want some compression tops and bottoms that can match your or your team's colours and style, then our range has everything from navy compression tops to white compression shorts so you can represent your ID while giving your body the support it needs.
Support your body with the right kit at Avec Sport
While some injuries are inevitable when playing sports and exercising, especially high-contact sports such as rugby, there are still steps you can take to help lower the risk of certain issues such as sprains and pulled muscles by taking the time to stretch your muscles before and after a workout and ensuring you have the proper kit to support and protect your body.
If you’re looking for gear that can help support your exercise journey and help you reach your goals while lowering the risk of any future injuries then take a look through our full compression tops and bottoms range here at Avec Sport and give your muscles and joints the extra support they need.