Sports

Ten most common sports related injuries: Running is the most common sport related injury, followed by skating, skiing, mountain biking, dancing, aerobics, tennis, basketball, gymnastics, football, and soccer.


1. Muscles pulls and strains: Fiber stretch beyond capacity. Cramps, tightness, fatigue over exerting the muscles associated with dehydration and depleted minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous.


2. Neck strain: Awkward positioning with sleep or over exertion and stretching of the neck muscles.


3. Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis): Condition associated with weakness of the rotator cuff muscles and the capsule of the shoulder adhering to itself.


4. Low back pain: Awkward movement of the back or lifting a weight that is too heavy or improper lifting technique.


5. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): Inflammation for the forearm muscles that bend the wrist back (extension) and roll the palm up (supination) is commonly seen in golfers, baseball pitchers, tennis players, weight lifters or any repetitive activity of the wrist and forearm.


6. Runner's knee (patella femoral syndrome): Misalignment of the kneecap in the groove that is created by the leg bones. Muscle imbalances in the upper leg pull the kneecap out of alignment causing rubbing and wearing of the cartilage. Pain can be felt around the kneecap or the back of the knee.


7. Shin splints: Strain of the lower leg muscles associated with running and jumping on hard surfaces or simply overuse. The shin muscles help raise the arch of the foot, and when the arch collapses, it strains the muscles and tendons in front of the lower leg. May occur in people that recently change shoes, surfaces they run or walk on, and exercise regimen.


8. Ankle sprains: Most common type is inversion sprain where the foot rolls in and stresses the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. It can also be a compensation for other injuries of the foot, leg, hip or back.


9. Heel cord (Achilles tendinitis): Stresses to the largest tendon in the body associated with jumping, such as volleyball and basketball usually exacerbated by poor mechanics of the foot and ankle (pronation) that pulls the Achilles tendon out of alignment.


10. Foot arch pain (plantar fasciitis): Overstretch to the long elastic covering of the sole of the foot that holds up the arch. It occurs with people having high arches, improper support of their footwear, and increased activity creating increased impact on the foot. An example would be jumping.

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