Incurring some prevalent sports injuries
I remember the 2014 World Cup final game. It was Germany versus Argentina. The odds were in Germany’s favour, but that didn’t stop Bastian Schweinsteiger from still giving his all, so much so that he was floored six times in one game, and his face sported a nasty cut under the right eye as he celebrated the win with his teammates.
Of course, he was also trying to prove something. Because of previous ankle operations, many predicted that his time on the field would end. Coach Joachim Löw, however, kept faith in him, and Schweinsteiger showed his mettle by playing like a beast.
Of course, he came out of that with even more injuries, but at least his team won. The pain would have been worse in commiseration than in victory.
The training, the competition, the pain… it’s a way of life for athletes
You can’t blame them if they seem obsessed with their physical well-being. It’s their source of livelihood, and more often than not, the rewards are pretty awesome. Injury is an occupational hazard, but they have to do what they can to make sure that they keep on playing.
They get whatever treatment is necessary—even surgery when required—and then concentrate on recovering their skills by engaging a specialist therapist. This is where sports massage plays a huge role. Not only does it help with pain management, but it also conditions the athlete’s body to get back in the game.
If you’re wondering what some of the most common sports injuries are, they’re the following:
- Plantar fasciitis – This injury mostly has to do with running, but non-athletes can suffer from it as well as a result of obesity, trauma, ill-fitting footwear, etc.
- Ankle sprain – This is often caused by landing improperly or jumping incorrectly. Ordinary folks may also incur one when they somehow lose their footing.
- ACL strain typically occurs upon sudden deceleration, hyperextension of the knee, or pivoting in place. It is pretty standard among basketball and soccer players.
- A quad strain involves the overuse of quad muscles. It usually occurs when running without a warm-up, trauma, or overstretching.
- Hamstring pull—A hamstring pull or tear usually results from overstretching the muscles involved in running, jumping, or kicking sports.
Athletes have come to expect to incur the above sports injuries periodically, but they practice caution and prime their bodies to avoid them as much as possible. Sports massage is a good way to deal with or prevent the need to deal with them.
Treatments of common sports injuries
Injuries to soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments can be excruciating. In addition to the pain they cause, they almost always result in decreased strength, cause a lack of function and mobility, and prevent you from doing the things you usually love to do.
In many cases, invasive surgery, which forever alters the integrity of the soft tissue in question, is a regularly recommended approach to tendon and ligament tears. However, surgery should always be considered a last resort.
Sports massage promotes the right kind of healing.
Did you know you can aid the healing of injured tendons and ligaments without going under the knife?
Well, it is!
While it may mean a more prolonged recovery and more complex work on your part, less invasive options have been proven to have long-term results similar to surgery—with no side effects.
Surgery versus wait-and-see
When it comes to tendons and ligaments, sometimes good old-fashioned rest is the best prescription. Try laying off the activities that caused the injury and other activities that separate the condition.
Stretching and strengthening
Strengthening the area around injuries, tendons, and ligaments will relieve pressure on them and allow other muscles to pick up the slack.
Gentle stretching will ensure tendons and ligaments remain supple—increasing blood flow. For proper healing to occur, the injured area must have plenty of blood flow. There are several ways to increase blood flow.
Others use therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, while others use deep tissue massage to bring extra blood to the area.
Get a regular sports massage.
Scar tissue and adhesions can accompany injured ligaments and tendons, limiting further tissue damage. Scar tissue can also limit strength and range of motion and cause long-term tension and pain.
A good sports massage will help heal and break down those pesky adhesions, allowing your body to regain its regular movement pattern.
It could have been a fatal injury, but since it’s a movie, Rod ended up recovering and executing some B-boy moves for the crowd as the big screen flashed slogans like “In Rod We Trust.”
Many of us have probably watched some horrendous, life-threatening moments during live games. This is the life of an athlete, however. Sadly, it’s true that game-dealt injuries have ended many careers.
Athletes are considered heroes, but the same fans would blame them for ruining a season by getting injured — as though they weren’t suffering enough. Thankfully, some of the serious sports injuries that have been witnessed on TV were more career-ending than life-ending, although, for a star athlete who’s used to fame, glory, and income, they might as well be synonymous.
Serious sports injuries to the body
The good thing these days is that sports has-beens will likely find the opportunity to keep fanning their celebrity in reality TV. Still, most athletes would probably hate to retire early because of an injury.
It’s bad enough that an injury means they’ll be out for the rest of the season, recuperating under the care of a sports massage therapist, but it’s nothing compared to learning they’ll be out for good. On that note, the following are some of the serious sports injuries we’d hate to see during a season:
Torn ACL—This knee injury has sent many a vast, hulking football player down to the ground with tears rolling down his cheeks. When this happens, he can kiss the season goodbye. Recovery time is usually more or less a year.
Broken limb—Whether it concerns a leg or an arm, a break means a long recovery time. Surgery and sports massage therapy are typically in order, and it could lead to early retirement for the athlete.
Severe concussion – This is a severe sports injury, which is why there have been new protocols for protecting players and punishing inflictors. Recovery time varies. It could be anything from a few weeks to never.
Fractured vertebrae – This is incredibly frightening. We all know how critical the spine is. Such a tragedy ended the career of the likes of Kevin Everett, Steve Austin, and Michael Irvin. Not only is this injury career-ending, but it also poses the possibility of paralysis.
We never want to see these things happen, but they’re a reality in the world of sports. Suddenly, it makes sense why pro athletes earn so much.
