Sport is an integral part of everyday life. Many of the UK population will play or watch it during their spare time which allows for fun and healthy competition. However, as with most physical activities, this fun is not without risk and injuries are always around the corner for people who play sport.
Injuries can happen in any sport and whilst there are precautions that we can take such as warming up properly and stretching, injuries come when we least expect them and it can be heart-breaking for the athlete. Here, they will be forced to sit on the sidelines whilst their team plays on without them.
Dealing with a sports injury can be hard but by following this article, hopefully, it will be made a little bit easier.
Common injuries and recovery time
Some injuries appear in every sport which means doctors have been able to do extensive research into the healing time for them. Knowing how long you could be out of the game can bring about some peace of mind. Here are the most common injuries and how long they take to recover:
- Sprains and strains – 2 weeks
- Fractures and broken bones – Up to 6 months for the most severe cases
- Hamstring injuries – 4-6 weeks
- Concussion – 10 days
- Ligament damage – Up to 10 weeks
What to do if you get an injury
RICE treatment
An effective strategy for reducing pain is utilizing the RICE treatment. This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. In doing this, the injured area will have less blood flowing to it which will reduce the swelling allowing more chance to heal.
See a doctor
Home treatments can only do so much. If the injury is severe or treatments such as RICE are not helping then seeing a doctor is a next step. Doctors will be able to assess the injury and determine the severity. From here, they can decide if surgery is needed, or they can prescribe pain relief medicine.
Perform recovery exercise
For some injuries, you can improve the recovery time by completing exercises that support the healing process. These exercises may have been recommended by a personal trainer or a healthcare professional. They are intended to strengthen the injured area allowing for faster recovery.
Make a claim
Some injuries are accidental or caused by yourself. However, if you’ve been injured playing sport and it wasn’t your fault then you may be able to make a personal injury claim.
Sports injuries can cause a severe amount of distress to any athlete. Taking the right steps to overcome it is the only way to make a full recovery and get you fit again so you can play the sports you love even quicker.
