HAMSTRING STRAINS
These are notorious injuries in the sporting world, very sore at the time and often cause trouble for people further down the line where they keep pulling their hamstrings when they get back into training or matches. There is a really high re-injury rate for hamstrings, with a 50% re-injury rate within 25 days of getting back playing sport!!
But the good news is that proper management will bring this risk right down. Your hamstrings are highly active in any sort of running but mostly during sprinting, that’s why you will often see players pulling up mid sprint and you can usually guess it’ll be their hamstrings! However they can be rehabed back to full strength with time and dedication – read our blog about recurring hamstring strains to find out how! Read more about hamstring injuries here: https://www.eastcoastphysio.ie/blog/4-reasons-you-keep-pulling-your-hamst…
SHOULDER DISLOCATIONS
These happen usually during contact sports where a player may have been tackled or fallen awkwardly. There are different types of dislocations that vary in severity. Some dislocations can be managed by physiotherapy alone and others (rarely) may need surgery and physiotherapy. Physio is essential in strengthening the shoulder – our shoulder is one of the most mobile joints which can make it very vulnerable to injury and to re-dislocation, so we have to work at keeping it strong! Young male field sport players are at highest risk of re-dislocating their shoulders, so it is important that they in particular follow the medical advice, a strengthening programme, and don’t go back to contact sport too soon.
ANKLE SPRAINS
We are guaranteed to see an ankle sprain almost every day in our clinic. Ankle sprains generally affect the outside of the ankle- usually caused by turning over on the ankle, which is incredibly painful, and gives you a big swollen colourful ankle and foot! Again, they can vary in degrees of severity which can have a big impact on how quickly you get back to sport or activity.
But Because ankle sprains are so common, a lot of people just rest them for a few weeks, and then get back into activity (generally thinking, “Oh, its just a sprain, there’s nothing broken on the x-ray, I’ll be fine with a bit of rest”. However! just because they are common doesn’t mean that ankle sprains don’t cause problems! They can still cause trouble weeks and months and even years later if they are not managed properly, with again the risk of re-sprain being very high. It is very common to see recurrent ankle sprains, which happens when the ankle is weaker from the sprain (again this is mostly preventable with a proper strength and balance programme). It is essential to have a robust, sturdy and strong ankle when going back to sport to ensure it is able to withstand all the demands being placed on it!
STRESS FRACTURE
Unlike normal fractures, stress fractures come on gradually and are not associated with a sudden trauma. Stress fractures occur commonly in the tibia (shin-bone), fibula (bone on outside of lower leg) or smaller bones of the foot as a result of high and repetitive loads being placed on them. Stress fractures are most painful when you are taking weight on the leg – the pain generally settles after a few days of rest. But this does not mean the fracture is healed and the pain will reappear once you return to your sport. Stress fractures should be diagnosed and managed appropriately so that they don’t develop into more serious fractures. We see alot of stress fractures in runners, particularly long distance, with females at higher risk of getting this injury.
GROIN INJURIES
This type of injury is very common in the GAA and soccer players that we see – a lot of this is due to the demands of the sport – the twisting, turning and kicking that is involved. We see a lot of people who continue playing with groin pain, until it usually reaches a point when they can’t play anymore! Our advice is – don’t. Like any injury, once you catch it early you will miss less time out from your sport, and you will have a better and quicker recovery!
Some examples of the causes of groin pain are pain referred from the hip joint, tendonitis in the groin muscles (adductors), and stress reactions of the pelvic bones.
If you or someone you know has a sporting injury that should get attention, you can book online at www.eastcoastphysio.ie/booking, or call 0404-49781.