We all like to play sports a little now and then. Some people are good at badminton, cricket while others excel at football. Playing sports can be a little treat for your body and also a great way to take a break from that boring routine of yours.

However, playing Sports involve certain injuries as well. Some injuries are minor ones while others can cost you a lot of damage. Some of the most common sports injuries are:

Ankle Sprain and Strain:

Ankle Sprain and Strain are THE MOST COMMON Sports Injuries that happen to every one out of three people. There is a slight difference between the terms sprain and strain. An ankle sprain is basically a torn or stretched ligament. For those people who don't know about ligaments, ligaments are tissues that basically connect bones at the joint. So, whenever you have an ankle sprain, this means that you have caused one of the ligaments to tear down. Falling, getting hurt or twisting can all cause an ankle sprain.

An ankle strain, on the other hand, is a torn or stretched tendon or muscle. Now what are tendons? Tendons are the tissues that connect muscles to bones. Playing too much or playing after a long time can cause the ankle to get strained. Strains may develop over time or can happen suddenly as well.

The immediate solution for these two is to rest the injured ankle. Experts suggest that applying ice or wearing a bandage can also help in relaxing the muscles. The later treatment might require physical therapy and exercise.

Knee Injury:

Another painful injury is the knee injury. According to the recent survey, over five million people go to the orthopedic surgeons every year. Knee injuries can be minor ones as well as really severe ones. Minor knee injuries include runner's knee or tendonitis. Runner's knee is the condition in which the runner feels pain or tenderness near the front of the knee cap. Tendonitis is the inflammation within a tendon. Severe injuries can include damaging the ligaments. Four of the major ligament injuries are the Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) and the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL).

Fractures:

Ouch! I know! Fractures are another common injury in Sports and the most painful ones too. Fractures or broken bones are either caused when the body falls or hits something (an acute fracture) or when repeated stress is applied to a particular part of the bone (a stress fracture). Sometimes, the fractures are hairline fractures, however, sometimes the fractures can be pretty serious and the injured person may have to be rushed to the hospital to get a surgery.

Shin Splints:

As the name suggests, in shin splints, the pain is along the shin bone. Sometimes, the pain is where the bone meets the calf muscles (medial shin splints), or at the front outside of the lower leg. There are also cases when the pain occurs in the foot and ankle (anterior shin splints). Usually people who run the most are the ones who have to deal with the shin splints injury. Running in improper shoes or the shoes that lack proper support, having improper running techniques, not warming up and stretching before running or having flat feet can all contribute to shin splints.

References

https://www.webmd.com/men/features/seven-most-common-sports-injuries

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportsinjuries.html