Bodily injuries while practicing sports are incidents that athletes and coaches are accustomed to. These injuries can not only be painful for the athlete, but in many cases can disable the entire team. A disabled team member can hurt the outcome of games and can have lasting results on the season as well. Just as one missing athlete affects a team, a disabled body part influences the entire body. Injuries such as weak knee injuries, shin plints, and twisted ankles can be caused by bad form, lack of stretching, and too much use of the feet and lower legs. Cited by medical physicians at the Cleveland Clinic, the majority of athletes develop shin splints sometime during their career. Here’s how to avoid and heal these painful problems, as well as preventing other recurring sports injuries.

How Sports Can Cause Shin Splints to Occur

There are many symptoms caused by shin splints such as frontal pain in the shin area. The pain can be constant and debilitating, especially when adding pressure on the affected leg. There can also be swelling in the area that can produce tightness as well as produce visible inflammation and tenderness in the muscles. Regardless of what type of sport, from soccer to baseball any athlete can suffer from these conditions. Shin splints treatment should be started right away to begin the healing process immediately. Shin pain relief recommended by sports injury specialists includes rest, elevation, and icing of the painful area for one to two days. Ongoing physical therapy and strengthening exercises include lower leg weight bearing moves and stretching of the Achilles tendon and the group of long muscles that run from the knee to the ankle.

How Sports Can Cause Knee and Ankle Twist Injuries

Ankle and knee injuries are another kind of sports injury that many athletes suffer from. This is caused by either a blunt-force injury, which cannot be averted, or from weak muscles of the ankle, lower leg, and knee. Weak muscles can be strengthened with weight bearing or movements recommended by a sports therapist that target the lower leg. Weakened muscles lead to weakened support structures in the entire lower leg so that simple movements or motions can cause twisting injuries. Another effective measure for avoiding these types of injuries are to provide the feet with the ideal amount of arch support. This can be accomplished with the use of orthotic shoe inserts made especially for athletic activities. The medical professionals at the Cleveland Clinic also suggest taping the arch for extra foot arch support during games.

Tearing Injuries: Why They Occur in the Lower Leg

Spraining of the connecting structures of the lower leg are also typical kinds of sports injuries. This is most commonly found in the tendon in the back of the heel and the knee ligament. An Achilles injury is commonly caused by little flexibility in the heel tendon due to poor stretching exercises. This is an important step in the warmup procedure that cannot be overlooked. Gentle stretches without force are suggested for anyone about to exercise. Holding the stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds, resting for a few moments, then repeating the stretch is what kinesiology specialists suggest. ACL (Anterior cruciate ligaments) are located in the knee and help hold the knee structure together. Injuries to this region can be averted by strengthening the knee , calf muscle and thigh through curls and extensions of the leg. Orthotic arch supports can help avert both of these kinds of injuries by providing proper arch support, alignment of the feet, and cushioning.

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