Sports injuries

There has been a trend in recent decades for children to be less active, with many harmful effects on their health. In addition, weight-bearing exercise in childhood and up to the mid-20s is important in building up the bones (maximizing bone density), which will reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life.

As people get older they usually lose muscle bulk and strength. Exercise and training can help to prevent this. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running and aerobics, can help to maintain bone density into later life. As you grow older, you will be less able to make sudden explosive movements. You will tend to be less flexible and more prone to muscle and tendon tears. You may be more likely to suffer from pain in the joints, back and neck, and injuries may be slower to heal.

Because of these changes it's important to ensure that exercise, training and competitive sport are tailored to your individual capacity, background and age.

However, the exercise may need to be adapted to allow painful joints to move more easily. Ask a chartered physiotherapist, or a specialist nurse, rheumatologist or other health professional with knowledge of your condition for advice.

Find out more about exercise for people with arthritis. 

• Build up gradually – Plan your training programme so that your activity is stepped up gradually to avoid injury. Proper training is particularly important for physically demanding sports, or if you haven't been taking regular exercise. Take advice from a qualified coach or join a sports club.
• Use the right equipment – In most activities the most important equipment is footwear. Some sports need specialized equipment, and this should always be used where it is needed (e.g. eye protection for squash, head protection for cycling and horse riding, a mouth guard in rugby and other contact sports). In racquet sports, it's important to have a racquet of the right weight and the right grip size for you.
• Learn the correct technique – Technique is especially important when taking up a new activity. Seek advice from a coach who is qualified in your chosen sport.
• Warm up – This prepares the body for exercise or your chosen sport by starting to divert blood flow to the muscles you will be using. Although there is controversy about the benefit of stretching in general terms, it is certainly thought to be helpful before explosive activities and power events.
• Balance exercise with rest – Exercise for both strength and endurance should be balanced with rest. Tiredness may increase the risk of injury.
• Increase your muscle strength – Weight training increases muscle strength. You should ideally start this in a gym under supervision since serious injuries to the spine and knees can result from incorrect lifting of heavy weights. Currently most gyms have fixed equipment, which avoids the risk of using free weights and allows more controlled strength training.
• Recovery – Don't continue your sport with a painful injured limb. Make sure you get proper and prompt treatment. Initially this may include rest, at least for the injured part of the body. Make sure your injury has healed completely before fully returning to sport. Otherwise it may happen again and you could develop a long-term injury. In planning your recovery from an injury, seek the advice of an experienced physiotherapist in planning your exercise programme.

When in doubt about the treatment of an injury, seek the advice of an experienced doctor or other health professional.

Who can help with sports injuries?

• A doctor will check whether your injury requires any further medical or surgical treatment. The doctor can also arrange an x-ray or further specialized advice where necessary. The doctor may advise painkillers or, if there is a lot of swelling in an acute injury, a short period on an anti-inflammatory tablet
• Other health professionals (physiotherapist, podiatrist, osteopath, chiropractor) have important roles in dealing with injuries created by sports and exercise – their specific roles will depend upon the type and location of the injury. They will also be able to advise about prevention and return to sport
• Specialist sports injuries clinics.

You may need to get advice from a physiotherapist or other health professional about specific exercises to help the injury. Many will take self-referrals but a GP can also refer you. The exercises and movement should be gradually increased but should never cause significant pain. The aim of exercise after an injury is to:

• restore the full range of movement
• help the injured part regain full strength
• recover the endurance of the muscles, which may have been affected by the injury.

Balance exercises are also important to restore control of the limb. These can be done using a balance board, which is particularly useful for ankle and knee injuries. Sometimes, exercises performed standing on one leg can help with balance.

For some injuries it may be a good idea to wear a brace or strapping to help your injury to recover and prevent it happening again. These devices are available in sports shops, or you may need an allied health professional (physiotherapist, podiatrist, osteopath, chiropractor) to advise you and supply these items.