The importance of physical activity within the field of health care has been increasing. This has been justified by the large amount of evidence showing that regular exercise practices have beneficial effects on individuals, improving their health and quality of life. For example, regular running is associated with improvement of blood glucose levels, cholesterol, lean mass, bone percentages and immune system. Basically, everyone wants to be fit! However, sports activity exposes individuals to physical injuries, which may sometimes be even greater than the injuries among workers who perform repetitive movements. Exercising to exhaustion, without guidance or with inadequate guidance, may contribute towards a higher injury rate, as high as 83 per cent for amateur or competitive people, and thus impair their quality of life, either temporarily or definitively. Right now, a lot of people are taking up cycling or running in marathons and participating in triathlons.
Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma. Common acute injuries among athletes include contusions (bruises), sprains (a partial or complete tear of a ligament), strains (a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon) and fractures. But not all injuries are caused by a single, sudden twist, fall or collision. A series of small injuries can cause minor fractures, minimal muscle tears or progressive bone deformities, known as overuse injuries.
Overcoming hurdles: Pooja Bajaj suffered a ligament tear four years ago while doing zumba. But she persisted and today she is a zumba instructor | Bhanu Prakash Chandra
Injuries can be classified based on their priority. The first priority are the ones posing immediate threat to life like cardiac arrest, airway obstruction or uncontrolled bleeding. The second priority are the ones posing potential threat to life or limb like head or spine injury or neurovascular injury to a limb. The third priority are sprain, strain, cuts or bruises. Thankfully, the most common type of sports injuries are those of the third kind. And an amateur can encounter any of these three.
Dr David Rajan is director of Ortho-One, an orthopaedic speciality centre in Coimbatore.
GUIDELINES FOR PREVENTING SPORTS INJURIES
Be in proper shape to play a sport. Both physical and mental.
Know your sport well. Remember, rules are designed to prevent injuries.
Use proper protective gear (helmets, guards) and playing equipment.
Always warm-up before playing.
Avoid playing when tired or in pain.
Never ignore on-/ off-field injury.
SIGNS THAT WARRANT A VISIT TO THE DOCTOR
Inability to play following an acute or sudden injury.
Visible deformity of arms or legs.
Inability to play because of chronic or long-term complications following injury.
