Sports Injury Prevention & India — Complete Guide

Playing sports keeps you fit and active. In everyday life, sports are actually the ideal way to stay active as well as socialize. But there is a concern that comes with them. Sports exert repeated demands on the lower body.

You might have seen that cricket, football and badminton mostly are enjoyable yet exhausting activities. Again, individuals who play tennis, athletics and other sports engage in the same fatigued actions. 

India’s growing interest in sports increased even before complete development of medical infrastructure needs for sports injuries. The need for protecting the injury prone areas while playing sports is important.

Areas might include knees, ankles, shoulders and lower back. Therefore, upgrade your sports gear with specialized compression garments designed for targeted pain relief. The best supportive garments for sports injuries in India are by brands Leeford Ortho, Tynor and Dr Ortho. 

In this blog, we will understand why sports injuries happen, most common injuries across India and some preventive actions. Many sports injuries can heal at home, but it’s important to get it checked. The sports injury may be from a simple stretch to something complicated like a fracture. It completely depends on the nature of the injury.

Let us explore.

Why Do Sports Injuries Happen?

Sports injuries can happen due to any physical force causing strain in the body. When the stress exceeds the limits of muscles, joints, bones, or soft tissues, it causes injury to the affected site. They are generally known for its two main types based on duration of injury.

Acute or Sudden Injuries

Acute injuries can be the ones that can happen suddenly while doing sports activity. They are usually caused by a single sudden injury. Though the conditions dictate the severity of injury in these injuries.

• Sudden twisting or bending of a joints
• Heavy fall 
• Impactful tripping
• Direct collision accident 
• Heavy impacts with any heavy object
• Explosive movements

Chronic or Overuse Injuries

Chronic injuries develop over time. They happen from overloading and repetitive stress in any specific part of the lower body. Lack of rest and healing triggers the issue. 

• Overtraining frequently
• Repetitive heavy impact activity like running
• Increasing workout intensity
• Inadequate recovery and healing 
• Lack of rest in between session

Which Body Parts Get Injured The Most In Sports?

Certain body parts are more prone to sports injury than the rest of the body parts. Since physical activities on bodies movement, it’s often these joints and the tissues that support them that get injured the most.

Some of these includes:

Knees

• A meniscus tear may be a major cause. It is a tearing of cartilage around the knee joints between the thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia).
• Bearing heavy stress from running or jumping knees mainly absorb shock. Thus, becoming prone to ligament and tendon tears.
• Generally affects runners and long walkers in marathons.

Ankles

• The ankle contains joints as well as other bones which are cartilage, ligaments, muscles and tendons.
• It is the joint which is injured most frequently. 
• Ankle fractures and sprains can happen when twisting or rolling of foot occurs.
• Common in sports with rapid changes in direction like football.

Shoulders

• Shoulders contain joints mainly dependent on the soft tissues for movement.
• Highly vulnerable because the joint moves in many directions during sports activity. 
• Tears and tendinitis are sometimes called swimmer’s shoulders. 
• Affected heavy forces during overhead motions of throwing or swimming.
• Common issues include rotator cuff strains and dislocation.

Lower Back

• Heavy load and sudden twisting during intense physical activity can cause injury on the lumbar spine and surrounding muscles. 
• Extremely prone to muscle and ligament strains from repetitive impact.
• Caused by heavy lifting, bending, or sudden twisting.
• Generally gets affected during powerlifting and gymnastics.

Elbows and Wrists

• Since it is a hinge joint that connects the upper arm and forearm, a lot of force gets absorbed during physical activities.
• Highly vulnerable to overuse from repetitive movements.
• These joints are very prone to tendonitis, while playing tennis or golf.
• Generally observed in racquet sports and gymnastics athletes.

Factors Influencing Sports Injury

Some sports place more demand on the body joints and muscles. These includes sports like all these:

The specific risk factors causing injuries in the Indian sporting landscape can be grouped into the following categories:

Environmental factors & Infrastructure

• Poor hard Surfaces 

Many athletes in India generally train on hard ground or uneven mud fields because it is a cheap available option. Shock absorbing wooden floors and mattresses are seen as expensive by the population. It causes some severe stress load, resulting in an injury. 

• Lack of equipments

Due to a lack of investments, Indian athletes lack proper training gears. They frequently use worn out or improperly fitted gear. Sometimes entirely skipping the  protective garments.

• Weather Conditions 

Training in hot and humid conditions across India increases vulnerability of injury. It can cause dehydration, cramping and muscle fatigue. Thus, directly affecting the player's performance as well as making them more vulnerable. 

Specific Sport Risks 

• Traditional Sports

Some Indian sports like Kabaddi and Kushti (wrestling) involve high contact among players. Sudden force and heavy gripping can cause sudden injury. These include acute ACL tears and shoulder dislocations. 

• Cricket Bowling Injury

In cricket, a number of young athletes engage in fast bowling. The repetitive force of bowling causes hyperextension in muscles and joints. Foot landing while bowling can cause fractures as well as spondylolysis.

Educational Factors

• Lack of Coaching

Many athletes lean more towards self learned techniques while playing. They mostly lack correct form and technique. This issue leads to improper motor patterns as well as unwanted injuries.

• Poor Warmups

Many athletes have no proper guidance to warm up techniques and rest periods. They often think of grinding to achieve the goal even through pain, without understanding overtraining side effects.

• Lack of medical care

Indian athletes mainly rely on temporary fixes or ignoring dull pain. They avoid any professional evaluation or physiotherapy as much as possible. This delay often leads to turning a simple sprain into a chronic injury.

Nutritional Deficiency

• The Indian athletic population mostly have vitamin D and Calcium deficiencies. It is due to lack of optimal level protein and carbohydrate in everyday food. This weakens the bones and increases the risk of fractures. It might also lead to lesser recovery of soft tissue.

Diagnosis Of Sports Injury

To effectively treat the injury, the doctor examines health history. They might physically inspect joint movement. This provides context to knee movements, its strength and exact location of pain.

Sometimes, a physical exam is enough to diagnose a runner's knee condition. But mostly, doctors advise tests such as an X-ray or MRI to be performed. In some cases, ultrasound is done. 

5 Preventive Measures For Sports Injury

Prevention should start by protecting the musculoskeletal system of the body containing bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Generally, in sports injury prevention is divided into 

1. Orthopedic Screening

They are used to identify the underlying cause of the injury. The range of motion of joints like hip, ankle, knee and shoulders are diagnosed for irregularity. Functional exercises can be helpful to analyze ligament, tendons and cartilages.

2. Strengthening

Soft tissues of the body help to absorb impact forces so that joints and bones are not damaged. Incorporating muscle loading exercises to reduce ligament and tendon strains. Training the abdominal core helps to maintain pelvic alignment and protects the lumbar spine from trauma.

3. Routine remodeling

Tracking training volume to ensure no sudden spikes in training intensity. Take rest breaks to allow healing of muscles and bones. Take a balanced protein and calcium diet to maintain bone density and improve soft tissue repairing.

4. Use supportive aids

You can functional taping or bracing to provide additional support and firmness to the body joints. They stabilize the unsafe ranges of motion while playing and training. Always choose the right garment according to your needs. For example, Leeford ortho supportive aid ranges from simple bandages to premium braces.

5. Physiotherapy if needed

Using targeted orthopedic physiotherapy for complete treatment makes recovery good. It will ensure it doesn’t occur again in future after returning to normal training.

Leeford Ortho Support Products

Maintenance Tips 

1. Hand wash using a mild detergent
2. Avoid direct sunlight
3. Do not iron or bleach
4. Do not machine wash
5. Air dry in a shaded area
6. Avoid using fabric softener
7. Store in a dry place when not in use

How to Choose Right Support for Sports Injury?

Choosing a supportive aid should begin with the reason for using it.

Consider:

• Type of injury
• Fit and comfort
• Current symptoms
• Level of activity
• Sport being played
• Amount of stability required
• Advice from a doctor/physiotherapist.

Can Supportive Aid Prevent Sports Injuries?

Supportiveness can be part of an injury prevention strategy for some athletes. A high-quality support can be useful for those with previous ankle sprains. But a support aid is only one part of prevention, not a treatment.

Prevention should also include:

• Warm-up before training
• Strength exercises
• Balance exercises
• Sport-specific movement practice
• Supportive footwear
• Gradual increases in training frequency
• Adequate recovery between demanding sessions

Returning to Sport After an Injury

Being pain-free when light exercising does not mean the joints are ready for sport every time. Sometimes underlying issues can still be prevalent.

Before full return, an athlete should work toward:

• Good ankle movement
• Comfortable jogging
• Good strength
• Comfortable sitting and squatting
• Good balance
• Stable single-leg control
• Comfortable jumping and landing
• Controlled changes of direction
• Confidence during sport-specific movements.

The return-to-sport timeline can vary greatly for complex injuries. 

Recovery Timeline To Expect 

Conclusion

The growing sports population in India has the common issue of injury occurring while performing. A sports injury can disrupt your training performance as well as daily movement.

The good news is that most sports injuries are completely curable and preventive. A careful recovery plan can assist an athlete in returning to activity in a controlled manner. The first measure is understanding the injury.

A mild sprain might require home care and rehabilitation. A fracture, tendon injury and severe instability might require a more extensive treatment.

Supportive aids play a major role in sports injury prevention. They can provide stability and firm support to the body organs. Especially those areas which are highly prone to injury like elbow, shoulder, knees, etc.

The right choice should be determined by the individual's requirements and the intensity of support required.

Determination of early signs and its treatment completely depends on the athlete. Thus, it is important to understand the recovery and healing of even a minor injury with the same care and attention.