Sports have many benefits for the body, helping prevent various conditions such as obesity, diabetes, or hypertension. Additionally, it protects our musculoskeletal system, reduces stress and insomnia, and helps boost self-esteem. However, sports practice also has its downsides: injuries. Injuries will cause, to a greater or lesser degree, the athlete to avoid certain exercises for a specific period.
This is why it is important to follow a good preventive program during training. We must anticipate injuries and, if they occur, help return to sports activity as soon as possible.
Causes of injuries
There are different factors that can provoke or increase the likelihood of an injury. We can divide these factors into three groups: predisposing, extrinsic, and precipitating. Predisposing factors are physical characteristics of the athlete, such as poor preparation, lack of stretching and warming up, fatigue, or poor nutrition.
Extrinsic factors are external to the athlete, such as the equipment used for the sport or the specific characteristics of the sport itself.
Precipitating factors can be either trauma, bad postures, or overexertion before, during, or after exercise.
The last type of injury we find is tendon injuries, which can be either tendinopathies or ruptures. The latter are less common since they affect all fibers of the same tendon. All athletes should be aware of the importance of injury prevention and proper rehabilitation if they have suffered one. It is recommended to consult a sports physiotherapist, as they not only treat injuries but also play an important role in preventive and readaptation work.
Types of injuries
In terms of injury types, they can be classified into three major groups: muscular injuries, joint injuries, and tendon injuries.
Muscular injuries are the most common among athletes. Most of the time, the athlete will have experienced muscle alterations such as soreness, cramps, or muscle overloads.
There are three types of muscle injuries, from mildest to most severe: muscle strain or elongation, muscle fiber rupture, and total rupture.
Another type of injury is joint injuries, which can be classified into two major groups: capsulitis or arthritis, which involve inflammation of the joint or its surrounding capsule, and dislocations, which involve a loss of contact between two bones of the same joint.
The last type of injury is tendon injuries, which can either be tendinopathies or ruptures. These are less common as they affect all fibers of the same tendon. All athletes must understand the importance of injury prevention as well as proper rehabilitation if they have sustained one. It is advisable to consult a sports physiotherapist, who not only treats injuries but also plays a key role in preventive and readaptation work.
Muscle soreness after exercise
Muscle soreness after exercise. You may think that the muscle soreness you feel after exercising is "good pain" because it reminds you that you are working hard to stay fit and healthy. The problem is that even "good pain" is uncomfortable and can interfere with your daily activities.
The feeling of pain and stiffness you experience 24 hours (or more) after exercising is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is the result of injury to the muscle fibers caused by excessive exercise or new exercises. The small tears signal the immune system to release white blood cells to begin the repair process. The white blood cells release chemicals and enzymes, which are believed to be the cause of muscle pain, according to sports medicine doctors.
Muscle pain caused by exercises
Exercise is an important part of a healthy and active lifestyle; it improves the heart and lungs and strengthens bones and muscles. However, exercise can cause muscle pain, which is common when performing new exercises or increasing intensity. It is possible to use new muscles, stretch them, or suffer small tears in the muscle fibers.
If your muscles start hurting immediately, this is known as acute pain. You may feel soreness about 12 hours after exercising, and in some cases, the discomfort peaks between 48 and 72 hours afterward. This is known as delayed onset muscle soreness. During this time, your muscles heal and strengthen. Therefore, muscle pain can improve quickly or last for several days.
To help alleviate some of the muscle pain, you can try the following:
- Muscle massage.
- Use ice to help reduce inflammation.
- Use heat to help increase blood flow to the muscles.
- Take over-the-counter painkillers, such as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), like ibuprofen.
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