Sports Injuries Summary Exercising is good for you, but sometimes you can injure yourself when you play sports or exercise. Accidents, poor training practices, or improper gear can cause them. Some people get hurt because they are not in shape. Not warming up or stretching enough can also lead to injuries. The most common sports injuries are Sprains and strains Knee injuries Swollen muscles Achilles tendon injuries Pain along the shin bone Rotator cuff injuries Fractures Dislocations If you get hurt, stop playing. Continuing to play or exercise can cause more harm. Treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) method to relieve pain, reduce swelling, and speed healing. Other possible treatments include pain relievers, keeping the injured area from moving, rehabilitation, and sometimes surgery. NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Array Achilles tendon repair Back pain and sports Concussion Dealing with Sports Injuries Nemours Foundation How to avoid exercise injuries Medial epicondylitis – golfer’s elbow Returning to sports after a back injury Encyclopedia ACL reconstruction Acute mountain sickness Lactic acidosis Osgood-Schlatter disease Rotator cuff problems Shin splints – self-care Tennis elbow Children Ana’s Story: How She and Her Family Learned about Sports Injuries National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Ear Injuries (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Parents’ and Coaches’ Guide to Dehydration and Other Heat Illnesses in Children National Athletic Trainers’ Association Preventing Musculoskeletal Sports Injuries in Youth: A Guide for Parents National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Sever’s Disease Nemours Foundation Treatments of Sports Injuries in the Young Athlete North American Spine Society What Is a Pediatric Sports Medicine Specialist? American Academy of Pediatrics Teenagers Ankle Sprains Nemours Foundation Heads Up to High School Sports Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jumper’s Knee (Patellar Tendonitis) (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Quadriceps Contusion Nemours Foundation Runner’s Knee Nemours Foundation Sports and Concussions Nemours Foundation NIH MedlinePlus Magazine Athlete’s Nightmare: Tearing the ACL Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Concussion: Doug Flutie: “Be on the Safe Side.” NIH Research on Concussion and the Brain Sports and Concussion Videos and Tutorials Bankart Repair to Correct Shoulder Instability OR-Live Knee Pain and the Weekend Warriors OR-Live Rotator Cuff Repair OR-Live Specifics Burners American Academy of Family Physicians Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Concussion American Academy of Family Physicians Concussion in Sports American College of Sports Medicine Eye Injuries in Sports American Academy of Family Physicians Facial Sports Injuries American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foot Health Facts for Athletes American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Golf Injuries American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Golf Injuries to the Hand, Wrist, or Elbow American Society for Surgery of the Hand Golfer’s Elbow Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Hamstring Injury Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome American Academy of Family Physicians Shin Splints Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Shoulder Impingement/Rotator Cuff Tendinitis American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Shoulder Instability American Academy of Family Physicians Sports Hernia (Athletic Pubalgia) American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Sports Injuries to the Foot and Ankle American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Sprains and Strains Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Stress Fractures Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Tennis Elbow Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Athletic Injuries National Institutes of Health Related Issues Exercise-Induced Urticaria American Academy of Family Physicians High-Altitude Illness American Academy of Family Physicians Knee Bracing: What Works? American Academy of Family Physicians Venous Thromboembolism and Marathon Athletes American Heart Association Prevention and Risk Factors MedlinePlus: Sports Safety National Library of Medicine Overuse Injury: How to Prevent Training Injuries Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Find an Expert National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Journal Articles Sports Injuries Start Here Sports Injuries National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases What Are Sports Injuries? National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Statistics and Research Sports-Related Eye Injuries by Age Prevent Blindness America Youth Sports Safety Statistics National Athletic Trainers’ Association Men Testicular Injuries Nemours Foundation Latest News Study Suggests Brain Damage in 40 Percent of Ex-NFL Players HealthDay Previous Mental Distress May Slow Concussion Recovery HealthDay Skateboarding Mishaps Send 176 U.S. Kids to ERs Every Day HealthDay Fastballs a Fast Track to ‘Tommy John Surgery’? HealthDay Cold Weather Can Spike Football Injuries, Study Finds HealthDay High School Football Players Suffer More Symptoms After Concussion HealthDay Even Mild Football Head Hits Can Harm Vision HealthDay Cheap Tape May Keep Blisters Off Runners’ Feet HealthDay Injuries More Common in Teens Who Focus on Single Sport HealthDay