How to Treat a Sports Injury Immediately When it Happens?

When you play any sports, it is very common to get injured. No matter how careful you are while playing the sport or if you take as many measures to prevent injuries, you are bound to get hurt at some point in time. Even a simple twist of the foot or a sprain in the back which might seem like a small injury at first may lead to something severe and chronic, if not treated properly. Well, no one knows when a sports injury would occur, but you should know how to treat one immediately when it happens.

Types of Sports Injuries

Tons of injuries may occur while playing different kinds of sports. It has been seen that young athletes are susceptible to fractures and bone-dislocation injuries. Sports that require heavy movement and exertion such as football, hockey, cricket, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, etc. cause multiple injuries to athletes now and then which must be taken care of immediately.

Many kinds of sports injuries may occur.

• Bone-dislocations and Fractures

If you fell while running or during any movements while playing any sport, your bone might get dislocated from the joint or could even break leading to fractures at the point of injury.

• Knee Injuries

One of the most common places where athletes get hurt is at the knee, especially when they fell and get dragged by inertia on the solid ground, causing scratches, ground burns, tearing of the skin, bleeding, as well as intense pain.

• Muscle Strains and Sprains

Athletes often experience severe strains and sprains in their muscles, especially on their back, shoulders, and limbs. This causes a lot of pain to them, hindering their mobility as well as performance.

How to Treat the Sports Injuries Immediately?

Every athlete must know how to treat any sports injury immediately when it occurs and also know how to give first aid to the injured person. The injury must be taken care of immediately without wasting even a single second because a prolonged, untreated injury may lead to multiple complications including severe surgeries requiring intensive care.

According to Sbrogna, Brunelle & Donius, LLP, surgical errors attorneys, “The best way to treat any sports injury would be by using non-invasive, medicinal techniques. Surgery should always be the second option if all the other methods required to treat the injury have failed.”

There are many things that you can do to treat sports injuries immediately when they occur to avoid any further damage.

• Apply Anti-septic

If there are cuts and bleeding has occurred, then immediately clean the area and apply anti-septic medicine to prevent infections and germs.

• Provide Rest

The most important thing that you must take care of is to provide rest to the area that has been injured. Make sure not to put any stress on it and keep it as immobile as you can for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to allow it to heal.

• Apply Ice-pack

Applying something cold like an ice pack to the injured area would help reduce swelling and relieve pain.

• Keep Injured Area Elevated

Keeping the injured area elevated above the heart level would reduce stress on it, aid in a speedy recovery, as well as reduce swelling.

• Keep Injured Area Compressed

Wrap an elastic band or any medicinal band on the injured area from the top to the bottom to keep it compressed.

• Apply Pain-Relieving Spray or Ointments

If there are no cuts or bleeding, you can apply pain-relieving sprays and ointments to the injured area to help reduce pain.

What not to do When Sports Injuries Occur?

There are certain things you must refrain from when a sports injury occurs.

• Do not apply heat to the injured area.
• Avoid alcohol consumption as it will increase swelling and bleeding.
• Avoid any physical activities.
• Refrain from massages as they will increase swelling and delay healing.

Final Thoughts

You should always keep these things in mind whenever any sports injury occurs. Always try to give first aid and treat the injury right there and then to prevent further damage and complications. However, if the injury is quite severe and cannot be treated on your own, then you must visit the doctor and get professional, medical help to ensure complete treatment and full recovery.

Thank you for reading!

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