Even if you adhere to all the safety rules and requirements during exercises, you are still unlikely to avoid injuries. Whether you're a professional athlete, a gym-goer, or the one who does sports at home, you can accidentally make a mistake at some point. According to the National Safety Council, nearly 3.2 million people in the US turned to emergency departments in 2021 because of getting injured during sports. Among the most injury-causing activities were exercise, cycling, and basketball.
Another issue is that some people don’t turn to specialists after getting injured. Unfortunately, this often makes the situation worse. Let's take a look at the different types of sports injuries and find out which of them require quick actions.
Note: Any prescription should be given by a qualified specialist after a proper medical examination. If you’re injured during sports, we recommend you seek medical advice at the earliest convenience. Only a doctor can draw an individual treatment plan or give you a referral for a surgical procedure. This will prevent you from various negative consequences of self-medication and help you recover faster.
What Are The Most Common Workout Injuries?
Below are the most common injuries reported by people who seek medical treatments after unfortunate exercise:
- Low back pain;
- Knee injuries;
- Shoulder injuries;
- Elbow pain;
- Shin splints;
- Hip pain;
- Ruptured pec;
- Fractures;
- ACL tears and injuries.
While some injuries may simply require a temporary refrain from exercising and following a few doctor's prescriptions, others can lead to emergency surgical intervention. Thus, treatment methods for workout injuries can be divided into two groups: procedures and surgeries.
Procedure vs. Surgery and When You Might Need Them
Procedures and surgeries are completely different things that require different medical interventions. A non-surgical medical procedure is a set of measures that is used to diagnose, monitor, and treat injuries without an incision. Surgical procedures are much more invasive and come with cutting or puncturing the skin or inserting instruments into the body. The type of procedure you may need to treat an injury depends on the kind of injury you get and its severity.
Non-surgical procedures, such as home remedies, medications, massage, heat/cold therapy, stretches, chiropractic, or injections, are typically used when the injury is of low severity. This means that your body can recover without invasive medical intervention.
When it comes to injuries that require surgery, ACL tears and injuries, rotator cuff injuries, fractures and dislocations, and back injuries and pain are the most common ones.
What Types of Injuries Require a Medical Procedure?
Non-surgical medical procedures are typically required in the following cases:
- Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries – rest, ice, compression, elevation;
- Some types of fractures – bracing, casting, pain medication treatment;
- Foot or ankle injuries – platelet-rich plasma therapy, foot activity, and exercises;
- Shoulder injuries – shoulder injections, shoulder hydrodilatation;
- Some forms of back and spine injuries – epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, spinal bracing, cervical/lumbar traction, and more.
What Are The Most Common Surgeries for Sportsmen?
Emergency surgery is closely linked to professional sports, but no one is safe from it. Even if you're a gym-goer or do your exercises at home, exercise technique mistakes or a careless attitude toward a workout can backfire. Athletes are typically forced to undergo the following surgical procedures:
- Fracture repair for bone fractures and dislocations;
- Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction;
- Shoulder instability surgery;
- Arthroscopy of the elbow;
- Cartilage restoration procedures;
- Rotator cuff repair.
Symptoms Indicate That Something Went Wrong During Workout
If you have at least one of the symptoms below, we recommend that you seek medical advice:
- You feel intense pain in the injured area for a long time;
- The injured limb is difficult or impossible to move;
- Your bones or joints are visibly displaced or deformed;
- You feel numbness in the injured area that doesn't go away;
- The injured body part is swollen.
How Much Do Surgical and Non-Surgical Procedures Cost?
It's hard to say what the exact amount will be as it always depends on the type of injury and its severity. For example, knee injury comes with a median estimated cost of nearly $560 over the whole treatment duration. The cost may be lower or higher, depending on many factors.
Additionally, some treatment costs of sport-related injuries can be covered by your health insurance policy. Thus, your out-of-pocket expense amount will depend on your health insurance plan.
If you don't have one, an unexpected injury can not only result in health problems but entail financial ones. This way, you can find yourself in medical debt because of using a credit card or medical loans to pay for your treatment. Although it may work for people in life-threatening medical conditions, you'd better avoid such situations and keep your budget safe. So before you choose a loan or credit card to pay for medical expenses, compare all available financing options using a free comparison service like BadCredify. When you check out different loan deals side by side, you can spot the ones with the best interest rates and the nicest terms. This means you could end up saving a bunch of money over time, making those hefty medical bills feel a bit lighter on your wallet.
How to Avoid Injuries During Training?
There are some simple prescriptions that will help you minimize sports injury risk. First, make sure to eat healthily and properly, so your bones can be strong and your muscles can recover. Additionally, warming up will help you get ready for further physical activity and minimize injury risk.
Be realistic about your current physical form. If you're a beginner, start with some basic exercises and increase the workload gradually. Find a personal trainer who will guide you through proper exercise technique and show you how to use equipment properly.
The Bottom Line
If you get injured during a workout, don't postpone a visit to your doctor. It's better to fix the injury before things get worse. Thus, you will be able to recover faster. Also, keep in mind that it's easier and cheaper to prevent injuries than to fix them. Follow a few simple tips outlined in the article to avoid the most common issues.
