How Can I Prevent Sports Injuries?

Whether you play sports for fitness, competition or just for fun, the last thing you want is to undergo any type of injury. Keeping your body active and moving is a large factor in maintaining your overall health and wellness, and sports injuries typically keep you off your feet for an extended period of time.

There are a couple things you can do to prevent incurring sports injuries– like knowing what factors increase individual risk. With proper dedication to these prevention tips, you can stay safe and healthy throughout the season!

What factors increase the risk of sports injuries?

There are some factors we can study to predict a sports injury. If you fall into one of these categories, it’s crucial that you take extra preventative care to stay safe when participating in sports and athletic activity.

• If you have a history of injury, your risk of future injuries is higher. Previous injuries to a muscle or joint tend to develop into problem areas for many athletes. Before you engage in sports, take extra time to warm-up and stretch those muscles.
• If you spend a high number of days partaking in athletic activity, you are at a higher risk for injury. Remember, recovery days are very important in keeping you safe. Give your muscles and tissues an opportunity to repair between workouts.

How can I reduce the risk of sports injuries?

Researching the proper movements for each sport is critical for preventing sports-related injury. Make sure you develop the proper biomechanics and technical skills for the sport you play or plan on starting in the future. In addition, you should use the correct protective equipment for the sport– mouth guard, cleats, helmet etc. This equipment is designed to protect you from injury.

Always include a warm up and cool down period for every athletic activity you do. Even if you’re just going for a simple jog, you should always complete some type of stretching or dynamic warm up / cool down routine to ensure your muscles and tendons are recovering properly.

Despite our best efforts, an injury can still happen. And If it does, you should take time off from athletic activity and have the injury assessed and treated. Each injury you experience has an appropriate healing process, and sometimes requires medical treatment. Talking to a healthcare provider about the process can also give you an idea of strategic future injury prevention for your individual case. 

What injuries do urgent cares treat?

At AFC Urgent Care Short Hills, our providers are able to treat a list of both minor and moderate injuries. Whether your child has sprained their ankle playing soccer, or you dislocated a joint doing work around the house, our clinic can provide the right treatment in any situation.  However, any injury that is considered a severe emergency should be treated at the emergency room. It's critical to know the difference between an urgent injury and an emergent injury.

Some of the common minor and moderate injuries we treat include:

• Broken bones
• Lacerations needing stitches
• Dislocated joints
• Sprained muscles or joints
• Burns no larger 3 inches

We treat a variety of injuries that go beyond this list, and provide stitches and x-rays if necessary. If you have any questions or concerns about your individual injury, our clinic is here to get you feeling better fast.

Injury Treatment at AFC Urgent Care Short Hills

If your sports injury requires urgent care, visit us at AFC Urgent Care Short Hills to provide quality injury treatment.  If you’re unsure whether or not we can treat your injury, call our center at (973) 671-5350 to find out. We’re open seven days a week, making illness and injury treatment accessible anytime you need it. Appointments are not necessary, just walk-in whenever you need quality care.