Are you one of those who are exercising more regularly?
The National Sports Participation Survey 2021 found that 72% of at least 4,500 Singapore residents aged 13 and above participate in sports activities regularly. This is an increase from the 69% in 2020 and the 66% in 2019.
With the increase in the uptake of sports among the general population of Singapore, it is important for people to do sports safely to prevent the risk of sports injuries.
Here are some common sports injuries related to popular sports among Singaporeans.
Running
Running, undoubtedly one of Singapore’s popular sporting activities, has always been a hit among fitness enthusiasts of all ages. However, running on hard surfaces such as our concrete pavements can create stress on our joints. Some common sports injuries related to running include:
Shin splints
Shin splints cause pain in the front or inside of the lower leg along the shin bone (tibia). You can get shin splints when you change your workout too fast. For example, when transiting from shorter to longer running distances or increasing the intensity of your workouts too quickly. Although they may feel similar to a stress fracture of the shin, shin splints are usually felt over a broader area along the bone. People with flat feet are more likely to develop shin splints.
Tips on managing and preventing shin splints
- Rest
- Reduce your running intensity by about 50% or reduce your mileage
- Avoid running on hilly, uneven or hard surfaces such as concrete
- Do stretching exercises before and after running
- Practise low-impact exercises such as those in active recovery
- Change your running shoe after it has clocked mileage of between 643km to 965km
Runner’s knee
This is a common injury caused by overuse. Runner’s knee often occurs beneath or around the kneecap. The pain is most often felt climbing or descending stairs or when squatting.
Tips on managing and preventing runner’s knee
- Stop running until the pain is gone
- Elevate the leg (with cold packs)
- Do stretching exercises for the calf, hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexors
- Do strengthening exercises for the quadriceps, hip abductors and hip extensor muscles
- Compression knee wrap
- Arch support for shoes
Muscle strain
Muscle strain, or muscle pull, refers to damage caused to our muscles or its attaching tendons. Muscle strain can involve tearing our muscle fibres or tendons attached to the muscle. Small blood vessels may be damaged by this tear which results in localised bleeding or bruising.
Tips on managing and preventing muscle strain
- Applying PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation)
- Avoid prolonged repetitive tasks which may cause Repetitive Strain Injury
Stress fractures
Another common sports injury from overuse, stress fractures are small cracks in the bone. These typically cause persistent pain in the shin, but may affect runners in the foot, hip, thigh or pelvis too. Stress fractures are caused when there is repeated damage to the bones at the same area. Repetitive actions such as constant pounding on surfaces are some causes of this condition. According to the National Library of Medicine, stress fractures account for 0.7% to 20% of all sports medicine clinic injuries in the US and are more commonly experienced by track-and-field athletes as compared to other athletes.
Tips on managing and preventing stress fractures
Treatments for stress fractures are similar to the ones for shin splint injuries. However, stress fractures are more severe than shin splints and a doctor’s opinion might be needed.
Cycling
Singapore has been bitten by the cycling bug, with more taking up the sport. At the same time, however, according to Channel NewsAsia, the frequency of cycling accidents spiked to about 25% during the COVID-19 pandemic with 572 traffic accidents involving road cyclists in 2020 up from 459 road accidents in 2019.
Some common injuries related to cycling include:
Lower back pain
Due to the design of bicycles, especially road bicycles, cyclists inevitably experience lower back pain as they arch their back and bend forward to ride. If your handlebars are lower than suitable, this may place added strain on your back. Tight hamstrings may also lead to more back aches and pains (source).
Tips on managing and preventing lower back pain
- Adjust the handlebars of your bike if they are too low or far from reach
- Develop your core muscles. A stronger set of core muscles aids in taking away strain from the back during cycling
- Perform stretching exercises on the hamstring and hip flexor muscles for more flexibility and reduction of back aches
Knee pain
Knee pain is one of the most common issues caused by cycling. Pain can be present at the front of the knee (anterior knee pain) or behind the knee (posterior knee pain).
Tips on managing and preventing knee pain
- For anterior knee pain, adjust your saddle higher to reduce the pressure on your kneecap located towards the anterior of your knee.
- For posterior knee pain, adjust your saddle lower to reduce pressure on your hamstrings, located at the back of your thigh.
Neck pain
Neck pain can occur when there is poor posture or a poor bike fit (such as handlebars that are too low or saddles which are too high)
Tips on managing and preventing neck pain
- Use a heat or ice pack on the areas where your neck feels sore. Use ice if the neck is still warm or swollen.
- Rest from cycling until the neck pain disappears
- Practise gentle stretching exercises to aid in recovery. For example, bring your chin to your chest and ear to each shoulder to loosen up your neck muscles and hasten the recovery process.
- Ensure that your bike is a proper fit according to your height, body dimensions.
- Ensure that your elbows are slightly bent while you are cycling to allow it to absorb some of the shock from road bumps to prevent the shock from being sent straight to your neck.
Foot numbness and tingling
Ill-fitting shoes reduce blood circulation in your feet and cause numbness especially after a long ride.
Going uphill without proper pedalling technique can exert more pressure on the balls of our foot leading to numbness. Ensure we are going uphill with a constant cadence.
Tips on managing and preventing foot numbness and tingling
- Do simple exercises such as flexing your toes or some ankle turns whenever you pause during your rides such as at water breaks or at rest stops.
- Engage in stretching exercises pre or post cycle. For example, sit with one leg up on the other knee and lock your fingers into your toes and rotate your foot with your hand, exercising the ankle joint and aiding in blood circulation.
Tennis
Tennis has been growing in popularity in Singapore with several initiatives implemented by SportSG, such as the mini-tennis programme in primary schools, to develop the sport in Singapore. The government recently announced a slew of sporting initiatives such as mass tennis events as a means of livening the sports scene in Singapore.
As more of us pick up this sport, here are some common tennis injuries to be aware of:
Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow is the inflammation of tendons joining the forearm muscles on the outer part of the elbow. This muscle is used most frequently when the tennis ball comes into contact with the racquet and is most commonly caused by repeated muscle strain.
Tips on managing and preventing tennis elbow
- Rest. This gives your muscle time for recovery and reduces the inflammation and pain
- Apply an ice pack
- Use an elbow elastic support
Shoulder pain
Shoulder injuries form a large bulk of tennis players’ injuries. This is due to the repetitive and high-impact strokes that lead to pressure on the shoulders.
Tips on managing and preventing shoulder pain
- Practise core strengthening exercises to have greater stability
- Changing our future serving technique. ie. increase the angle between our arm and side to more than 90°, ideally 135°.
Wrist injuries
Wrist injuries may occur among beginners due to improper serving techniques. Snapping our wrists to deliver the serve contributes to this injury. Ideally, the stroke should be delivered from the upper-arm muscles complemented by the rotation of our body.
Tips on managing and preventing wrist injuries
- Rest to recover from the injury and to avoid further muscle strain
- Use a wrist brace to provide more support to the joints
Crossfit
Crossfit, a form of high-intensity exercise, involves both aspects of gymming and simple, daily movements such as lifting objects, jumping or squatting. We know more people are hitting the gym as statistics from SportSG show that more than 238,600 people visited the 26 ActiveSG gyms in May 2022. This is a 6% increase from the number of gym goers in May 2019.
Common injuries associated with crossfit include:
Neck pain
Crossfit involves plenty of overhead movements such as the lifting of barbells. Excessive weight loads can cause neck strains or pain and in worse cases, spine injuries.
Tips on managing and preventing neck pain
- Rest until you have recovered
- You should also perfect your form before increasing the weight load. Start with lower weights first.
Herniated or slipped disc
Overuse or excessive weight loads can increase pressure on our spine, resulting in a herniated or slipped disc.
Tips on managing and preventing herniated or slipped disc
- Have proper rest and avoid large loads on your back. Most people can recover from a slipped disc within six weeks naturally.
- Use heat or cooling packs to relax the tense muscles
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