Sports Injury Warning Signs

Warning Signs of Serious Injuries

By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Updated: January 23, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

There are some common tip-offs you should recognize as warning signs that you have an injury that needs your attention. While some sports injuries are immediately evident, others can creep up slowly and progressively get worse. If you don't pay attention to both types of injuries, chronic problems can develop.

For detailed information on specific injuries, check out the sports injury by body part reference page.

Don't Ignore These Sports Injury Warning Signs

• Joint Pain
  Joint pain, particularly in the joints of the knee, ankle, elbow and wrist, should never be ignored. Because these joints are not covered by muscle, pain here is rarely of muscular origin. Joint pain that lasts more than 48 hours requires a physician's diagnosis.

• Tenderness at a Specific Point
  If you can elicit pain at a specific point in a bone, muscle or joint, by pressing your finger into it, you may have a significant injury. If the same spot on the other side of the body does not produce the same pain, you should probably see a physician.

• Swelling
  Nearly all sports injuries cause swelling. Swelling is usually quite obvious and can be seen, but occasionally you may just feel as though something is swollen even though it look normal. Swelling usual goes hand-in-hand with pain, redness and heat. Swelling within a joint often causes pain, stiffness, and may produce a clicking sound as the tendons snap over one another after having been pushed into a new position from the swelling.

• Reduced Range of Motion
  If swelling isn't obvious, you can usually find it by checking for a reduced range of motion in a joint. If there is significant swelling within a joint, you will lose range of motion -- the limb will only go so far in each direction. Again, compare one side of the body with the other to identify major differences; if there are any, you likely have an injury that needs attention.

• Comparative Weakness
  Comparing one side to the other for weakness is often hard to do, but can be helpful when assessing an injury. One way to tell is to lift the same weight with the right and left side and look at the result. Or try to place body weight on one leg and then the other. A difference in your ability to support your weight is another tip-off to an injury that requires attention.

• Numbness and Tingling
  Never ignore numbness or tingling. Such sensations are often related to nerve compression, and these warning signs may indicate serious injury that should always be seen by a physician.

Treating Sports Injuries

If you recognize any of the above warning signs the goal is to prevent further damage. The best way to do this is to stop all activity and begin treatment immediately. Don't let the problem get any worse and don't let the swelling continue. Look for an obvious cause of the injury such as poorly fitting equipment or a missed step while sprinting. If you can locate the source of the injury, you can begin to remedy the situation.

The first treatment indicated for any acute injury is reducing any swelling by using the R.I.C.E. treatment method. (Rest, ice, compression and elevation). Swelling causes pain and loss of motion, which in turn will limit use of the muscles. If you don't use the muscles, they will weaken, and shorten and resist repair.

Do not apply heat to an acute injury. Heat will increase circulation and increase swelling. (see: Should I Heat or Ice My Injury?)

Immediate Injury Treatment Step-by-Step

1. Stop the activity immediately.
2. Wrap the injured part in a compression bandage.
3. Apply ice to the injured part (use a bag of crushed ice or a bag of frozen vegetables) for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
4. Let the area warm completely before applying ice again, in order to prevent frostbite.
5. Elevate the injured part to reduce swelling.
6. Get to a physician for a proper diagnosis of any serious injury.

_{Source Anybody's Sports Medicine Book, James Garrick, M.D. and Peter Radetsky, Ph.D.}