More than 10 million sports injuries occur each year. In many cases, sports injuries can be prevented with proper conditioning and training, wearing appropriate protective gear, and using proper equipment. There are basically two types of sports injuries: acute traumatic injury and overuse or chronic injury. An acute traumatic injury usually involves a single blow from a single application of force and can include injuries such as a fracture, bruise, strain, sprain, or abrasion. Chronic or overuse injuries are those that are sustained over a period of time or recur often. They're most likely the result of repetitive training such as running, overhand throwing, or serving a ball in tennis. These injuries can include stress fractures, or tiny cracks in the bone's surface, tendinitis (ten-dihn-EYE-this), and bursitis (bur-SYE-this). Tendinitis is the result of small tears (tehrz) in the tendon fibers, while bursitis is an inflammation in the small fluid-filled sacs in the joints. If left untreated, a chronic injury may become worse over time. Immediate treatment for almost all acute athletic injuries is rest, ice, compression, and elevation. If you sustain prolonged symptoms, you may want to consult a physician.
