Common Sports Injuries

Common Sports Injuries: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How to Recover

Sport is a fantastic way to stay fit, build confidence, and enjoy competition. But repetitive movement, high forces, and occasional accidents mean sports injuries are common. Understanding which injuries occur most often, what causes them, how they present, and how to manage and prevent them helps athletes of all levels return to play safely and sooner. If you have any of the injuries below, or something else, then book an injury assessment and visit me at Amersham & Chiltern rugby club.

Sprains (Ligament Injuries)

• What they are: Sprains involve overstretching or tearing of ligaments, the connective tissues that stabilize joints.

• Common sites: Ankle (especially inversion sprains), knee (including lateral and medial collateral ligaments), and wrist.

• Typical cause: Twisting, landing awkwardly, sudden changes of direction.

• Symptoms: Pain, swelling, bruising, reduced joint stability, difficulty bearing weight.

• Immediate care: Protect, Elevate, Avoid anti-inflammatories (for at least 72 hours), Compress, Educate (seek advice from an appropriate professional).

• Rehabilitation: Range-of-motion and strengthening exercises, proprioception/balance training, gradual return to sport with functional testing.

• When to see a clinician: Inability to put weight on the joint, severe swelling, or persistent instability—may need imaging and specialist treatment.

Muscle Strains (Pulled Muscles)

• What they are: Overstretching or tearing of muscle fibers or the musculotendinous junction.

• Common sites: Hamstrings, calf (gastrocnemius), groin (adductors), quadriceps.

• Typical cause: Sudden acceleration/deceleration, overstretching, inadequate warm-up, muscle fatigue.

• Symptoms: Sudden sharp pain, local tenderness, swelling, bruising, reduced strength.

• Immediate care: Protect, Elevate, Avoid anti-inflammatories (for at least 72 hours), Compress, Educate (seek advice from an appropriate professional).

• Rehabilitation: Gradual loading, eccentric strengthening (important for hamstrings), flexibility work, progressive sport-specific drills.

• Return to play: Based on pain-free strength and functional capacity rather than timeline alone.

Tendinopathies (Tendon Overuse)

• What they are: Degenerative or reactive changes in tendons from repetitive overload—commonly called tendonitis or tendinosis.

• Common sites: Achilles (runners), patellar (jumpers), tennis elbow/lateral epicondylopathy, rotator cuff tendinopathy.

• Typical cause: Repetitive loading without adequate recovery, poor biomechanics, sudden increase in training load.

• Symptoms: Gradual onset of localized pain, stiffness (often worse with initial activity), pain with resisted movement.

• Management: Activity modification, eccentric and heavy slow resistance exercises, load management, addressing biomechanics, soft tissue modalities, and in some cases injection therapies.

• Prevention: Gradual progression of load, strength training, adequate recovery, and appropriate footwear or equipment.

If you or someone you know is suffering from any of these common sports injuries, then book an assessment today and start your return to sport journey now.

Sports Massage

Elevate Your Performance with Sports Massage

Are you an athlete looking to push your boundaries and enhance your performance? Look no further! At Patrick Esson Osteopathy, we understand the importance of optimal physical well-being for athletes. That's why we are proud to present the incredible benefits of sports massage tailored specifically to help you excel in your chosen sport.

Experience the Power of Sports Massage

Sports massage is a specialized type of therapy that focuses on treating and preventing injuries, while also improving athletic performance. Whether you're a professional athlete or enjoy sports recreationally, our sports massage will provide you with a winning edge. Here are some of the outstanding benefits waiting for you:

1. Enhanced Muscle Flexibility and Range of Motion

Sports massage targets tight and restricted muscles, tendons, and ligaments that may hinder your performance. By applying deep strokes, kneading, and stretching techniques, our skilled therapists can help increase your muscle flexibility and range of motion. Enjoy improved agility, speed, and reduce the risk of strains and sprains that may hold you back.

2. Speedy Recovery and Injury Prevention

Suffering from sports-related injuries can be frustrating and time-consuming. Our sports massage therapy focuses on alleviating muscle soreness, reducing inflammation, and promoting faster recovery after intense training or competition. By enhancing blood circulation and oxygen flow to your muscles, you can bounce back quicker and minimize the risk of future injuries.

3. Stress Reduction and Relaxation

Training and competing at a high level can put immense physical and mental stress on any athlete. Sports massage is not only beneficial for your physical well-being but also helps you relax and stay mentally focused. It reduces anxiety, relieves tension, and promotes the release of endorphins, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on any challenge.

4. Improved Performance and Endurance

By incorporating sports massage into your training regime, you'll witness a significant improvement in your overall performance and endurance levels. Sports massage helps to optimize muscle function, improve coordination, and boost your energy levels, allowing you to push yourself further and achieve new milestones in your athletic pursuits.

5. Personalised Approach

At Patrick Esson Osteopathy, we understand that every athlete has unique requirements. Our highly skilled therapists will develop a customized sports massage treatment plan tailored specifically to your needs. Whether you're a runner, weightlifter, tennis player, or participate in any other sport, we adapt our

Don’t hesitate any longer, book now to experience the benefits of sports massage for yourself!

Shoulder Pain

The shoulder is a fantastically mobile and versatile joint!

Sports such as basketball can be difficult if you’re suffering with shoulder pain.

The shoulder is created by a “ball” at the top of the arm bone (humerus) and a “socket” on the outside of the shoulder blade (scapula). It is held together by the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles, a thick capsule, ligaments, and other muscles that cross the joint from the torso to the arm. These structures enable the arm to push, pull, lift and move our bodies and objects throughout the day and during sports or exercise. 

However, the shoulder can often be a site of discomfort and is the third most common reason people speak to their GPs about pain. Shoulder pain can often present as an ache or stiffness, difficulty when moving or lifting the arm, painful clunking or grinding sensations, and associated neck or upper back pain. Thankfully, the majority of new shoulder pain gets better within a few days, especially if the activities that aggravate the shoulder are temporarily reduced and the pain is allowed to settle down. When pain persists, the level of pain is severe, or the pain is related to a significant injury or trauma it is recommended to have your shoulder assessed by a professional.

What is shoulder pain caused by?

Rotator cuff-related shoulder pain is considered the most common type of shoulder pain and often describes a situation when it is difficult or painful to lift your arm, reach above your head or behind your back. The rotator cuff’s primary role is to provide stability to the shoulder and move the arm. The rotator cuff is highly active throughout the day and when demand on the muscles or tendons outstrips capacity in the tissues they can become irritated and painful. 

An individualised rehabilitation plan can reduce shoulder pain and get you moving back quickly!

Getting function back and decreasing pain are normally the initial priority for treatment, being able to move your arm and complete day-to-day tasks pain free is top of my list when treating shoulder pain. Once this is achieved the focus switches to long-term rehabilitation, working with you to build resilience in your shoulders through individualised and specific exercises. Increasing strength and control to create robust joints, muscles and tendons to cope with the demands of your active life or sport. 

How can Patrick Esson Osteopathy help?

I know how frustrating a painful shoulder can be and how it impacts nearly everything you do. I’ve had great success treating and rehabilitating shoulder injuries. If you would like to reduce your shoulder pain, increase your confidence and return to your active life don’t wait any longer to start your recovery - get in touch now.