In the real sense, the most common joint and bone injuries are relative to the type of activities a person undergoes daily. What might be a common injury for one person might not be familiar to another. This is because the kind of injury we all are prone to depend significantly on our daily activities. An athlete is more prone to ankle injury than a table tennis player who is more prone to a wrist injury. Therefore we have looked into most of these injuries and took our time to talk more about the ones that are very common in our daily activities.
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What is an injury?
Many people have various definitions for injury, and a cerebral look into all these definitions proves them to be correct. There might not be a standard definition but the issue underlying it is always the same. Therefore, injury can be said to be an unfortunate occurrence that keeps the affected thing grounded or reduces its subject’s productivity.
What are the joints?
In simple terms, a joint is a part of the skeletal system where two or more bones meet and are joined together by muscles, tendons, and so on. They are formed to allow a particular type of movement to each joint.
What are joint injuries?
These are wounds that happen to the bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, or other components that make up the joint. When this unfortunate incident occurs, it can be annoying, nagging, and hurtful. They are so severe that they keep us out of our daily activities. There was a time I hurt my knee joint as a kid. I can still remember the pain I went through, I could not walk very well, and when I tried to force myself to take a little walk, the pain would not allow me.
Then after my experience as a kid, I have empathy for others when I see them going through situations like this. It hurts me so much, and I wish I could keep everyone from ever getting wounded in any respect whatsoever it may be. The truth is, it might not be possible to keep everyone from hurting some of their joints/bones; accidents are bound to happen, and sure it is part of those things we have little or no power over. Nevertheless, good knowledge about these injuries will give us the proper respect to combat the damage and get us back to the best position as soon as possible. This article is all about this, and I am sure you will be educated after you calmly peruse this content here.
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Common Joint Injuries
For this article, I am going to be considering four major common injuries that are peculiar to all joints in the body system:
1) Spain
2) Strain
3) Fracture
4) Dislocation
Sprain
A sprain occurs when there is a stretch or tears in the ligament—the fibrous bands of connective tissue that join the end of one bone with another. A sprain can occur when the joints are over-stretched, i.e. taken beyond their operating range. This causes fatigue in the muscle which subsequently leads to a sprain. A sprain can happen to joints, but it is most common in ankle and wrist joints.
A sprain can be categorized into three: Mild (Grade 1), moderate (Grade 2), and severe (Grade 3). A severe sprain produces the most pain. This is because there is a complete ligament being torn completely or getting separated from the bone. When it’s separated from the bone, it results in complete non-functionality of the joint.
A moderate sprain, on the other hand, partially tears the ligament, thereby producing joint instability and some swelling. While in a mild sprain, the ligament is only stretched, and the joints are not loosened.
Strain
Though most people often confuse strain with a sprain, the truth is that the two are not the same. A strain is an injury of muscle and or tendon. It occurs when the muscle and the tendon are overstretched, which causes a partial or total tear of the tendon or the ligament Tendons are fibrous cords of tissue that attach muscles to bone.
Just like a sprain, strain can also be categorized into three: Severe strain, the muscle and the tendon are partially or wholly ruptured, often rendering the victim incapacitated. In a moderate strain, the muscle and the tendon are overstretched and slightly torn; in mild strain, the muscle is only somewhat stretched or pulled.
The strain symptoms include pain, muscle spasm, weakness, swelling, inflammation, and cramping.
Fracture
Fracture, in simple terms, is the complete or partial break in the bone. This usually happens in a severe car accident or any other type of accident. It can be from a brutal fall or sporting activities. Furthermore, low bone density can be a cause of the fracture.
What is low bone density?
Low bone density is a condition where the bone is not strong enough and breaks easily under minimum stress. Several factors weaken the bone; we have osteoporosis, the type of disease that weakens the bone. Deficiency in calcium and vitamin D can also be a factor.
What are the symptoms of a fracture?
Various symptoms come along with fracture; a few of them include severe pain, inability to move the affected body part, the affected part looking deform, numbness and tingling, swelling, and so on.
A fracture can be categorized into two: simple and compound fractures. The two are pretty similar, but the difference is, for compound fracture, the broken bone(s) breaks and equally punctures the flesh.
Treatment
Fractures cannot be handled alone; visiting the physician immediately after the accident is essential. The affected person might find it difficult or unable to move the affected part. Therefore they must seek help from others to effectively transport them to the physician.
Furthermore, regular body check-ups can prevent fractures to a certain level by going for mass bone measurements. Osteoporosis can be detected early, too, through medical check-ups.
Dislocation
This is mainly an injury to the joint. A joint is a place where two or more bones meet; dislocation can then be said to be a situation of the joint where the ends of the bones are forced from their regular positions. The knees, shoulders, hips, elbows, and jaw can be dislocated on the body.
Dislocation of bones can be very painful and can render the victim immobile. It is challenging to differentiate between dislocation and fracture by merely looking at the victim; both have the same symptoms. Therefore it is essential to take the victim to a doctor as soon as the incident happens.
Dislocation can also be viewed in two types: simple dislocation and complicated dislocation. A complicated dislocation occurs when specific issues follow the dislocation of joints, like tearing the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that reinforce the injured joint; damage to blood tissue around the joint.
Some dislocations can be handled, while the complicated ones might require surgery to treat the affected person effectively.
What is the most common Injured joint?
Several people ask me this question over and over again, which joint is most susceptible to injury. The truth is, it varies from person to person depending on the daily activities we engage in. For example, a professional basketball player can sustain an ankle and wrist injury more than any other joint. A tennis player is more susceptible to a wrist injury, while an athlete is more susceptible to an ankle injury. Therefore, there might not be a straight answer, but every joint or bone injury is excruciating.
How to Treat/prevent joint/bone injuries
We have established how sprain occurs and how much we do not want this unfortunate incidence to happen to us. The truth is, having the proper knowledge can guide us rightly in preventing this incidence. Nevertheless, even if we are still faced with this issue, there are a lot of routes we can take to get us back to our perfect health.
Right Exercise
The importance of exercise cannot be over-emphasized; this is because exercise strengthens the muscle, ligaments, cartilage, and every other joint component. When they are strengthened, they withstand more stress and will not break or tear easily. Therefore, regular exercise keeps our bodies fit and withstand some harsh conditions. They won’t be able to withstand a situation where we didn’t exercise them.
Exercise can also be instrumental in our recovery if we have already sustained the injury. It is very wrong to sit down in one place; we have to stand and try to exercise the affected area with caution, though, and with the right advice from our physiotherapist and proper external support. Gymtofitness is also a place that can help and guide you properly in selecting home gym equipment.
External support
From its name, external support acts as an added support to the body, preventing the body from any circumstances that may harm it. There are a lot of supports that keep the body away from such injury and also give a boost in recovery when we sustain any of the injuries.
Ankle Brace
An ankle brace holds the ankle in position, preventing it from moving or twisting to allow it heals up and prevent further injury. The ankle brace is not worn to heal a sprained ankle alone; it is also used as a safety measure against sustaining such injury. Therefore, you might not need to wait till you twist your bone before getting the best ankle brace; you can also get it to serve as a safety/prevention measure against ankle sprain or any other joint injury.
Back/Lumbar Brace
The best back brace is very suitable for everybody as well; they are worn whenever we want to engage in strenuous activities that might involve carrying something heavy. This brace keeps our back in the correct position to prevent any condition that might result in a back injury. This serves as prevention by holding our back in place, thereby preventing any unnecessary twists or turns that may pose a severe and ridiculous threat to the back.
Wrist Brace
Getting the Best Wrist Brace is very suitable for the healing process of the sprained wrist or any other injury sustained by the wrist. A wrist brace typically compresses and holds the wrist in the desired position to help boost the healing process, avoid further injuries, and serve as a prevention mechanism against sustaining an injury.
Crutches
This is used when the injury has occurred, and it’s so severe that it impairs our movement. When such happen, crutches can serve as added support to allow us to move from one place to another without exerting unnecessary pressure on the affected joint. Crutches are primarily used when the affected joint is the ankle, knee cap, or any other place around the hips towards the leg.
Neck Brace
The Neck region is not excluded from joint injuries, and these situations can also happen to the neck joint. The neck brace is also external support made explicitly for the neck. It keeps the neck in its rightful position and disallows abnormal movement until the recovery process is complete.
Medical Treatment
When any of the above incidences occur, the best thing to do is to see your doctor immediately. I have seen several situations where people decide to manage the situation thinking it’s just a mild situation. A simple condition can be complex if the proper treatment is not given at the right time. Medical treatment cannot be underrated and must be given priority when we find ourselves in these unfortunate situations.
In conclusion, Injuries are bound to happen because accidents that cause them can occur at any time. When they occur, there is no need to panic; I assure you that you will be fine. The first thing is to be bold and courageous. You won’t be the first. Therefore, you need to be calm to make rational and right decisions depending on the situation you find yourself in.
Furthermore, you have to be optimistic and follow the directive of your doctor. This will enhance the healing and get you back to your best position as soon as possible.