The Dangers of Undiagnosed Injuries
As the Fall sports season hits full swing, we’re taking a look at some of the most popular seasonal sports like football, hockey, cheerleading and volleyball and noticing a dangerous trend: athletes trying to play through the pain.
If you’ve ever watched a full-contact sport like football or hockey on TV, you’ve probably heard the commentators note the difference between being hurt and being injured. In these hard-nosed, mental toughness sports, athletes’ bodies can take a serious beating, and the resulting bruises and sore muscles can hang around for a while. It is often acceptable and even encouraged for an athlete to play through the pain of injury or soreness, but could they be unknowingly doing more damage to their bodies?
When athletes suffer an injury that seems minor enough — like a strained muscle, bruise or contusion — they’re often tempted to keep playing without getting it seriously looked at. But this trend could be causing more damage than anyone realizes and leaving athletes exposed to the risk of more serious injury.
The best course of action for an athlete who has suffered an injury is to have it checked out by a physician, specialist or team trainer. Without this important assessment step, you can’t know for sure whether or not you’re exposing yourself to risk of further injury. What feels like a bad bruise could be a broken bone or a sprained ligament, and if ignored, these conditions can sometimes worsen or create other problems for the athlete.
If you feel soreness or pain after a sports injury or you have kids who do, take the safe route. Get it checked out and make sure it’s safe to play through.
