Top 3 Football Injuries You Can Treat at an Emergency Room
Football is one of the most played sports in the U.S. regardless of the age or gender as it is played by both genders and people of all ages across the country. It is not only in the popularity stakes where football ranks highly as it is also the sport that has the highest number of registered injuries in the past year, with the same set to be maintained this year. This statistic really shouldn’t come as a huge shock given that football really is a contact sport. As a contact sport, it is one of the most physically demanding sports out there, and it involves some big hits as well as other physically demanding plays and actions. It therefore takes a huge toll on the body, and not only in terms of energy but also on the muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments among other, as per frontlineer.com. It is therefore to be expected that football players will sustain injuries at one time or the other. While some of the injuries may be minor and may be treated at home with home care, others may prove to be quite serious and may require a trip to the emergency room. It is the latter category of injuries that this article will look to highlight.
One of the most common injuries as far as football goes are concussions. A concussion is caused by an injury to the head, caused by a whipping motion or a hard hit that causes the brain to move, as is explained and covered exhaustively over at frontlineer.com. As one can imagine, given football does have a high propensity of hard hits, some accidental some not so much, concussions are almost like part of the furniture here. And while football players wear head gear for protection, a hit that is hard enough can still cause concussion, either from being tackled, hitting the ground hard or colliding with another player. Severe cases of concussion require one to head over to an emergency room as soon as they can with some of the symptoms to look out for serious cases of concussion involving loss of consciousness even if it is only just momentary, memory loss, severe vomiting and nausea, difficulty waking up, problems with balance, disorientation, confusion as well as sensitivity to light and smells. If there is clear discharge coming from ears and nose, then one should be taken to an ER as soon as possible for treatment.
Another common injury associated with football that should always end with one heading over to an emergency room is a shoulder injury. Shoulder injuries such as dislocated shoulders or torn ligaments and cuff tears are quite common when it comes to football. This is because, for all intends and purposes, shoulders are the one that take the brunt as far as tackling goes and as such take a lot of big hits. And whenever one receives a hit, big or not, when they go to ground, one can end up falling on a shoulder. The repetitive motion due to throwing and catching of the ball can also lead to shoulder injuries. While some of the shoulder injuries like sprains and strains may not be that serious, others may need immediate attention at an emergency room, a topic covered in great detail over at frontlineer.com. Some of the red flags to look out for as far as shoulder injuries go, that should lead to a visit to an emergency room include if you are having difficulty moving the arm or can’t move it all together, are experiencing severe pain that is unbearable, are experiencing weakness or numbness in the arm, are experiencing a dull ache on the shoulder or there is clear deformity on the shoulder. A visit to an ER is definitely warranted for the above scenarios.
The third football injury that is common in emergency rooms countrywide, one that may lead to a visit to an emergency room is a wrist injury. This is no surprise given the wrist is used a lot in football, in receiving and throwing the football. One can also accidentally fall on an outstretched hand and injure the wrist after taking a hit. While some wrist injuries may not be that serious like sprains, others like broken wrists should be taken to an emergency room as soon as possible. Some of the symptoms that your wrist injury should be taken to an emergency room include severe wrist pain and an inability to make a pinching motion with the affected hand, severe swelling and bruising as well as tenderness, clear deformity on the wrist as well as numbness on the affected hand, with more on this to be found over at frontlineer.com. Such symptoms should lead to a visit to an emergency room pronto.
The above are three of the most common injuries as far as football is concerned that should lead to a visit to an emergency room, with more information on them as well as other related topics to be found over at frontlineer.com.
