Why Spring Sports Injuries Are Common & How To Prevent Them

April 11, 2023

When spring is in the air, athletes of all ages head outdoors to play their favorite sports, including softball, baseball, tennis, lacrosse and track & field.

Henry Ford HealthUnfortunately, the change of season also ushers in injuries, says Joseph Medellin, M.D., a primary care sports medicine doctor at Henry Ford Medical Center-Jackson. A variety of factors can cause spring sports injuries, including:

► Too much or too little winter activity: With shorter days and colder temperatures, some athletes aren’t as active in winter. Even if you are going to the gym regularly, sport-specific muscles ­– like muscles in the chest and shoulder that help you throw a baseball – may weaken.  

At the start of a new sports season, a sudden increase in the demand on these muscles can lead to injury. Taking steps to get ready for spring sports before the season starts can lower this risk. It’s also not uncommon for multi-sport athletes to have games and practices year-round with multiple practices in one day. Not allowing yourself enough downtime can lead to overuse injuries, including strains and sprains.

► Transitioning outdoors: Winter sports often take place on hard surfaces, like wood basketball courts, gyms and treadmills. These surfaces are flat, making it easier to maintain your footing. Spring sports involve soft running surfaces like grass and turf that are uneven. They can also be wet, muddy or icy due to spring weather. All these circumstances increase the risk of injury due to falls.

Cold weather can also be a factor. Early spring temperatures can still be quite cold. It takes longer for muscles to warm up, and they might not work as efficiently. This can be especially troublesome with sports like softball where there are lulls in activity between innings. Playing with cold muscles can increase the risk of sprains and strains.

► Sport-specific movements: Throwing, sprinting and kicking are moves that most people don’t do on a daily basis. They require powerful motions that can stress unconditioned muscles and joints. This is especially true if you haven’t been cross-training to strengthen supporting muscles or haven’t gradually increased your intensity.

A sprinter may experience hip pain from running at full speed around the curve of a track. Rotator cuff injuries can occur in sports that involve throwing, like the javelin, shot put, and baseball and softball. Soccer players can pull their groin from repeatedly taking long kicks.

If You Suspect A Sports Injury, Don’t Put Off Care

A doctor’s office is often the last place eager athletes want to be at the start of the season. But pain should not be a regular part of your training program. If you think you’ve sustained an injury, trying to push through often makes it worse.

Making time to see the doctor can be challenging, especially if you have to miss a practice or game for your appointment. But it’s worth it. “The sooner you get evaluated, the sooner we can get you on the path to recovery,” Dr. Medellin says.

The opposite can be said when treatments are delayed. “The longer you’ve had an injury, the longer it may take to heal,” explains Dr. Medellin. “And first-line treatments aren’t as likely to be successful, which can mean more time away from your sport.”

Sports Injury Treatments That Keep You In The Game

Seeing a doctor doesn’t always mean you’ll have to sit out the season. Treatment may include intermittent rest, as long as you don’t have a severe injury like a stress fracture or tendon tear. “We may recommend a return to sport at a lower intensity or with additional rest days to see if the pain goes away,” says Dr. Medellin.

Patients with minor injuries might also benefit from physical therapy between practices. Physical therapists can correct poor form. They can also help you safely stretch and strengthen injured muscles to promote healing. Conditioning through Henry Ford Health's sports performance program can also speed recovery and prevent injury.

“A sports medicine doctor’s goal is to keep athletes active and involved in the sport they love,” says Dr. Medellin. “That’s what I want for my patients.”

To find a sports medicine provider at Henry Ford Health, visit henryford.com/sportsmedicine or call 313-651-1969.

Joseph Medellin, M.D., is a primary care sports medicine doctor at Henry Ford Medical Center-Jackson.

5 Strategies To Improve Range Of Motion

March 6, 2024

When it comes to health and fitness, regular exercise and strength training get the most attention. But it turns out that improving your range of motion may pay greater dividends, particularly over the long haul. 

Henry Ford Health

“All kinds of things can impact our range of motion,” says Jennifer Burnham, an athletic trainer at Henry Ford Health. “As we age, our joints become less pliable, but any kind of surgery or injury can also impact our range of motion. And if you're somebody who sits at a desk all day long, that can affect your range of motion as well.”

Why Is Improving Flexibility Important? 

Staying active with regular cardiovascular exercise and strength training is a great way to maintain your overall physical health. But it’s important to remember that flexibility exercises come with plenty of perks, too, including:

"Unfortunately, if you have limited range of motion, you may perform tasks incorrectly, causing other muscles and joints to overcompensate for the lack of mobility,” Burnham says. “Over time, that compensation mechanism can increase the risk of injury.” 

To complicate matters, our lifestyles often don’t support our range of motion goals. Many of us spend most of our days sitting at a desk or hunched over a screen. And when we’re not sitting still, most of us are slouching. 

What Are Some Ways To Improve Range Of Motion?

You don’t have to be able to twist your limbs into a pretzel to achieve full range of motion. Instead, try to improve on your current level of flexibility with these five simple strategies: 

  1. Pay attention to timing. If you’re not ready to add a stretching day to your workout regimen, consider adding a set of flexibility exercises at the end of every session. Pre-workout stretching is helpful, too, but stretching when your muscles are warm is a more effective way to stave off injuries. 
  2. Focus on mobility and stability. Even if you can do the splits or touch your toes to the back of your head, you won’t be able to hold the position if you don’t also have strong core muscles. “Most people do stabilizing exercises such as strength training and lifting weights without paying much attention to mobilizing activities like stretching and yoga,” Burnham says. “But you really need to do both stabilizing and flexibility exercises to get an effective workout.” 
  3. Do a mix of dynamic and static stretches. Two types of stretches can help you gain an edge when it comes to improving range of motion: Dynamic (an active type of stretching where you’re moving within your range of motion) and static stretching (where you hold a stretch). Dynamic stretching with arm and head circles, side stretches, and hip circles before exercise is a good way to warm up cool muscles and help lubricate the joints. With static stretching such as touching your toes to stretch your hamstrings, the goal is to hold a position for 30 seconds or more. Static stretches are often best performed after a workout when your muscles are warm.
  4. Try foam rolling. Foam rollers act almost like a rolling pin to smooth out tight muscles. Used correctly, they can help improve range of motion — and release stress and tension. You can use foam rollers to prime your body for exercise, or to recover after a workout.
  5. Aim for balance. If one part of your body is super flexible, focus on increasing range of motion in the opposing muscle group. “So, for example, if your hamstrings are very flexible, make sure to target your quadriceps with flexibility exercises,” Burnham says. “The goal is to make sure you’re aiming for balancing in your body.”

While stretching is an important way to achieve and maintain balance, flexibility and range of motion, it isn’t always intuitive. Not sure where to begin? Consider meeting with a personal trainer or athletic trainer to help you devise a program. 

“Watching YouTube videos can be helpful, but if you’ve never done flexibility exercises before, you could overstretch your muscles or find yourself in an incorrect position to stretch,” Burnham says. “And yes, you can create bodily injury by overstretching.”

To find a sports medicine provider at Henry Ford Health, visit henryford.com/sportsmedicine or call 313-651-1969.

Reviewed by Jennifer Burnham, MS, AT, ATC, CSCS, a certified athletic trainer at the Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine.