Participating in any type of organized sport can lead to the appearance of a series of health issues. Physical, as well as mental problems are common enough situations nowadays and they are usually connected with overtraining, changing in eating habits and the use of steroids and similar supplements.
Those situations can become really painful and if not treated properly they can cause chronic health issues and they can even lead to sports-related death. What are the most common health issues athletes develop?
- Injuries
Overtraining or excessive exercising can easily lead to a variety of injuries. Particularly in younger athletes, whose bones are still growing, an injury can be experienced more easily and more commonly. A concussion, usually develops after a serious blow to the head is a serious type of injury. It includes headaches, dizziness, slurred vision and speech and nausea. Another usual injury is the so-called hip flexor strain. Sprinting, running and general activities that include sudden movement of the hip can make this painful type of injury appear.
Shoulder injuries include a variety of body development problems, including dislocations, strains, sprains of ligaments and misalignment. All of these situations should not be taken lightly and should make athletes wonder about the effort they put into their daily exercises and how it should probably be reduced a bit.
- Heat illness and dehydration
High temperature and high humidity are the two main factors for this type of condition. Heat illness and dehydration, however innocent they may seem at first, are actually really severe situations that can lead to sports-related death or disabilities. Dizziness, confusion, cramps, fatigue and loss of consciousness are the most common symptoms an athlete will experience.
- Muscle pain
The muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments of the body are all structures that gradually react to the stress of exercising. If stress comes too quickly towards them, they may not be able to respond accordingly and they will most probably start to fail. If the effort is too much, the muscle will begin to swell and become painful at first. If it is not treated, it can even start to develop permanent damage. There is also, a severe condition where muscles become so damaged that proteins start to flow into the bloodstream and that can shut down the kidneys.
Another aspect of muscle pain that appears a bit delayed is the well-known delayed onset muscle soreness. According to AnabolicBodies.com, training each muscle two to three times per week can prevent athletes from developing that type of delayed soreness. However, athletes should not only increase training frequency from once a week to two or three times. It is also, important to keep the training volume in logical frames and not overdo it.
- Head and neck health issues
A variety of strains and sprains in the neck and head are usually observed in athletes. Spinal cord injuries and brain injuries can, also, make their appearance after a full training program. Abrupt movement or rotation of the head during a sports exercise can injure the head severely and it can even lead to the need for a long break from exercising
- Contusions
Contusions are a common enough situation among athletes, nowadays. Particularly in contact sports, athletes can easily develop bruises that most of the times disappear after a while on their own. However, in some cases, deep tissue contusions can occur that may keep the athlete away from sports for a couple of months to even years.
- Skin injuries
There is a variety of skin issues an athlete may suffer from during a sporting activity. Skin abrasion is a common situation that is developed when you fall on a surface, like grass, court or dirt. It appears mainly on the knee or the elbow and it can be really painful. The fortunate thing is that it usually heals on its own after a while. Eyebrows cuts, just under the eye are also, extremely usual among younger athletes. In sports, like boxing, soccer or basketball where contact is inevitable during the game, such an issue can easily occur. It is painful and it may require stitches.
- Running injuries
If you push yourself to exercise too hard, such a type of injury can easily appear. Most of us are familiar with the term ''runner's knee''. It appears as a painful condition that deprives you from performing certain movements of your knee. Another problem is the so-called stress fracture. It is actually a small crack in a bone or two that causes extreme pain. Runners are mostly affected by this in the shin and feet. Shin pain it is also, a usual health issue that appears on the inside of the lower leg along the shin bone. The pain athletes experience when they suffer from a situation like that is spread out along the whole bone and it makes walking and even standing painful.
- Mental health issues
Apart from the body health issues mentioned above, athletes who train hard and particularly those who consume supplements and steroids to become more muscled, usually experience some health risks that are highly associated with them. Hair loss, delusions, paranoia, dizziness and even heart problems are highly observed in steroid users. The development of depression is also, more common in those athletes and it is something we should all be aware since it can lead to fatal situations.
Exercising is a really important aspect of our everyday life. From younger ages to older ones, athletes can suffer from a variety of body development problems if they are not careful. Overtraining and extreme effort, along with the consumption of common muscle growth supplements and lack of proper guidance can lead to painful and uncomfortable conditions. Those conditions are not only irritating and harmful for the body in the short run, but they can also, transform into long term or even permanent injuries that will affect the everyday life of the athlete and his activities, as well. For this reason, it is vital that when they appear, they take into serious consideration and are treated properly with the help and guidance of experts.