We are lucky to live in Canary Islands where we have ideal weather conditions and beaches that are the envy of the rest of the world. These conditions lead to many people going to the beach and playing sports. The sports that are most practiced in the water on the islands, in addition to triathlon and swimming, are mainly surfing, kitesurfing and the use of sailing to do tricks in the air.
Types of injuries in water sports
In water sports we have to take into account that the most frequent injuries are those derived from the upper and lower limbs, that is, in the legs and arms.
Most likely, we will suffer some type of injury, contusion, blow or sprain. The knees and ankles are the joints that suffer the most from the effort and the type of movement that must be performed. It can be a simple contusion or a fracture and also injuries in the ligaments (especially in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament).
At the level of the upper limb, the shoulder, which is the articulation of the organism that has more mobility, can be dislocated with some ease.
On the other hand, cuts, direct injuries and other injuries, such as burns or other types of friction when coming into contact with the board or with water, can cause damage.
One thing that must also be taken into account is that hearing in aquatic activities suffers with some ease. Many times by the effect of being immersed under water and other times by the effect of hitting us directly with water. Therefore, otitis and tympanic ruptures are diseases that must be taken into account if you are an aquatic athlete.
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How to prevent injuries in water sports
To prevent all the injuries discussed above, a series of factors must be taken into account.
On the one hand there is common sense, we do not have to underestimate the activity itself, no matter how skilled we are. We always have to go with a minimum of care that counteracts the adrenaline of this exercise.
It is important to have a good physical preparation and warm up both before and after exercise. In this way, the musculature and the joints will adapt to the exercise that we are going to carry out later. In addition, once the exercise is finished, we will relax the joints to avoid contractures that will later cause that if we exercise more when starting off on a loaded joint, we can predispose to injuries.
It is also important to do aerobic and anaerobic exercise to get bottom and physical form. On the other hand, we must strengthen two regions, the lumbar and abdominal, since much of the strength we need to maintain balance in the table and in the water we will do with the abdomen. If we want to avoid injuries and falls, strengthening the area is good advice.
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Treatments for injuries in water sports
The ideal treatment varies depending on the degree of injury. Usually they are traumatisms or acute episodes that usually respond to the same pattern. On the one hand the rest, on the other the immobilization and on the other the cold that has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, in these situations it is advisable to keep the foot, leg or arm elevated so that the inflammation goes down.
We find another type of case, if we are facing a cut that is sutured or a fracture that must be reduced. In these situations you have to go to a referral health center because we may need more tests. If we are in more chronic situations such as chronic pain, tendonitis, contractures, etc., in these pictures the attitude may vary a little and heat should be used to relax the area but this depends on the ailment, the symptoms and the effect that has caused the injury because the way of treating may vary depending on the origin.
