Three of the most common summer injuries

Summer is almost here! With the warmer weather approaching our motivation and activity levels are peaking, but unfortunately with an increase in activity can come an increase in injury prevalence.

Due to the types of sports and activities people tend to participate in over the warmer months, there is a trend in the types of injuries that occur. The 3 most common summer injuries include:

Overuse shoulder injuries

Whether it’s in the backyard or on the field every Australian loves a game of cricket on a summer’s day! However, cricket along with other overhead sports such as swimming and baseball that are common in warmer seasons can lead to pain in the shoulder from overuse. There are many shoulder pathologies that can be the source of the pain, overuse injuries is a broad term to cover the injuries that are from repetitive movements such as throwing.

Patella-femoral pain (PFP)

Patella-femoral pain is a broad term used to describe pain at the front of the knee and around the patella (kneecap). It is commonly seen in runners and cyclists, or people who partake in activities such as bootcamp with lots of jumping. Running is a great way to keep in shape so coming up into spring and summer there is a significant increase in people who start running programs; however a sudden increase in this high impact activity can cause pain if body isn’t adequately conditioned. PFP can account for up to 25-40% of knee pain presentations in a private clinic!

Ankle injuries

Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries seen in summer. This is due to the increase in summer sports participation that involve high amounts of agility, such as touch football, oz-tag or leisure activities like skateboarding or bush walking. Uneven tracks and fields provide the perfect place for a common ankle sprain. The most common ligaments damages in sprained ankles are the ones on the outside of the ankle.

Don’t let injuries get in the way of your summer fun and fitness! To find out more information on the common injuries we see over summer, how to prevent them, how to manage them and to see how health professionals can help; be sure to check out our upcoming blogs and Facebook posts!