Millions of people in the United States participate in sports. With athletics come injuries; in fact, recent reports show that over $30 billion in annual health care costs are sports-related. For athletes and their families, it?s good to know what the most common injuries are and what to do when they occur.

Sports injuries have a few common causes; of course, accidents happen, sometimes a rough game or a fall, but many are caused by not being in proper condition, not stretching or warming up, or overdoing it. The most common sports injuries include strains and sprains, swollen muscles, dislocations and fractures, with knees, ankles and wrists having high rates of damage. Before you search for “a walk in clinic near me,” though, review the common types of athletic injuries. Although a doctor will diagnose the level of injury and type of treatment, here are a few characteristics of typical sports injuries:

Strain:
Strain symptoms include pain, muscle spasms, loss of strength and range of movement. Usually caused by overstretching, it happens when a muscle or tendon gets twisted, or pulled too far. The hamstring muscle and the lower back are two places often affected by strains. One word of wisdom is to check with a medical professional regarding back treatment; 40 percent of those who suffer from lower back pain try to use exercise to relieve it, and while sometimes helps, it can also have the opposite effect.

Sprain:
Sprain symptoms include pain, inflammation, tenderness, instability. Usually caused by a fall or impact to the body, or anything that knocks a joint out of position or tears the connecting tissue. Wrists and ankles are main sites of sprains, with more than 80% of ankle sprains simply due to inversion, or inward rolling, of the ankle; something that often can be prevented by wearing the right shoes.

Dislocation:
Dislocations happen when the bones that meet in a joint become separated, resulting in extreme pain and loss of use of the relevant body parts. Common in high impact sports, it is also caused by overstretching or falling. While ankles, knees, and shoulders are common sites of dislocation, many athletes dislocate a finger or toe.

Fracture:
A fracture is a break in the bone, symptomized by extreme pain and instability. There are two types of fractures, acute and stress. Acute fractures are one-time injuries, usually the result of an accident. Stress fractures are due to excessive or consistent pressure applied to the bone over time, and are less noticeable at first.

When sports injuries happen, especially painful ones, it?s frustrating to think of waiting in a busy emergency room. In these cases, the question is, ?where is there a walk in clinic near me?? Chances are, not far at all. The next question, ?will a walk in clinic near me be equipped to handle this type of injury?? is probably yes. Although follow up care with other medical specialists will likely be necessary, a walk in clinic is able to treat most sports injuries. In fact, it?s often one of the main things they do.

It should be stated that if the injury is a concussion or neck injury, call 911 or go to the hospital; that injury will be fast tracked, unlike a strain or dislocation. The advice to consider ?a walk in clinic near me? refers to the above injuries, which in most cases are not life threatening.

However, over 20,000 of the best doctors work at clinics, and you will receive as excellent care as you would in a hospital or private practice. Urgent care clinics are trained in diagnosing and treating sports injuries, and constantly improving. Currently, four out of five urgent care centers provide fracture care, and over 85 percent of urgent care facilities are open seven days a week, many with after hours care. This is great news for those weekend warriors who might have just thrown the softball a little too hard or taken a rough hit during a Saturday backyard football game.

As an athlete, whether student, amateur, or professional, you love what you do and don?t want injuries to slow you down. Visit a medical professional right away, and then follow their advice fully, allowing yourself time to heal.