Musculoskeletal injuries

Many athletes are familiar with the term musculoskeletal injuries but aren’t sure what it actually means.

Musculoskeletal simply means anything to do with the relationships and functions of bones and various tissues – ligaments, tendons, and muscles – in the body.

The most common musculoskeletal injuries occur in the joints such as the knee, the hip or the elbow and are normally considered serious injuries.

Most musculoskeletal injuries in sport occur as a result of direct trauma, normally the result of coming into contact with another athlete or hitting the ground hard.

Contact sports such as rugby, soccer and American football see many musculoskeletal injuries, as do sports like weightlifting and bodybuilding, which put tremendous strain on both the muscles and the bones.

Musculoskeletal injuries are largely unavoidable but athletes can minimize the risk of picking them up by performing flexibility exercises and wearing protective clothing wherever possible, when competing in their chosen sport.

We’ve got more information on musculoskeletal injuries in the articles listed below with lots of useful help and advice.