Injury in Winter Sports

Injury Prevention for Winter Sports in Australia

In Australia, sports are as big a part of our culture as eating, breathing, or sleeping; we love sports, and winter sports in Australia have players and spectators alike out in full force.  Around 5.2 million Australians are injured in sport each year, these injuries are most common in May, June, and July. The most common injuries, in order of the rate of occurrence, are to the knee, ankle, foot, back, and shoulder. Many of these injuries arise from the very popular winter sports we play, so injury prevention is critical.

Why do injuries happen so much in winter sports in Australia?

As mentioned above, injuries peak in May, June and July. This is right in the middle of the winter sports season, so playing winter sports in Australia is a contributing factor to these injuries. There are three main reasons why injuries can happen so much in winter sports in Australia.

Winter Sports in Australia Contain Injury-Prone Movements

Most of the sports occurring in the winter season contain a lot of running, jumping, and quick changes of direction; these activities reflect the higher rate of knee, ankle, and foot injuries. In some of our most popular sports like rugby and AFL injuries can occur due to their high-contact nature, this reflects the higher rate of back and shoulder injuries with tackling and scrums.

Cold Weather’s Effects on the Body and Chance of Injury

These injuries are worsened by the cold weather. As your body tries to maintain your body temperature, blood flow moves away from the muscles; the lack of blood flow leads to the muscles producing less power, losing flexibility, and overworking.  As muscles are working harder and are less flexible, they become more susceptible to strains, sprains, tears, and other types of injury. Read about the differences between strains and sprains. 

Here is why some muscle groups are more at risk of injury in the cold.

1. Knees: The muscles that connect to the knee become stiffer in the cold, as such the knee ligaments become more vulnerable to tears and strains. This is the reason ACL injuries occur so much in winter sports in Australia.
2. Shoulders: A shoulder joint that hasn’t been warmed up properly will be limited in its range of motion, therefore putting stress on the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments, possibly straining or tearing them.
3. Hips: Your hips bear the most amount of weight out of all the joints in the body. Excessive tightness or stiffness in the hip from the cold and an improper warm-up can damage ligaments.

Overuse and Lack of Recovery Leads to Injury

Many people who play winter sports in Australia may not play sports in summer or are not used to the intensity or amount of exercise, therefore increasing the risk of injury due to sufficient recovery strategies not being performed as well as your body being potentially overworked. 

This is where City Physio comes in. We can provide you with strategies to improve recovery and help you when you’re overworked from lots of training and games.

Some other common complications from winter sports include:

• Stress fractures 
• Knee injuries
• Shin splints
• Ankle sprains 
• ACL injuries 
• Muscle soreness 
• Shoulder injuries 
• Hamstring strains  

City Physiotherapy can help prevent injuries

Here at City Physiotherapy, our philosophy is to address the factors that could lead to injury before an injury occurs. While this may not always be possible, this is where our injury prevention strategies come into play. 

Muscle Imbalance Assessment

City Physio’s first line of defense against injuries is a muscle imbalance assessment. In this assessment, our experienced physios will look for weaknesses in certain muscle groups and how they can be strengthened in ways relevant to your sport.

Tailor-Made Program

Our physios can also develop with you a program that includes recommendations for warm-ups, stretching, and functional strength training. These will be specific to you and your sport, helping to address weaknesses, reduce the chance of injury and improve your performance in sport. For more information about sports physiotherapy, click here.

Recovery Strategies

For those involved in winter sports, recovery can be more than just effective warm-ups, stretching, and addressing muscle imbalances, our remedial massage therapy, and hands-on physiotherapy is just these types of extra recovery. Remedial massage is good for the release of pain and soreness that follows strenuous exercise.

Your hands-on physio session may include:

• Soft tissue, trigger point & deep tissue treatment
• Stretching and muscle release
• Dry needling
• Joint mobilisation & manipulation

All these treatments help the body recover from the damage and potential overuse caused by your sport or unique body mechanics.

Sports Taping and Strapping

If you’ve ever watched professional sports you would have seen the many different types of tape athletes use, taping and strapping in these sports limits and restricts the range of movement of an injured body region, usually around joints, helping to reduce or to control the pain of an injured or affected body part.

Prevent Injury This Winter Sports Season With City Physiotherapy

It’s the beginning of the season for winter sports in Australia, which means it’s more important now than ever to look after your body. Whatever winter sport you play, injuries can leave you sidelined, whether it’s Netball, AFL, Soccer, Basketball, Hockey, or Rugby injury prevention is key.

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