Common Sports Injuries and How to Treat Them
Ankle, hamstring, knee, shoulder and elbow: the first-aid response, how to ice an injury without causing an ice burn, and the signs that mean hospital.
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Quick answer
Most common sports injuries are sprains and strains, and the first-aid response is the same for all of them: rest, ice, compression and elevation for the first 48–72 hours, then gentle movement as pain allows. Keep the injured part still and cool it with an ice pack wrapped in a towel for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours — never ice directly on skin. Get urgent medical help if the limb looks deformed, cannot bear any weight, is numb or discoloured, or if there was a head injury with any loss of consciousness, confusion or vomiting.
Whether you run a gym, a sports club, a leisure centre or just a workplace five-a-side team, the same handful of injuries come up again and again. Here is what they are, what to do in the first hour, and where the line is between “ice it” and “get to A&E”.
The five you will see most
| Injury | What it is | First aid | Get it checked if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprained ankle | Ligament damage, usually from the ankle rolling inwards | Stop, rest, ice, compression, elevation | No weight-bearing at all, visible deformity, or pain over the bone rather than soft tissue |
| Pulled hamstring | Strain of a muscle at the back of the thigh, often a sudden “pop” | Stop immediately, then rest, ice, compression, elevation | Severe pain, inability to walk, or extensive bruising |
| Knee pain | Often overuse around or behind the kneecap | Rest from the aggravating activity, ice, review training load | Locking, giving way, rapid swelling, or no improvement with rest |
| Shoulder injury | Sprain, strain or dislocation — common in overhead sports and falls | Support the arm in the most comfortable position, ice | Always for suspected dislocation; urgently if numb, cold or discoloured |
| Tennis elbow | Overload of the forearm tendons below the elbow | Rest from the aggravating movement, ice, modify the activity | Persistent pain — physiotherapy advice |
A note on each
Sprained ankle. Expect swelling, bruising and pain on weight-bearing. Most settle over a few weeks. The reason to get it checked when they cannot put any weight on it at all is that a fracture and a bad sprain feel similar in the first hour.
Pulled hamstring. Stopping matters more than anything you do afterwards — running on a strained hamstring turns a small tear into a big one. Recovery ranges from a couple of weeks to several months, and returning too early is the commonest cause of re-injury.
Knee pain. Usually load rather than a single incident. Rapid swelling after a twisting injury is different and needs assessment.
Shoulder. Never attempt to put a joint back in yourself. Support it as it lies and get them to hospital.
Tennis elbow. Comes from racquet sports, but just as often from DIY, plastering or repetitive work. It typically improves over months rather than weeks.
How to ice an injury properly
This is the bit most people get wrong:
- Wrap the ice pack in a damp towel. Frozen peas work; frozen peas straight onto skin cause an ice burn.
- Up to 20 minutes at a time, every 2 to 3 hours for the first couple of days.
- Not while asleep, and not on an area with reduced sensation.
- Compression should be firm, not tight. If the fingers or toes go numb, tingle, or change colour, it is too tight — loosen it immediately.
- Elevate above heart level where you can, particularly in the first day.
And the things to avoid in the first 72 hours, because they increase bleeding and swelling: heat, hot baths, alcohol, running and massage.
After the first few days
Complete rest beyond the first couple of days is not the goal. Gentle movement within pain limits helps recovery, and prolonged immobility causes stiffness and muscle loss that then have to be undone. Build back gradually, and treat a return of pain as information rather than something to push through.
If someone is not improving as expected after a couple of weeks, physiotherapy advice is usually more useful than more rest.
When it is not a sprain
| Sign | Action |
|---|---|
| Limb obviously deformed, or bone visible | 999 / A&E — do not try to straighten it |
| Cannot bear any weight or use the limb at all | A&E |
| Area is numb, cold, pale or blue | 999 — a circulation problem is time-critical |
| Head injury with loss of consciousness, confusion, repeated vomiting, drowsiness or a seizure | 999 |
| Any suspicion of a neck or spinal injury | 999 — do not move them; keep the head still |
| Sudden collapse, not breathing normally | 999, start CPR, send for a defibrillator |
Head injuries and concussion
Worth its own section, because this is the one clubs most often get wrong through good intentions.
Anyone with a suspected concussion should stop playing immediately and not return the same day — regardless of how much they want to, and regardless of how important the fixture is. Symptoms can be delayed, and a second impact before recovery is considerably more dangerous than the first.
Call 999 for any loss of consciousness, confusion or disorientation, repeated vomiting, a seizure, weakness or numbness, clear fluid from the nose or ears, or increasing drowsiness. Where you are unsure, the safe course is straightforward: if in doubt, sit them out.
The one every club should plan for
The rare event that actually kills people in sport is sudden cardiac arrest, not a torn hamstring. Survival depends on immediate CPR and rapid defibrillation.
Worth knowing: the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Guidelines specifically note that breathing immediately after a collapse in an athlete can look near-normal or appear as panting, rather than the slow laboured pattern people expect. That makes it easy to assume someone has just fainted.
If your club, gym or leisure centre does not have an AED, that is the gap worth closing — and everyone should know where it is, and it should be reachable within a minute or two of the pitch or gym floor. See our guide to current UK resuscitation guidelines.
Prevention, briefly
- Proper warm-up and cool-down — unglamorous and effective
- Build training load gradually; sudden increases cause overuse injuries
- Appropriate footwear and equipment for the surface and sport
- Hydration, particularly in hot conditions — see heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- Do not play through a previous injury that has not recovered
Training for clubs and leisure venues
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Frequently asked questions
Up to 20 minutes at a time, every two to three hours for the first couple of days, using an ice pack wrapped in a damp towel. Never put ice directly on the skin, and do not ice an area with reduced sensation or while asleep.How long should you ice a sports injury?
Heat, hot baths, alcohol, running and massage for the first 72 hours — all of them can increase bleeding and swelling in the injured tissue.What should you avoid after a sprain or strain?
If the limb is deformed, cannot bear any weight, is numb, cold or discoloured, if there is a suspected dislocation or fracture, or if there was a head injury with loss of consciousness, confusion, repeated vomiting or drowsiness.When should a sports injury go to A&E?
No, never. Support the arm in the position most comfortable for the casualty and get them to hospital. Attempting to relocate a joint can cause serious damage to nerves and blood vessels.Should you put a dislocated shoulder back in?
A sprain is damage to a ligament, which connects bone to bone — a rolled ankle is the classic example. A strain is damage to a muscle or tendon, such as a pulled hamstring. The immediate first aid is the same for both.What is the difference between a sprain and a strain?
Not the same day if concussion is suspected. Symptoms can be delayed, and a second impact before recovery is considerably more dangerous than the first. If in doubt, sit them out.Can someone return to play after a head knock?
There is no general legal requirement, but sudden cardiac arrest is the event most likely to cause a death during sport, and survival depends on immediate CPR and rapid defibrillation. Many clubs and leisure venues conclude an AED is proportionate, and it should be somewhere everyone knows how to find within a minute or two.Does a sports club need a defibrillator?
Only for the first couple of days. After that, gentle movement within pain limits generally helps recovery, while prolonged immobility causes stiffness and muscle loss that then has to be undone.Is complete rest best after an injury?
If the fingers or toes beyond the bandage go numb, tingle or change colour, loosen it immediately. Compression should be firm enough to support the area without restricting circulation.How do I know if compression is too tight?
Train your coaches and staff
Call 0845 838 4643 or use the enquiry form on this page and we will arrange first aid training at your club or venue.
Bones, muscles and joints are covered on the three-day First Aid at Work course rather than the one-day emergency version — the difference is explained in First Aid at Work: 1 day or 3 days?
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