Badminton Injuries and Treatments in Atlanta, GA

Badminton is a fun game that can be played throughout the year, indoors and out. Badminton players regularly pace back and forth on the court, making sudden starts, stops, and twists, which can cause undue injury to their joints.

Players also often overextend their arms and twist their wrists and shoulders in order to reach a difficult play.

Common Wrist and Elbow Injuries in Badminton

The most common injuries that affect badminton players are overuse injuries. If you’re playing badminton, here are just a few of the common injuries you can sustain.

Wrist Tendonitis

Wrist tendonitis, also known as tenosynovitis, occurs due to inflammation of the tendons around the wrist and is experienced by badminton players through overuse. Typically, symptoms include dull, aching pain, a throbbing sensation, mild to moderate swelling, and sometimes numbness. There may also be a grinding feeling when bending the wrist back and forth.

There are several different types of treatment for tendonitis. The least invasive, and most common, includes reducing inflammation through use of ice, a wrist brace, and anti-inflammatory medicine.

For more painful injuries and cases, treatment may include: physical therapy for the hand and wrist, steroid shots (such as cortisone), or, for the most severe, surgery.

Sprained Wrists

A sprained wrist can be caused by an acute injury to the wrist during sports, such as badminton. When a wrist is sprained, there is injury or damage to the ligaments, which connect the bones in the wrist to one another.

Symptoms include sharp pain with movement, swelling, tenderness of touch, a tearing or popping feeling, and sometimes mild bruising. Wrist sprains can be mild, moderate, or severe and can include stretching, tearing, or the full rupture of a ligament.

Depending on the severity of the injury, treatments can include rest, ice, wearing a brace, compression bandages, elevating the wrist, immobilization for a period of time, physical therapy to regain full motion, and surgery in the case of a full ligament rupture.

Wrist Fractures

Wrist fractures can vary from hairline to compound but can be sustained in badminton through a fall or impact with another player. Depending on the severity of the fracture, symptoms vary and may include sharp pain, pain with movement, bruising, swelling, and for more severe fractures, breaking of the skin and full break of the bone.

Treatments include immobilizing the wrist, whether through a brace or cast, anti-inflammatory medication, resetting of the bone, and for more severe injuries, surgery may be required.

Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow

While these may seem tied to certain sports, both tennis elbow (or lateral epicondylitis) and golf elbow (medial epicondylitis) can also be sustained when playing badminton. These two injuries are caused by overuse. Both cause pain of the elbow, but lateral epicondylitis occurs on the outside of the elbow, while medial epicondylitis occurs on the inside of the elbow.

Regular repetition of a motion, such as throwing or hitting a birdie, can cause inflammation and strain on the ligaments and tendons in the elbow. Symptoms include pain and difficulty gripping heavy objects or completing a twisting hand motion like turning a doorknob or using a screwdriver.

Treatment typically includes a sustained period of rest, immobilizing the affected elbow, ice, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical therapy. This type of injury doesn’t typically require surgery.

Treat Common Badminton Injuries at Atlanta Hand Specialist

If you’ve sustained a badminton injury to your hand, wrist, or elbow, call Atlanta Hand Specialist at (770) 333-7888 to schedule an appointment at one of our metro Atlanta offices.