Becoming an athlete for a living clearly isn’t easily done. It requires extreme talent, extraordinary dedication, and thousands upon thousands of hours of practice to even begin to have a decent shot at making it in the big leagues – or even the minor leagues, for that matter. Yet it is still done, and many Americans make a great living out of it. If you have made it into the the professional or semi-professional world of Athletes, you have done very well for yourself. There are some aspects of the career, however, that is worth being aware of.

There is no doubt that athletes are among the most likely in any profession to experience an injury at work — and there Injuries can have severely harsh consequences on an athlete’s career. The seven most common sports injuries experienced by professional athletes are listed from most to least common.

1. Pulled Muscle – these occur most often when an athlete has neglected stretching prior to playing, and has in some way exerted severe force that has stretched fibers beyond their capacity.
2. Runner’s Knee – a catch-all term for kneecap aches and pains and, of course, affects more than just runners.
3. Shoulder Impingement – any movements in which the shoulder joints are continually stressed (such as those involved in baseball, tennis, golf, volleyball, weight training, or swimming) can cause the rotator cuff muscles to stretch too much, which can allow the head of the joint within the shoulder socket to become loose.
4. Shin Splints – the shin bone is attached to the muscle that gives the foot its arch, and repeated stress on this while running can cause minor yet chronic pain and internal bleeding of the shins.
5. Tennis Elbow – the name is actually misleading. A common cause of this injury is the backhand tennis stroke, yet the pain is felt mostly in the wrist. Inflammation occurs and moving the wrist backwards can become painful.
6. Ankle Sprain – when the foot lands awkwardly after a jump or while running, ligaments can be stretched too much or even partially or fully torn.
7. Achilles Tendonitis – sports involving a lot of running or jumping can lead to overuse of this tendon, which can lead to inflammation or, in more severe cases, surgery.

These injuries aren’t as glamorously horrific as the ones often replayed over and over on ESPN, in which you see the bone sticking out of a leg or an ankle hanging at a 45 degree angle. Most injuries, thankfully, don’t look like those, nor do they happen as quickly. Most sports injuries happen gradually due to repeated strain or a lack of stretching. These injuries can be just as devastating as the more physically noticeable ones, and require much treatment and rest to care for properly.

Palm Beach Gardens workers compensation lawyers focus in procuring compensation for athletes who sustain injuries that temporarily incapacitate athletes or those that simply require much time and money to treat properly. If you are a professional athlete who has been injured while playing, you are entitled to compensation for that injury. Contact workers compensation lawyers in Palm Beach Gardens today for a free case evaluation.