There’s nothing worse than having your life interrupted by a visit to the emergency room for an injury. Not only do you feel more pain than you can bear, but the E.R. visit is probably going to cost you big bucks, depending on your health insurance. Then there are those nagging injuries that don’t necessarily require a visit to the hospital or doctor’s office. That’s why many Nevadans go to the internet to search for information regarding these common injuries.

To be honest, my wife will search for treatments for any medical condition on the web. She’s trying to curb herself from doing this for every little sniffle, cough, or stomach upset. But she probably looks something up on the internet every day. There’s so much information out there these days, it’s difficult to avoid doing internet searches for whatever is bothering you at the time.

The main problem you encounter when doing an internet search on a disease or illness is that your symptoms could be the result of anything from a common cold to a death sentence. Generally, you end up feeling worse after learning that your symptoms could be disastrous. Not all the information on the web is valuable.

However, when you’re trying to find a way to relieve the pain of a nagging injury, there may be treatments available for which you don’t have to visit the doctor. And that’s why many Nevadans are performing internet searches by the thousands each month for common injuries.

I know we’ve looked up treatments for sprained ankles and wrists and how best to treat them. All the bumps and bruises I get from blocking slapshots playing hockey don’t require a visit to the E.R. But sometimes we do search for the best way to treat those athletic injuries.

In fact, the five most common injury internet searches Nevadans are performing can be attributed to athletics or their jobs. Experts from Phoenix, Arizona injury attorneys HutzlerLaw.com conducted this study of nagging ailments Nevadans are searching for most often on Google. Scroll down to find out which common injuries are in the top five.

I have never actually had to go to a doctor or emergency room for a concussion. However, one night playing hockey about 20 years ago, a guy on the other team accidentally (I think) tapped my chin with his shoulder as he skated by me. I didn't fall and I did keep playing. However, the only things I remember about the rest of that night is that I had a headache. I don't remember any other conversations from that night. Thankfully, it wasn't severe enough to cause any problems in the days or weeks that followed. Nevadans are averaging about 1,200 internet searches per month for this injury.

Ouch! Man, that broken nose looks like it really, really hurts. If that kid had a trainer or doctor push the bridge of his nose back into place, it's going to hurt even more. Plus, he'll probably have two black eyes for a week or so as well. A deviated septum is very common, especially for those who play competitive sports. Nevadans average about 1,700 searches on the internet for this type of injury every month.

Even though I've been using computers extensively since the 1990's, I have not had to deal with carpel tunnel syndrome. Thankfully! However, my sister-in-law did encounter this nagging injury and she had the carpel tunnel surgery done on her hand. In fact, this is one of the most common surgeries in the U.S.A. Per the HutzlerLaw.com survey, there are over 400,000 of these procedures done each year. About 1,725 internet searches per month are logged in by Nevadans for carpel tunnel each month.

Although this photo depicts bursitis in the elbow, you can feel bursitis in any joint, including shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. It's very painful, and bursitis is also usually accompanied by swelling. Nevadans are averaging 1,867 internet searches each month for ways to treat this type of injury and pain.

I've had shin splints before. In fact, I used to run on the asphalt around my home just about every day. Shin splints are very painful. I learned quickly that you have to do a lot of stretching before and after you go jogging to avoid them. Nevadans are searching for ways to deal with the pain, or alleviate it altogether, with over 1,900 internet searches each month.