Sports Injuries

Sustaining a sports injury can be an absolutely agonizing experience, especially for those who LOVE the sport they participate in.

Our physical therapy team is here to assist you in returning to the game feeling better, healthier, and pain-free while having a decreased risk of re-injury!

What Is A Sports Injury?

The phrase “sports injury” is wide-ranging, in the sense that it can refer to any type of accident involved with participating in an athletic activity. Most people’s minds jump to something severe, such as an ACL injury or a sports player colliding with another player, when considering a sports injury.

While both examples may be true, anything that brings you discomfort while exercising might be considered a sports injury.

So, if you ever strain your back while trekking on a favorite trail, twist your ankle running a 5K, sprained your ankle playing soccer or disc golf, or severely injured your arm by swinging a bat, we are here for you.

It’s critical to seek assistance as soon as possible because one of the most vital aspects of recuperating from a sports injury is treating it right away.

The length of your recovery and treatment plan will be determined by the degree of your injury, your health history, and whether or not the damage requires surgical intervention.

Treatment for a sports injury can take a while, so it’s important to let our team help you every step of the way!

We are ready and willing to provide exceptional treatment for your specific condition. Our physical therapists are professionally trained in the art of rehabilitation, with specializations in multiple fields related to sports injuries.

Whether you are experiencing an acute injury or chronic pain, our team of experts can customize a treatment plan that allows for the quickest recovery possible!

What are Common Types of Sports Injury?

According to a study by the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, the risks and rates of sports injuries continue to rise.

In general, sports injuries can be classified as acute and chronic.

Acute can be considered injuries related to traumatic accidents, such as acute muscle strains. Chronic injuries can be considered ongoing issues that tend to worsen over time, like carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis.

Acute Injuries

Athletes come to our clinic with a variety of different types of acute injuries.

The most common sports injury type we treat is acute muscle strains, including hamstring strains and back pain.

In addition to muscle strains, we frequently treat ankle sprains, rotator cuff tears, tennis elbow, and a variety of fractures with the use of casts or surgical intervention.

Chronic Injuries

While acute injuries are usually treated very quickly, chronic injuries require a much more extensive recovery course.

Chronic injuries are brought on by overuse of the body’s tissues to the point where they can no longer properly heal themselves.

Common types of chronic sports injury include tendonitis, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and plantar fasciitis.

A chronic sports injury, on the other hand, maybe less painful in the near term but more debilitating over time. These sorts of injuries usually develop gradually due to overuse and eventually cause a person’s ability to participate safely and efficiently in sports to be disrupted.

The most typical types of sports injuries our physical therapist professionals evaluate and treat include:

The Most Common Types of Sports Injuries:

• Strains or pulled muscles. Tendons connect your muscles and bones. Tendinitis is an inflammation of a tendon that results when it is stretched beyond its capacity. The more the tendon is stretched, the more likely it is to be strained again in the future.
• Sprains. Your bones are joined together by ligaments. A strain may occur when a ligament is stretched past its limits. Once a ligament is stretched, it’s more likely to be sprained again in the future. Tendonitis (more common in the biceps, quadriceps, hamstrings patellar, and Achilles tendons) is a form of tendon strain.
• Overuse injuries are the result of constant repetitions, which may lead to inflammation or pain. The most common type of overuse injury is tendonitis (inflammation in a tendon), especially tendinitis in the patellar and Achilles tendons. Knee injuries are among the most prevalent types of sports injuries, especially among bicyclists. Medial and Lateral Epicondylitis (also known as golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow) are common examples of tendonitis.
• Patellofemoral pain syndrome (aka runner’s knee or jumper’s knee) is a painful condition affecting the knee joint. There’s a pain in your kneecap, but it’s not caused by an obvious injury. Instead, you have too much pressure on the knee cap or tracking problems that cause irritation of the cartilage between the bones in your knee joint.
• Rotator Cuff Tears and other Tendon Injuries – the rotator cuff is a group of four tendons that attach the shoulder blade to the upper arm bone. An impingement in your shoulder can cause these tendons to swell, pinch, and tear muscle fibers resulting in tendonitis.
• Plantar Fasciitis is a very common cause of heel pain which can be due to inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot, connecting your heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia).
• Shin splints. Medial tibial stress syndrome (also known as shin splints) is a type of pain that affects the shin bones. This discomfort results from excessive strain on the shinbone and its surrounding connective tissues. Wearing appropriate shoes, strengthening your core and leg muscles, and warming up before activity can help you avoid shin splints.
• Knee injuries. Your knee is the most complex joint in your body. While this implies that it can perform a variety of physical activities, it also implies that it is one of the most frequently damaged bodily components. Knee problems might manifest as aching pains that start at your hip and travel down your leg, recurrent-use injuries that make it difficult to move your knee, or more severe ailments such as an ACL tear.
• Disc Herniation, Bulge, or Degenerative Disc Disease. A disc is a soft pad between the bones of your spine that help you to maintain proper posture and keep your back flexible. As we age, discs can begin to degenerate or herniate, which means there’s less padding in those areas and it’s likely to press against nerves as they pass through the back. This may result in pain, numbness, and muscle weakness.
• Shoulder Injuries. The shoulder is the most flexible joint in your body and allows you to lift your arms up and out to the side almost 180 degrees (think Rocky throwing punches). It also makes it one of the most commonly injured regions when participating in sports or exercising.
• Ankle Sprains—Ankle sprains occur when you roll or turn your ankle beyond its normal range of motion, stretching or tearing the ligaments on one or both sides of your ankle. You may feel a pop in your ankle and know immediately that something is wrong. In severe cases, the foot turns inward at an odd angle. Your doctor might order X-rays to rule out a fracture in the event of a severe sprain.
• Other foot injuries include “turf toe”, which is caused by jamming the large toe while playing sports on artificial turf, and plantar fasciitis or inflammation in your heel when walking or running that causes sharp pain. By wearing appropriate shoes, warming
• Nerve Compression, e.g., sciatica (often caused by an injured disc or misaligned spinal joint) when a nerve root is squeezed or pressed on by surrounding tissues. These conditions can result in radiating pain, numbness, and muscle weakness that extends from the affected site all the way to your foot or big toe.

What are Common Causes & Risks Related To Sports Injury?

Excessive or prolonged training, especially when combined with other factors such as an overuse injury or fatigue, may be linked to an increased risk of sports-related injuries. The following are some examples of risk factors that can increase your chance of sustaining an acute and/or chronic sports injury:

• Acute sports trauma (falls, collisions, etc.)
• Improper warm-ups and cooldowns
• Poor nutrition
• Poor technique and sports-specific movement mechanics
• Muscle fatigue and weakness
• Excessive body weight or obesity
• Improper equipment or gear (wrong-sized shoes or sports bra, etc.)
• Over-training and inadequate rest and recovery
• Poor sleep
• Imbalances in strength and flexibility
• Running and playing surfaces and the way you engage them (e.g., always running in one direction on a track; banked, slippery, or uneven surfaces, etc.)

There is usually a relationship between these hazard factors. For example, you may not be able to avoid a severe collision, but if you have muscular imbalances, flexibility restrictions, or have overworked your body through excessive exercise, you are more likely to get hurt in this scenario.

How can Physical Therapy Heal and Prevent Sports Injury?

Physical therapy (PT) is the most effective way to treat sports injuries or pre-injury pain. From increasing flexibility and range of motion, to strengthen weak muscles, to improve your technique during training or competition, PT can be an integral part of preventing an injury before it happens.

Even if you already have an acute injury, physical therapy can help you recover and heal faster. Specific exercises can improve mobility and stability, increase muscle strength and endurance, and decrease pain by promoting circulation to promote healing without affecting other structures in the area. Physical therapists also know how to treat injuries safely so that your body can handle the motions required for your sport or activity as you recover.

Physical Therapy Can Reduce The Risk Of Sports Injuries

Physical therapy before an injury happens—such as a knee ligament sprain—can help you avoid chronic pain and other injuries. It can also work to increase your range of motion, strengthen muscles around the area to reduce the risk of injury, and teach you how to move safely during exercise or play so that you don’t aggravate any existing pain or instability that may lead to further injury.

How Can Our Physical Therapy Team Help You?

The RICE treatment plan (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) might be necessary for pain management, inflammation reduction, and swelling reduction in the early stages of a severe injury.

Physical therapy is frequently administered soon after to further decrease symptoms while also speeding tissue healing and allowing you to return to play with a decreased risk of re-injury working with a physical therapist can also help you avoid surgery or, if surgery is required, can help you maximize your post-operative recovery.

The goal of physical therapy treatment is to restore strength, mobility, and function for the injured area. Our team of experts work with you to determine the best course of treatment depending on your goals. This may include any combination of the following:

Identifying and correcting muscle imbalances, weaknesses, or other movement dysfunction

Your physical therapist will create a treatment strategy based on your present level of rehabilitation, your goals, and your specific pains after a thorough physical examination. We frequently utilize the following treatments:

• Exercises to Improve Joint Alignment and Mobility
• Massage to release adhesions and promote healing by stimulating circulation.
• To relieve pain, reduce muscular spasms, and speed tissue healing, non-invasive techniques like cold laser therapy and ultrasound are used.
• Strengthening and balancing exercises to improve physical performance while correcting underlying imbalances

Physical Therapy Can Help You Get Back to Your Sport More Quickly

We are committed to assisting you in recovery from sporting injuries as soon as possible. If you’re searching for a solution, please contact us now to book an appointment. We look forward to helping you achieve your health and fitness goals.

If you’ve had a sports-related injury, make an appointment right now. We’ll set up a consultation for you so that you can begin your road to recovery. We are committed to assisting you in returning to your favorite activity as soon as possible!