Every day at OrthoMiami, we treat patients who injured themselves playing sports. While the patients we see do include professional, collegiate, and student-athletes, anyone who engages in physical activity of any kind can suffer a sports injuries. A friendly game of tennis or golf, lifting weights at the gym, or even a brisk walk can lead to a painful and disruptive injury that throws you off your game for days, weeks, or longer.
Here are five of the most common sports injuries we treat at OrthoMiami:
1. SPRAINS
Ligaments are the fibrous tissues that connect bones to each other and help keep them stable. A sprain occurs when you overstretch or tear a ligament or force it into an unnatural position. While sprains can occur at any joint throughout the body, including the wrist and knee, the most frequent sprain victim is the ankle.
Sprain symptoms include joint or muscle pain, inflammation, limited movement, tenderness, or bruising. As with strains, sprain injuries range in severity from mild to serious. Minor ankle sprains can heal over the course of seven to 10 days with rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications. However, a severe sprain may actually be a torn ligament that can result in pain, inflammation, bruising, and ankle instability, often making walking difficult and painful. Such an injury requires medical attention and can take weeks to fully heal.
2. TORN ACL AND OTHER KNEE INJURIES
When it comes to serious knee injuries, two conditions stand above the rest: a torn ACL and a torn meniscus. Both injuries can arise from the same kind of traumatic, sudden, and unnatural movement or impact involving the knee, such as:
- Suddenly stopping, slowing down, or changing direction (cutting)
- Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
- Landing hard and awkwardly after a jump
- Receiving a direct blow to the knee
A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of many injuries that can occur to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints in and around your knee. But it is also one of the most debilitating, often requiring surgery to fully repair. It usually takes months of recovery and physical therapy before full mobility and function are restored. The ACL connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia) and helps to stabilize your knee joint. When sudden and severe stress is put on the knee, it raises the chance of tearing the ACL.
3. MUSCLE STRAINS
While sprains are injuries to ligaments, strain injuries develop in muscles and the tendons which connect those muscles to your bones.
You can experience a strain injury from doing simple, everyday tasks like lifting or jumping. Unsurprisingly, however, athletes are disproportionately vulnerable to strains given the kinds of movements they make and how much exercise and stress they put on their bodies.
Anywhere you have muscles and ligaments can be the site of a strain injury. But the most common locations for strains include the back, legs, and elbows.
4. SHOULDER INJURIES
The shoulder is the location of some of the most common injuries in sports, including tennis, baseball, and golf. Shoulder injuries range from overuse to a torn rotator cuff—a group of muscles that support your shoulder joint. Other shoulder injuries include a dislocated shoulder, a “frozen” shoulder which causes stiffness and discomfort in the joint, and even arthritis.
5. FRACTURES
Broken bones are also called fractures, which occur when pressure, trauma, force, or movement pushes bones past their ability to withstand such impact.
As we get older, or due to other underlying medical conditions like osteoporosis, our vulnerability to fractures becomes greater as our bones lose strength and density. But not all fractures are created equal. Some are relatively minor and can be repaired with minimal medical intervention. Other breaks are much more severe and require extensive surgery and other treatments to fix.
Schedule an Appointment at OrthoMiami Today To Learn More About How Sports Medicine Can Help You Stay In The Game.
At OrthoMiami, we work with athletes and sports-minded patients every day. We know how badly they want to get back to the activities they love after they’ve suffered an injury. That is why we are committed to using the most advanced and effective methods to relieve pain and restore mobility to patients as quickly as possible. The OrthoMiami team always welcomes new patients and can generally schedule new patient appointments within a couple of days.
Please contact us today at (305) 596-2828 to schedule your appointment. We look forward to meeting you.
