HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health & Caring for Your Body
HOW YOU CAN AVOID SURGERY AFTER A SPORTS INJURY
Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. For many people, playing sports is a fun way to burn extra calories, socialize, and get fit. Unfortunately, this also means the occasional sports injury or a flare-up of an old injury or condition. You don’t have to be a professional or even an amateur athlete to suffer a sports injury. In fact, many times, those most susceptible to sports injuries are people who have just started exercising or participate on a recreational level. Sports injuries in this article will be defined as injuries to the musculoskeletal system, including muscles, bones, and tissues such as cartilage. The most common sports injuries include: SPRAINS: A sprain occurs when the connective tissue that joins the end of the bone with another is stretched or torn. Those connective tissues are known as ligaments. Sprains are caused by trauma such as a fall or blow to the body that knocks a joint out of position. Ankles, knees, and wrists are most vulnerable to sprains. However, back, neck, and shoulder sprains are very common too. STRAINS: A strain occurs when a muscle or tendon is pulled, torn, or twisted. Strains are non-contact injuries, such as those that occur from overstretching. A common example of a strain is a muscle spasm. A back or neck strain is a very common injury treated in physical therapy. KNEE INJURIES: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the knee is themost commonly injured joint. Orthopedic surgeons see more than 5.5
million people annually for knee injuries, which can include runner’s knee (pain or tenderness close to the knee cap at the front side of the knee), tendonitis, and iliotibial band syndrome (pain on the outer side of the knee). Severe knee injuries often include bone bruises or damage to the cartilage or ligaments. SHIN SPLINTS: Shin splints occur when there is pain along the large bone in the front of the lower leg, known as the tibia or shin bone. Shin splints most commonly occur in runners, especially those who are just starting a running program. This is usually due to poor alignment of the body, or weakness in the leg muscles. The team at Lake Country Physiotherapy can treat many orthopedic and repetitive motion injuries without the need for invasive surgeries or medications. In fact, most doctors have their patients try physical therapy first before recommending any other procedures. The licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants at Lake Country Physiotherapy can customize a program that addresses the weakness of your particular musculoskeletal system, allowing you to recover quickly and remain active. Even if you have an old injury, it is important to have it evaluated by our physical therapists to prevent long-term damage like arthritis. If you have sports or orthopedic injuries like tendonitis, arthritis, a stress fracture, or low back pain, our therapists can design a treatment plan to promote improved function, wellness and minimize the risk of re-injury.
Call Lake Country Physiotherapy to talk with your physiotherapist today!
3. If further assessment is
1. Feel free to call us and ask to speak to your therapist.
2. Your therapist will tell you the possible causes of your pain as well as precautions you can take at home.
warranted, your therapist might recommend you come in for an appointment.
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