What is specific about Sports Medicine?
Sports medicine is a specialized field in orthopedics which exclusively deals with the treatment of injuries and preventing injuries for athletes.
What are the most common Sports
Injuries?
Groin Sprains
Groin pull or strain is caused due to excessive stress on muscles in groin and thigh. These are common in people who play sports which involve running and jumping.
Shin Splints
These are most prevalent lower leg injuries in people who perform a lot of physical activity like running, jumping. It is also called as medial tibial stress syndrome.
Neck Stains
Neck strain or neck sprain is an injury to the ligament or muscle of the neck. It is observed in people who play contact sports like football.
Lower Back Injury
A lumbar strain damages tendons and muscles causing acute pain in the lower back. This pain is mostly experienced by pushing and pulling sports like weight lifting or sports which involve sudden twisting like tennis, basketball, football etc.
Pulled Muscles
A muscle pull or muscle strain refers to the injury to a muscle or its attaching tendons. The tearing of a muscle can damage small blood vessels causing local bleeding. A muscle strain can happen to any muscle in the body , the most common being lower back, neck, shoulder, hamstring(muscle behind the thigh)
Fractured Bones
Rotator Cuff tendinopathy
Shoulder is made up of group of muscles and tendons, when the tendons are injured it leads to tenderness and restricts range of motion in the shoulder. This kind of injury is observed in sports like basketball, tennis, swimming, baseball which stresses the joint.
Tennis Elbow
It is condition of elbow caused due to excess stress on the forearm muscles outside the elbow which cause pain.
Ankle Sprain
An ankle sprain is an injury to the ligaments of the foot. When the ligaments are pushed beyond their range of motion it causes sprain. It is common in any kind of physical exercise.
Runner’s Knee
Pain around the knee cap or Patella, This condition is caused due to any activity that stains the knee joint excessively. It can also arise due to over-weight, trauma , misalignment or dislocation of the knee cap.
Achilles Tendinopathy
Archilles tendon, thickest and strongest tendon in the body which is between ankle joint and heel bone and connects calf muscle to the bone of the heel. It helps in the movement of leg; this condition is particularly observed in athletes who involve in jumping and running.
Knee Joint Ligament Injuries
It is the most common injury in athletes. Meniscus is the cartilage which acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the joint and keeping it stable. Knee comprises of Medial Collateral (MCL), Lateral Collateral (LCL), Anterior Collateral (ACL), Meniscofemoral (MFL) ligaments. Due to pressure, overweight and also elderly people tend to experience these kinds of ligament tears. Symptoms are, though people can walk with ligament injury they experience pain, stiffness, swelling, locking of the knee and unable to move the joint in full range. Your doctor assesses the kind of ligament injury (MCL, ACL, LCL, MFL) and suggests the appropriate treatment.
What is the treatment advised to injuries related to sports?
If the tear is small then RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) is suggested along with non-inflammatory medication.
If the tear is persistent in spite of non surgical procedure then Arthroscopy is recommended by your orthopaedician.