Sports Medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine which involves treating and managing ailments and diseases of active people. It not only takes care of problems related to sports and athletes but also people who are active in their everyday life and wish to stay so. Sports injuries can result from falls/accidents, overuse/improper use of the limb/body, inadequate training, improper use of protective devices, or insufficient stretching or warm-up exercises.
As an orthopedic surgeon specialized in Sports medicine, I take care of problems associated with bones, joints and muscles especially involving shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle. The treatment modalities I usually use are medications, physical therapy, injections and surgeries. I perform arthroscopic surgeries as well as minimal invasive surgeries to maximize outcome with rapid recovery. I take care of strain, sprain, muscle and tendon tears, cartilage, labrum and meniscus diseases, ligaments injuries, fractures and dislocations. I treat patients with the aim to improve quality of life, keeping them active and pain free.
The most common treatment recommended for injury is rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE).
- Rest: Avoid activities that may cause injury
- Ice: Ice packs can be applied to the injured area which will help to diminish swelling and pain. Ice should be applied over a towel to the affected area for 15-20 minutes four times a day for several days. Never place ice directly over the skin
- Compression: Compression of the injured area helps to reduce swelling. Elastic wraps, air casts, and splints can accomplish this
- Elevation: Elevate the injured part above heart level to reduce swelling and pain.
Some of the measures that are followed to prevent sports related injuries include:
- Follow an exercise program to strengthen the muscles
- Gradually increase your exercise level and avoid overdoing the exercise
- Ensure that you wear properly fitted protective gear such as elbow guards, eye gear, facemasks, mouth guards, and pads, comfortable clothes, and athletic shoes before playing any sports activity which will help to reduce the chances of injury
- Make sure that you follow warm up and cool down exercises before and after sports activity. Exercises will help to stretch the muscles, increase flexibility, and reduce soft tissue injuries
- Avoid exercising immediately after eating a large meal
- Maintain a healthy diet which will nourish the muscles
- Avoid playing when you are injured or tired. Take a break for some time after playing
- Learn all the rules of the game you are participating in
- Ensure that you are physically fit to play the sport
Some of the common sports injuries include:
Knee Injuries
Knee injuries are very common in sporting world as well as daily life owing to the weight bearing as well as twisting and turning making it vulnerable to injury. Knee injury can occur in the form of fractures, subluxation or dislocation, ligament, tendon or meniscus injury. It can also affect the cartilage of the joint. Knee injuries usually present with pain, swelling, inability to bear weight, instability or giving way, cracking or popping from the knee.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder owing to its anatomical structure has a high mobility which at the same time makes it vulnerable to injuries. Shoulder injuries are common in contact sports like football as well as sports involving forceful overhead action like tennis, volley ball, baseball. Shoulder is also involved in degenerative process with tendinopathy and tendon tears. Shoulder injuries usually present with pain, restriction of movement, instability, weakness, cracking or popping from the joint.
Stress Fractures
A stress fracture is described as a small crack in the bone which occurs from an overuse injury of a bone. It commonly develops in the weight bearing bones of the lower extremities. When the muscles of the foot are overworked or stressed, they are unable to absorb the stress and when this happens the muscles transfer the stress to the bone which results in stress fracture.
Ligament Sprains
Sprain is an injury or tear of the ligaments and strain is injury to the muscle or tendons. Sprains and strains are common in ankle, spine, knee, thigh, hip, elbow, and wrist joints.
Muscle Strains
Muscle strains are more common injuries in sports. Muscle strain refers to an injury of a muscle or its attaching tendons. A tendon is a tough, fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscles to bone. There are two types of muscle strains, acute strain and chronic strain.
I am Vedant Vaksha, Fellowship trained Spine, Sports and Arthroscopic Surgeon at Complete Orthopedics. I take care of patients with ailments of the neck, back, shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle. I personally approve this content and have written most of it myself.
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