Exercise is an important part of life in order to become or stay healthy. As you watch people

across generations those that make it a habit to move every day are usually more active as they

age. For many people, sports are a fun way of burning extra calories, socializing and getting fit.

Unfortunately, this also means the occasional sports injury, or a flare-up of an old injury or

condition maybe that occurred in high school or from out of nowhere.

You don’t have to be a professional athlete to suffer a sports injury. In fact, many times those

most susceptible to sports injuries are people who have just started exercising or do it on a

recreational level, your typical weekend warrior. Sports injuries are typically seen as injuries to

the musculoskeletal system, including muscles, bones, and tissues such as ligaments, tendons

and cartilage.

The most common sports injuries include:

Sprains: A sprain occurs when the ligaments that join the ends of one bone with another are

stretched or torn. 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. ASTYM is a great tool we have to treat sprains

and promote healing.

Strains: A strain occurs when a muscle or tendon is pulled, torn or twisted. Strains can occur

from overstretching during a forceful movement whilst playing. A back or neck strain is a very

common injury treated in physical therapy. ASTYM also speeds up healing of a strain

accompanied by proper technique and balancing of muscle strengths and facilitating proper

joint arthrokinematics.

Knee pain and injuries: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the

knee is the most commonly injured joint. Orthopedic surgeons see more than 5.5 million people

annually for knee pain and 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. We can evaluate your knee signs and symptoms and help you develop

the best plan for you!

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 or those who previously has had shin splints

before. This is usually due to poor alignment of the body, or weakness in the leg/foot muscles.

The good news is that Champ Physical Therapy & Pilates can treat many orthopedic

and repetitive motion injuries without the need for invasive surgeries or addictive medications.

Prevention

Proper training, strengthening and stretching are the most important elements to preventing

sports injuries. It’s important to work with professionals, trained in your sport and who are

dedicated to making sure you are properly conditioned before doing the sport. Our physical

therapists have years of working with different sports injuries and helping to train individuals

on how to prevent injuries.

Our licensed physical therapists can customize an exercise and sports injury prevention

program that recognizes the weaknesses of your particular musculoskeletal system, allowing

you to recover quickly and stay active without aches and pains. Even, if you have an old injury,

it is important to have it evaluated by our physical therapists to prevent long term damage such

as arthritis to your joints. If you have a new or old sports injury like tendonitis, arthritis, a stress

fracture, or low back pain, our therapists can design a treatment program to promote wellness

and minimize the chance of re-injury. Call us today to learn more!