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!