We understand what being an athlete means. Athletes put their bodies to the test everyday, sometimes practicing workout regimes that an average person could not imagine. You dedicate hours to your sport aside from actual competition time. Moving and challenging your body to that extent takes its toll over time. Our medical clinic specializes in helping athletes maintain and improve their performance levels as well as treating injuries the right way.
There are two common types of injuries among athletes known as acute injuries and chronic injuries.
Acute vs. Chronic Sports Injuries
Generally, there are two types of sports injuries: acute and chronic.
Acute sports injuries happen suddenly while you are competing, training, or exercising. These include injuries like a torn tendon, sprain or bone fracture. They are not always noticed right when they occur. You may not notice an acute injury because your cortisol and adrenaline tend to be elevated when you are competing or training. Sometimes the signs happen later that day. Symptoms of an acute injury include: sudden pain, swelling, tenderness, redness, and the inability to put weight on that area of your body.
Chronic sports injuries are from overuse over a long period of time when repetition and strain continues to occur. Some common examples of chronic pain are things like runner’s knee, shin splints, and tennis elbow. Signs of chronic pain are noticeable when you are playing your sport or training. You may notice tenderness and swelling along with a dull, aching pain that persists long after the activity has ended.
Common Sports Injuries We Treat in Our Medical Clinic
- Shin splints (throbbing and aching of shin muscles)
- Fractures and dislocations
- Elbows (tennis elbow)
- Knees (ACL tears)
- Tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon)
- Lacerations and abrasions (cuts and scrapes)
- Sprains and strains (ankles and hamstrings)
- Bursitis (inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs)
- Achilles tendon injuries
At our clinic, our team not only treats these injuries, we teach you how to prevent them from happening again in the future through effective physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Injury Prevention
Preventing injuries in the future means strengthening weaknesses in your body. This is what allows you to improve your form and technique. Our treatment plans are designed to do this. The most important thing about improving yourself as an athlete is not to rush the process.
Creating an effective warm up routine before beginning your sport or workout section has to be done. The cool down following your workout is equally as important. You need to stay mindful of your body in order to improve your performance. If you notice something is off, you can use the tools we have given you to treat the area until you can come into the clinic to have it looked at. Prevention is really the best form of treatment.
When injuries do happen, there are precautions you can take on your own before coming in to see us. If you are injured, it is always a good idea to follow the PRICE method if you cannot come in for an exam right away. The PRICE method involves protection, rest, ice compression, and elevation.
- Protection: Applying wraps or splints to protect tissues from further damage
- Rest: This is critical for your body to recover and is often overlooked
- Ice: Icing for up to 72 hours on and off in order to reduce pain and swelling
- Compression: Using compression bands or compression clothing the reduce inflammation and swelling
- Elevation: Elevating allows fluid to drain from the injured area which will reduce swelling, pain and inflammation
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Our treatments include: regenerative medicine, acupuncture, focused rehabilitation, PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy), and Normatec compression therapy.
Although we take a non-surgical approach to recovery, we can still help athletes who have taken the surgical route. If you had surgery due to knee injuries, foot or ankle injuries, elbow injuries, spine injuries, nerve damage, or joint damage, we can help. Having surgery is one thing. When your surgery is complete, you still need proper rehabilitation to get back to the athlete you were. We take the time to make the healing process as effective as possible, so you can continue to play the sport you love.
The importance of the services we provide in our medical clinic are crucial for athletes of all levels. With so many individuals of all ages engaging in different sports, we take pride in supporting every athlete’s personal and professional goals. To find out more about our treatment options, call us today. We can effectively diagnose and treat your pain and injury whether it is recent or you have been struggling with it for some time.
