Sports Injuries

What are sports injuries?

Sports injuries are damage to your musculoskeletal system suffered while you’re playing sports, training, or working out. You can also suffer sports injuries during other kinds of physical activity.

Common sports injuries include sprains (ligament damage), strains (muscle or tendon damage), and tendinitis (chronic tendon inflammation). You can also suffer a dislocation or fracture, nerve damage or compression, or injuries to the cartilage in your joints.

Sports injuries can affect you at any age, and they strike people at all athletic levels, not just professionals. Whatever your ability, Dr. Reid provides expert diagnosis and treatment of all sports injuries.

What are the most common sports injuries?

Common sports injuries include:

ACL tears

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in your knee can tear when you twist the joint while suddenly changing direction.

Runner’s knee

Runner’s knee or patellar tendinitis is inflammation of the tendon attached to your kneecap.

Tennis and golfer’s elbow

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) are both due to chronic inflammation of the tendons in your elbow.

Rotator cuff injuries

Overhead motions are particularly likely to damage the muscles and tendons that make up the rotator cuff around your shoulder.

Achilles tendinitis

The Achilles tendon at the back of your heel is the largest connective tissue in your body. Overuse can irritate the tendon, causing inflammation and pain.

Ankle sprains

Sprained ankle ligaments are one of the most common sports injuries. They happen when the ankle folds over or you twist it too far.

How are sports injuries treated?

First aid for a sports injury consists of rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). This means that you rest the injured area and apply ice packs several times a day, wrap a compression bandage around an injured limb, and lie down and raise it so it’s higher than your heart.

Dr. Reid can treat many sports injuries using nonsurgical methods. Anti-inflammatory drugs can help ease pain and swelling, and you might benefit from wearing a brace, sling, splint, or cast.

Orthotics (specially designed supportive shoe inserts) are useful for treating some sports injuries. Physical therapy is vital to your recovery from a sports injury. If your symptoms continue, steroid injections offer a long-lasting reduction in inflammation. Dr. Reid also offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. 

What is PRP therapy? 

Platelets are small components of your blood that contain growth factors, or proteins that help your body heal damaged tissues. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a solution made from your own blood that contains about 5-10 times more platelets — and therefore more healing growth factors — than typical blood. The PRP stimulates your body to generate healthy new cells to replace the damaged or diseased ones.

PRP can provide a healing cascade effect that reduces pain and swelling and speeds recovery for conditions such as chronic tendonitis, acute ligament and muscle injuries, and arthritis.

Would I need surgery for my sports injury?

Severely damaged tendons, ligaments, and cartilage might require surgery to repair them. A completely ruptured ligament or tendon would need reconstruction using grafted tissue. Complex fractures also need surgery to repair the bones.

James J. Reid, MD, specializes in using minimally invasive arthroscopy to evaluate and treat sports injuries. To benefit from his expertise, call Dr. Reid’s office today or book an appointment online.