Sports Injuries
There are two key categories of sports injuries: ones that need surgery and ones that do not.
As chiropractors we are biomechanical specialists and are trained to both identify the injuries that may need surgery, and treat the ones that do not.
If your first stop after a sports injury is to an orthopedist or primary care doctor you are likely to be prescribed pain medication or muscle relaxers, and told to rest.
At Summit we will take a detailed history, perform a thorough exam, and assess your functional movements to not only diagnose your injury, but determine the underlying root cause of your injury. Once we understand what’s causing your pain we can work together to create a customized treatment plan that will get you back to activity, fast.
Sports Injuries
Traumatic Sports Injuries
These are severe injuries that result in serious pain or disability and are likely candidates for surgery, or at a minimum a trip to the hospital. Some of these types of injuries include:
- Fractures of the bones
- Dislocation of the joints
- Full muscle tears or ruptures
Overuse Sports Injuries
When muscles or ligaments get overworked or overstretched it can cause instability in the regions around it. This will often lead to weak and/or tight muscles that lead to dysfunctional movement patterns. Over time, if these injuries are not treated well, it can cause a vicious cycle that can lead to re-injury of the same or similar areas. Some common types of overuse injury include:
- Runner’s Knee
- Shin Splints
- Muscle Strains
- Tennis Elbow
- Golfer’s Elbow
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Shoulder Injuries (including clicking and popping)
- Sprains
- Many More
Post-Surgical Injuries
One of the time periods where an athlete is at their highest risk is following a surgery. We now know that athletes who have unilateral, or one-sided, issues that require surgery are at the highest risk for either re-injuring the same joint or injuring the opposite side within 1-3 years. Without proper rehabilitation and treatment that risk of re-injury goes up even higher. There are even steps you can take before surgery, called “Pre-hab” that can help keep you off the sidelines. Make sure that if you are dealing with a sports injury, you get the care you need so that you can resolve it as soon as possible.
What does treatment for your sports injury look like??
Depending on how you present clinically, your age, your overall health, and how you tolerate therapies will guide and direct your treatment. In general, you can expect spinal manipulation, massage therapy, and stabilization exercises to your personal comfort and ability. We know and appreciate how much you want to get back to activity, which is why bed rest will almost never be part of our treatment plan. Our first step will be to reduce your pain and get you back to normal daily activities, once you can do all of those with no pain we will direct a targeted and efficient plan to get you back to sport performance. Once you are able to return to your sport we will turn our focus to injury prevention and resistance, in order to help you stay better. If for some reason you fail to respond to our care or if you have severe neurological loss we will refer you to a trusted provider for a surgical consult.
Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge only and is not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment.