SPORTS INJURIES
You see it often enough in games: athletes limping around or even laying on the ground, holding a foot or an ankle as their teammates take a respectful knee.
Sports injuries can happen to anyone, from professionals to kids on recreational teams. Even if you’re just a “weekend warrior,” you are not exempt from the possibility of an injury. These conditions need to be treated right away to prevent the problem from worsening and keeping you from your favorite sport indefinitely.
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Sports Injuries
treatment options
A sports injury is any kind of damage that develops as a result of your participation in a sport. Activities like baseball, basketball, cycling, golf, running, and tennis all have their own risks. You don’t have to play one of the classic team sports to incur this kind of injury, either. You could be an avid rock climber, a ballet dancer, a martial arts student, or participate in any other athletic activity and injure your feet. There are two kinds of sports injuries: traumatic and overuse.
Traumatic injuries occur suddenly and unpredictably. They result from a sharp blow or force against your lower limbs that causes immediate damage. This can happen when you trip, fall, kick something, land a step incorrectly, or get knocked down. Broken bones, sprains, tissue ruptures, and most bruises fit in this category.
CONSERVATIVE
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Whether your pain is from a trauma or an overuse problem, you’ll need to have it evaluated and treated. Leaving an injury untreated can allow the problem to compound and grow worse than the original issue.
The sooner discomfort is dealt with, the easier it will be to eliminate the pain. Dr. Darren Silvester here at Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic will examine your lower limbs and use various diagnostic tests and images to determine the extent of your injury. Then our expert staff will work with you to remedy your condition.
How to treat most sports injuries conservatively:
1
REDUCE HIGH-IMPACT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS RUNNING
Both traumatic and overuse problems require rest to heal. Most likely you’ll need to take a temporary break from your sport to allow your lower limbs to recover.
Certain injures may need to be immobilized, so that movement doesn’t continue to strain and damage your foot or ankle. Others, like some broken bones, may require you to avoid weight-bearing on that foot altogether.
Any swelling and inflammation involved will need to be addressed.
Once your injury has healed, you will need to recondition your lower limbs to handle the pressure and stress of your sport so that you’re less likely to re-injure yourself when you return.
2
WARM UP AND COOL DOWN
Most overuse sports injuries can be prevented, if you are careful. Warming up and cooling down when you exercise, conditioning yourself for your sport, replacing worn shoes, and treating discomfort right away can go a long way in preventing potential problems.
