If you participate in sports, you’re doing something highly beneficial for your health as well as having a lot of fun, but on occasion, you may sustain an injury as a result of your activity. The expert team at Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy throughout New York state has considerable experience using physical therapy interventions to speed healing and strengthen tissues following injury. Call the office today if you’ve sustained a sports injury or book an appointment online.
Sports injuries occur as a result of participation in recreational or professional athletic pursuits, which could be anything from playing football, basketball, or baseball, to running, cycling, tennis, and golf.
Sports injuries typically fall into one of two categories. Acute injuries occur when a structure in your body gives way without warning. Overuse conditions develop over time because of repetitive movement.
Any part of your body could sustain an injury while you’re playing sports, but some common injuries include:
Patellofemoral syndrome is a knee injury caused by the repetitive movement of the kneecap against the leg bone, which damages the kneecap tissues. It may take up to six weeks to recover from the injury.
Any sport that requires overhead movement, such as basketball, tennis, or swimming, can cause a shoulder injury. Common shoulder injuries include:
Overuse of the shoulder is a common cause of sports injuries, as the shoulder joint plays such a crucial part in many sporting activities.
Tennis elbow, or epicondylitis, is caused by repetitive use of the joint, which causes tiny tears to develop in the elbow ligaments. Pain from tennis elbow typically affects both the outside and inside of the joint and is a common condition among the over-30s.
A strain occurs when you overuse a tendon or muscle. Your hamstring consists of three muscles behind your kneecap that may become overstretched if you place excessive strain on this part of your leg. Hamstring injuries are painful and take a long time to heal.
Pressure on the sciatic nerve causes sciatica and is often due to improper stretching before sports activities like baseball, running, and cycling. Sciatica causes severe lower back pain that radiates down the leg.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) attaches the leg bone to the knee. A hard impact to the knee or a sudden change of direction can cause a tear or strain of the ACL, which can be difficult to heal.
Physical therapy is crucial to sports injury recovery. Your physical therapist devises a treatment plan around the type of sports injury you sustain, and may include:
Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy also has state-of-the-art technology like the AlterG® Anti-Gravity Treadmill, which enables you to exercise without putting strain on the injured area.
If you’re struggling with any kind of sports injury, call the clinic today, or book an appointment online.
