If you are an adult who likes to participate in weekend sports or are an avid or student-athlete and experience any injury or trauma, Burger Physical Therapy can help. Not only do we evaluate and treat most sports injuries effectively, but we also provide preventative screening and sports performance enhancement.
Sports injuries can set you back from your favorite activities and competitions. Due to most sports injuries’ high-speed nature, the trauma to muscles, tissues, and joints can be severe. Common injuries include ligament sprains, muscle strains, and fractures. Do not wait until you are disabled with pain. The right physical therapy can effectively treat your sports injury to get you back to your activities pain-free and safely.
In severe cases where surgery, bracing, or casting are required, we can help you fully rehabilitate to your optimum performance level. The objective is to work closely with your doctor to improve your joint range of motion, strength and create stability again around the joint. And do it safely and according to your physician’s protocol. We have helped thousands of avid sports lovers return to playing, running, cycling, throwing – quickly and pain-free. Here are a few common injuries we treat at Burger Physical Therapy:
Runner’s knee
Knee injuries account for more than half of sports injuries. Many of the kneecap’s aches and pains are grouped into a catch-all bucket of “runner’s knee,” which of course affects more than just runners. Runner’s knee is a misalignment of the kneecap; as the knee flexes or straightens out, it pulls off to the side and rubs the side of the groove, wearing out the cartilage and sometimes causing fluid to build up and swell the knee. Prevent runner’s knee by wearing correctly supportive footwear and strengthening the quadriceps muscle, both of which help align the kneecap in the center of its groove. Treat the runner’s knee by stretching and massaging the quadriceps, which extends the muscle fibers and alleviates the contraction pulling the kneecaps up. Anti-inflammatory medication may also help. Do not return to exercise too quickly—give it a couple of days—and apply ice after your first few workouts.
Pulled muscles
The most common sports injury—especially among those who don’t warm up properly—is pulled muscles. Muscles get “pulled” when a sudden, severe force stretches the fibers beyond their capacity. If only some fibers tear, then it’s a pulled muscle; if all of them tear, then it’s a full-blown muscle tear. Hamstring pulls are prevalent among runners, and most everyone has experienced a pulled calf muscle. Stretching before and after exercise helps prevent muscle pulls, but even so, they may pull from overuse, fatigue, weakness, lack of flexibility, or a sudden fall. Treat a pulled muscle with ice, which relaxes it, relieves spasms, and rests until the pain and swelling subside. An anti-inflammatory pain reliever may also help. The muscle fibers must be gradually re-lengthened with gentle stretching as soon as it is tolerable, so the fibers don’t heal in a shortened state. If repeated pulls occur around one area, work to strengthen the immediate and surrounding muscles.
Shoulder impingement
A very delicate part of the body, the shoulder, is involved in about 20% of sports injuries. The shoulder bones are held together by a group of muscles called the rotator cuff muscles, and they are responsible for the shoulder’s slight movements. If the shoulder joint is continually stressed—as in sports that involve throwing or hitting a ball (baseball, tennis, golf, volleyball, etc.) as well as weight training and swimming—then the rotator cuff muscles stretch out, which allows the head of the joint to become loose within the shoulder socket. When the arm is raised, it can catch the tendon of the biceps’ short head between the ball and the socket, impinging the shoulder and inflaming the tendons. Strengthening the rotator cuff muscles is the best way to keep the joint in the socket and avoid this injury. If you impinge on a shoulder, an anti-inflammatory medication may help, but if the pain persists, then physical therapy may be necessary.
Shin splints
Affecting athletes who run a lot, shin splints are pains in the muscles near the shin bones. The muscle responsible for raising the arch of the foot attaches to the shin bone on the inside of the leg, and repeated stress can cause the arch to pull some of its muscle fibers loose from the shin bone, causing minor internal bleeding and pain. They occur when running or jumping on a hard surface, especially for people who aren’t used to exercising or who increase the intensity of their workout too fast, or only from overuse or unsupportive shoes. To prevent shin splints, increase arch support to avoid excessive pronation and pull on the tendon. It can also help to vary the surface you’re working on, for example, switching from asphalt to grass to soften the impact. Treatment consists of ice, stretching, and anti-inflammatory medication.
Tennis elbow
Elbow injuries account for 7% of all sports injuries. Tennis elbow affects the forearm muscles and the tendon the connects the muscles to the elbow bones—in other words, the muscles that bend the wrist backward and cause the wrist to turn the palm face up. When overused—as in sports like tennis and golf—these muscles become inflamed. It’s called tennis elbow because the backhand tennis stroke is a common culprit in this injury. Golfers experience pain in the non-dominant arm as the forearm pulls the club through the swing. The best prevention is to re-situate the body positioning to take the stress off the elbow. Forearm-strengthening exercises may also help, such as squeezing a soft rubber ball. Treatment may be as simple as ice and anti-inflammatory medication, but severe and repeated strain may require a break from the sport.
Ankle sprain
Ankle sprains are common among athletes who jump, run, and turn quickly, including soccer, hockey, basketball, and volleyball players. The quick movements lead to a twisted ankle (stretched ligaments) or sprained ankle (partial or full tear), often when the foot rolls to the outside instead of landing squarely on the sole. The ankle may swell up and turn black and blue; if it can still bear some weight, it’s probably not broken, but an x-ray can rule out a hair-line fracture. You shouldn’t need to rest for more than a day; as soon as it’s tolerable, perform range-of-motion and strengthening exercises, such as spelling the alphabet with your foot (using only your ankle), gentle kicking in a pool, and carefully balancing on the affected leg. Prevent ankle sprains by—you guessed it—strengthening the muscles, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, all of which promote stability. A lace-up or compression ankle brace can also help, especially with weak ankles.
Achilles tendinitis
The largest tendon in the body, the Achilles, connects the calf muscles to the heel bone and is responsible for lifting the heel off the ground. This tendon may suffer tendinitis and become inflamed when overused, especially in sports that involve frequent running or jumping, such as basketball, lacrosse, skiing, and volleyball. Excessive pronation of the ankle and foot can cause the Achilles to tear, announcing itself with a pain like a gunshot.
Achilles tendinitis involves stretching and anti-inflammatory medication, but tears may require surgery. Prevention includes strengthening the muscles, particularly the hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes.
At Burger Physical Therapy, our physical therapists will evaluate your injury tailoring the treatment plan to your specific sport, style of play, and position. Our attention to detail when it comes to athletes of all ages has powerful results.
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