Sports Medicine

Sports injuries most commonly occur either during exercise or while participating in a sport.

There are two kinds of sports injuries:

1. Acute traumatic injuries – types of injuries that happen after a blow or force, like fractures, sprains, strains, concussions and cuts.
2. Overuse injuries – also referred to as chronic injuries. These types of injuries happen over time and result from repetitive training, such as running, overhand throwing or serving tennis. If left untreated, these types of injuries, like stress fractures and tendonitis, tend to get worse.

Children are more prone to sports injuries, especially if they fall into any of the criteria below:

• Haven’t been regularly active
• Don’t warm up properly before exercise
• Play contact sports

The RICE method is a common treatment for mild sports injuries. It is performed within 24 to 36 hours after the injury to reduce swelling and prevent additional pain and bruising.

RICE stands for

• R – rest
• I – ice
• C – compression
• E - elevation

If there are no signs of improvement after performing the RICE method, contact a healthcare provider. Serious sports injuries may require surgery and physical therapy.

Seek medical attention right away if you experience any of the symptoms below:

• Pain that gets worse when doing activities
• Swelling in the injured area
• Limping
• Limited range of motion
• Pain that continues for a while, gets worse at times or lasts for a week or more following an injury
• Visible lumps, bumps or deformities
• Popping or crunching sounds when the injured joint is being used
• Weakness or inability to put weight on the joint
• Instability
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness
• Fever

We offer a wide variety of sports medicine treatments that include physical therapy, home exercises, medications, splints, orthotics and therapeutic injections to address common orthopedic conditions, including but not limited to the following:

• Concussion
• Spinal cord injury
• Stress fracture - a condition that occurs when repeatedly making the same movement in a specific region leads to bone breakage
• Shoulder dislocation
• Rotator cuff injuries – a condition that occurs when any of the group of muscles and tendons attached to the bones of the shoulder joint are irritated, inflamed or torn. This may cause pain, weakness, stiffness or loss of motion
• Tendonitis – a condition that occurs when the tendons or the structures that join muscles to the bones in the elbow, heel, knee, shoulder, thumb or wrist become swollen or inflamed

Some surgical treatments offered at Abrazo Health, Abrazo Orthopedic Specialists and Arizona Sports Medicine Center include:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction – graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after an injury. The torn ligament can either be removed from the knee or preserved before reconstruction, an arthroscopic procedure
• Knee arthroscopy – a surgical procedure in which a small camera is used to examine tissues inside the knee joint
• Biceps tenodesis surgery – surgeons create an opening in the humerus and stitch a rolled-up end of the bicep into place using different methods based on the specific case
• Cartilage restoration – a procedure in which a patient’s knee is resurfaced, realigned and stabilized, thereby avoiding joint replacement
• Fracture repair (surgical and nonsurgical) – immobilization of the bones through casting to allow them to heal and repair themselves.
• Open reduction and internal fixation – this involves surgery to repair the fracture. Frequently, metal rods, screws or plates are used to repair the bone and remain in place under the skin after the surgery.
• Labral repair surgery – a procedure used to reverse damage to the labrum, or cartilage, in the shoulder.
• Rotator cuff repair – surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Most often involves re-attaching the tendon to the head of the humerus (upper arm bone).
• Shoulder surgery – often used to treat a frozen or dislocated shoulder, rotator cuff injuries or a fracture of the shoulder blade (scapula)
• Tendon repair – one or more small incisions in the skin over the damaged tendon, wherein the torn ends of the tendons are sewn together. The area is then immobilized in a splint or cast to allow the tendon to heal.
• Tommy John surgery – surgical procedure which aims to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), which is located in the elbow. To learn more about this procedure, watch the video below.