Treating Sports and Overuse Injuries

Key Takeaways

Some sports injuries, such as sprains and broken bones, can result from a single traumatic event, while overuse-related sports injuries are caused by gradual damage from repetitive motions.
You can help avoid both acute and overuse injuries by warming up sufficiently, wearing appropriate footwear, prioritizing strength training and flexibility exercises, and maintaining proper body mechanics.
You can prevent sports injuries from escalating from minor issues to long-term problems by resting, applying cold compresses, elevating the affected area, and using pain management medication responsibly.
The most effective way to treat acute and repetitive strain injuries is to visit a dependable sports injury clinic near you. A qualified medical professional can build personalized rehabilitation plans.

Learning How Acute and Overuse Injuries from Sports Are Treated

Generally, sports are a great way to stay active and maintain your overall health. However, many sports can cause acute or overuse injuries, due to sudden trauma or repetitive stress, respectively. Sports injury care is essential for any adult or student athlete experiencing issues like an injured joint, stress fracture, sprain, or strain.

Most medical professionals address each sports injury individually, based on the type of injury and the severity of the damage. For instance, sprain treatment may involve rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E.) in mild cases; in contrast, a stress fracture may require longer resting periods, a restriction on weight-bearing activities, and the use of supportive devices like a walking boot or brace to facilitate proper healing.

The guide below outlines some of the most common acute and chronic injuries associated with sports, effective prevention strategies, and potential treatment options, helping athletes of all ages tailor their expectations accordingly. Although reading through the considerations below can help educate you on sports and repetitive strain injuries, contacting an experienced medical professional is the best way to get dependable, customized medical advice.

Understanding Sports Injuries

It is essential to exercise caution during physical activity and athletic events, as exercise can lead to various injuries, ranging from minor strains to severe injuries, such as broken bones. Regardless of severity, early diagnosis and effective treatment are crucial to recovery and future performance.

Educate yourself on the common types of sports injuries to make informed decisions about your health and safety.

Acute Injuries

Acute injuries typically occur suddenly and can be traced back to a single, specific event, such as an awkward fall or a rough collision during contact sports. Some examples of acute injury categories are:

Sprains – The excessive stretching of ligaments due to twisting movements or sudden impacts. Ankle sprains are especially common.
Ligament tears – The complete tearing of the connective soft tissues that stabilize joints. This commonly results in ankle or knee injuries.
Dislocated joints – Occurs when a bone slips out of its normal position in a joint, usually due to a forceful impact.
Abrupt fractures – The sudden breakage of bones resulting from direct impact.

Overuse Injuries

Contrasting with acute injuries, overuse injuries are caused by repetitive stress and strain over time, meaning one specific event is not the only reason they arise. Some common overuse injuries seen in sports are:

Bursitis – The inflammation of bursae, fluid-filled sacs that cushion joints, due to repetitive movement or pressure.
Tendinitis – The inflammation or irritation of a muscle tendon, which is the fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone, due to overuse or poor technique. This commonly manifests as an elbow, knee, or shoulder injury.
Stress fractures – Repetitive force or overtraining can cause tiny cracks to form in bones, particularly in weight-bearing bones such as the shin or foot.
Shin splints – Runners and dancers may notice pain and swelling along the inner edge of their shinbone due to repeated stress on the calf muscles and other lower leg tissues.

What Types of Sports Injuries Are the Most Common?

Arrowhead Health Centers has treated countless acute and repetitive strain injuries. Some examples of common sports injuries medical professionals see are:

ACL and meniscus tears
Achilles or patellar tendinitis
Hamstring strains
Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome
Plantar fasciitis
Rotator cuff injuries
Tennis and golfer’s elbow

Both acute and overuse injuries demand prompt evaluation and sport injury pain management to prevent further issues like worsening pain or prolonged recovery.

Causes and Symptoms of Sports Injuries

By understanding the factors that contribute to acute and chronic injuries, athletes can take proactive steps to prevent them. Below are the most common causes and warning signs of sports injuries that you should be aware of.

Overuse and Repetitive Motion

Physical activity with repeated motion and inadequate rest can lead to tissue inflammation and breakdown. Some endurance sports that commonly lead to repetitive strain injuries are:

Running
Swimming
Cycling
Rowing
Tennis
Basketball

Unfortunately, due to their slow progression, overuse injuries often go unnoticed until their symptoms become debilitating.

Poor Technique and Biomechanics

Incorrect form during weightlifting, running, or games can increase the risk of sports injuries by causing unnecessary strain or misalignment. Physical therapy can help you proactively correct poor posture or gait abnormalities that can otherwise place excessive stress on muscles and joints.

Inadequate Warm-Up and Conditioning

Jumping straight into high-impact forms of physical activity without warming up can restrict your muscles, resulting in a limited range of motion and increasing the risk of injury due to inadequate shock absorption. Proper conditioning should never be neglected, because it helps muscles adapt to the demands of the activity at hand.

Recognizing Symptoms: Soreness vs. Injury

It is usually normal to feel mild soreness after a workout. However, some signs that you may have a more serious injury include:

Chronic pain that seems to worsen over time
Unusual numbness or tingling sensations
Visible deformities like substantial swelling or bruising
Abnormal weakness that makes it hard to bear weight

If you experience any of the symptoms above, schedule a professional evaluation, especially if your symptoms persist or do not improve after a few days of rest.

Prevention Strategies

Although the strategies below won’t retroactively fix an existing sports-related injury, taking the following considerations into account can help you prevent future injuries.

Importance of Proper Footwear

Activity-specific shoes can provide structural support and shock absorption that match the demands of that activity, whether it is running, tennis, hiking, or something else entirely. Improperly fitted or worn-out shoes can contribute to poor biomechanics.

Enhancing Flexibility and Strength

Proper conditioning should include a balance between stretching and strength training to protect from muscle overexertion and ligament tears. On one hand, stretching can improve your range of motion, but on the other hand, strength training can enhance stability and reduce joint stress.

Safe Training Practices

You can avoid overtraining by gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts. For example, if you are running, you can incrementally increase your mileage, and if you are playing a sport, you can progressively extend the duration of your gameplay. Cross-training with different activities is a great way to prevent repetitive stress and keep your workout routine well-rounded.

Recognizing Early Warning Signs

Never ignore early signs of injury, such as:

Mild discomfort
Joint clicking
Swelling

Messages like the ones above are the human body’s way of signaling that rest or medical attention may be needed. Routine sports physicals with qualified professionals are an excellent way to catch early warning signs before they worsen.

Initial Treatment Approaches

Medical professionals may take different approaches when addressing each injury. For example, treatments for sprains and strains are typically less demanding than those for bone fractures, which often require immobilization and the use of supportive devices.

Understanding what initial treatment may entail and the importance of early intervention is crucial.

R.I.C.E. Method for Minor Injuries

Resting, using an ice pack, wearing compression devices, and elevating the affected area above heart level are usually the first line of defense for soft tissue injuries. This approach is known to reduce swelling and pain during the first 48 hours.

Pain Management and Anti-inflammatory Techniques

In addition to the R.I.C.E method, some standard pain management techniques you can try include:

Taking over-the-counter pain medications
Using topical treatments to manage pain and reduce inflammation
Trying physical therapy modalities, such as controlled electrical stimulation or massage, to reduce swelling and promote healing

Nonetheless, if you are experiencing severe pain, prescription medications or corticosteroid injections may be the best avenue for pain management.

Importance of Early Intervention

Unfortunately, delaying treatment often leads to prolonged recovery times or chronic issues because injuries can worsen over time. However, getting an early diagnosis from a qualified medical provider can ensure the injury is addressed before it worsens.

Advanced Treatment Options

Although minor injuries may be resolved via the aforementioned treatment methods, more complex or persistent injuries may require advanced treatments. The options below can help athletes restore function and relieve pain in many cases without resorting to surgery.

Rehabilitation Techniques

Physical therapy plays a vital role in recovery. You should work with a qualified professional to build a personalized rehabilitation plan that restores strength and range of motion. Some common modalities that may be included in your plan are:

Therapeutic exercises
Electrical stimulation
Ultrasound therapy
Manual therapy

Nonsurgical Treatments

Many sports and overuse injuries can be effectively managed without having to opt for surgery, thanks to advanced nonsurgical options, such as:

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy – Utilizes concentrated platelets from the patient’s blood to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, and joints.
Trigger point injections – Involves injecting medication directly into muscle knots to relieve pain on-site and improve mobility.
Regenerative medicine – Encourages tissue repair and regeneration through the use of biologics, such as stem cells or growth factors.

Surgical Interventions

Sometimes, severe injuries, such as torn ligaments or fractured bones, demand surgery. If you must go down this path, it is essential to choose a reliable surgical team that collaborates with trusted orthopedic surgeons and guides patients through both pre-operative and post-operative care.

Role of Healthcare Providers

Your healthcare provider is your partner in both injury prevention and recovery. It is important to know when and why their guidance is essential.

When to Seek Professional Care

Some scenarios that warrant seeking professional medical care for an injury include:

If pain persists beyond a few days
If symptoms worsen with activity
If you experience substantial swelling, numbness, or loss of function

Medical professionals have access to advanced imaging tests, such as X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, that can provide a clear view of the injury. Therefore, an early evaluation by a medical professional can lead to better outcomes.

Coordination with Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists

Dependable clinics that offer comprehensive care will use the knowledge of various medical professionals to help you achieve the best outcome possible. For example, Arrowhead Health Centers has a vast network of primary care professionals, chiropractors, and pain management specialists with backgrounds in orthopedic care and sports medicine, ensuring every patient receives dependable care tailored to their condition.

Support and Recovery With Arrowhead Health

Without adequate support from knowledgeable professionals, recovering from sports or overuse injuries can be exceptionally challenging, both physically and emotionally. However, Arrowhead Health Centers delivers top-of-the-line sports injury care that can facilitate recovery.

Our compassionate team understands the impact that these types of injuries have on daily life and athletic performance. Therefore, our three walk-in clinics throughout the greater Phoenix area are readily available to help you with sprain treatment or whatever you need to get back to the activities you love as soon as possible.

What Are Arrowhead Health Centers’ Priorities?

Some examples of things each of our three medical center locations prioritizes when addressing a sports injury include:

Consistent and clear communication throughout the entire healing process
The implementation of evidence-based treatment plans
Ongoing progress tracking and as-needed plan adjustments
Patient education to prevent future injuries

Regardless of whether you’re a high school athlete, a seasoned professional, or a weekend warrior, our team is equipped with the knowledge and proper equipment needed to support injury recovery, making Arrowhead Health Centers different than many other walk-in family clinics.

Benefits of Choosing Arrowhead Health Centers

Many believe Arrowhead Health Centers delivers the best family medical care in Arizona. Some advantages patients experience when visiting our patient-focused facilities are:

Next- or same-day appointments for injuries
On-site lab testing with state-of-the-art equipment
Personalized, long-term care from a multidisciplinary team

Our experienced team takes pride in helping patients navigate a wide range of health concerns, from temporary sports-related conditions to chronic injuries. Our team offers preventive health screenings and physical exams to prevent future injuries, accurate diagnoses of current injuries, and ongoing wellness care in Tempe/Scottsdale, Glendale/Peoria, and Sun City/Surprise.

Arrowhead Health Centers Can Help You Get Back in the Game

If you’re suffering from a sports or overuse injury, don’t wait to get the care you need. Schedule an appointment online or call 623-334-4000 to get next- or same-day care from the skilled team at Arrowhead Health Centers.