What is Sports Injury ?
Sports injuries can result from an impact or pressure that is higher than what the body part can physically bear. These may include injuries to a ligament, tendon, muscle, cartilage or other such structures of the body. The two basic categories of sports-related injuries are acute and chronic. An awkward landing or twisting, leading to a sprained ankle is an example of acute injury, whereas repetitive usage of the muscle groups or joints can be an instance of chronic injuries. What can add more to the development of chronic injuries are imperfect techniques of play and structural abnormalities of the body.
Any sports injury warrants a medical examination since you might be harmed worse than you realise. For instance, a bone breakage can be mistaken for a sprained ankle, and putting off treatment for an injury can have catastrophic repercussions as well.
What are the causes of Sports injuries?
Acute or chronic sports injuries can result from sudden impact or stress, applying more pressure to a joint than it can support, or overuse. They normally fall into one of these two categories. Here are the causes of sports injuries;
Acute injury: Slipping, falling, colliding, awkward landing, twisting and various other forms of accident can result in acute injury. Playing sports with the wrong techniques can also cause acute injuries. An acute injury comes with noticeable symptoms.
Chronic injury: A chronic injury either results from overuse, absence of proper strengthening and conditioning, or poor technique. Non-healed acute injury or playing even in pain can also turn into a chronic injury. A chronic injury can be more severe and difficult to manage.
Sports injuries can involve almost any ligament, tendon, muscle or cartilage of the body. However, some of the more common sports injuries are:
Meniscus Tear
A meniscus tear is a form of knee injury due to sudden movements in sports. The meniscus is a cartilage based structure in the knee joints, and a tear may lead to pain. There may be additional features like swelling, clicking sound, locking of joint, or limitations in the knee joint movement. A traumatic tear in a meniscus in a young individual may require repair using keyhole surgery (knee arthroscopy). Many times, it is unrepairable and requires surgery to remove the torn pieces, leaving behind the untorn part. The meniscus does not grow back, and hence, where possible, the surgeon attempts to repair it. If the whole meniscus is torn and unrepairable, then you may need a meniscal transplant.
Cartilage injury
Cartilage damage may occur due to impact, twisting injury, or awkward landing. the injury may be limited to cartilage only, or it may involve the underlying bone. It may present as a loose fragment of cartilage and bone in the joint, called osteochondral loose body, with a corresponding defect in bone (osteochondral defect). Sometimes, the injured fragment can be refixed, but at other times, you may require specialised surgeries to repair or regenerate the cartilage defect.
Hamstring Strain
Hamstring strain is a sprain or a tear of the muscles at the back of the thigh. It is common in sports that involve running or short sprints. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and bruising. RICE therapy and physical rehabilitation are usually used to treat this condition.
Rotator Cuff Tear
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint. Rotator cuff tears can be caused by repetitive overhead activities or a single traumatic incident. They can cause pain, weakness, and difficulties in lifting the arm. Treatment options can involve physical therapy or surgical repair using keyhole surgery (shoulder arthroscopy), depending on the degree of the tear, age and other factors.
Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is an inflammation of the Achilles tendon, which is a tendon that attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone. It mostly affects runners and other athletes who perform rigorous exercises, but may occur in any individual. Symptoms include pain and stiffness along the Achilles tendon, especially in the morning. Treatments involve rest, ice, stretching, and sometimes physical therapy to decrease inflammation in the tendon.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain and is caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia. This condition is seen in runners and people who do a lot of standing. Symptoms include severe and acute heel pain, especially when getting up in the morning. Treatment involves rest and Physiotherapy, including stretching exercises, electrotherapy, and supportive footwear or orthotics.
Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow
Lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow) and medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow) are overuse injuries of the forearm tendons. These are common injuries among players but are as commonly found in persons who subject their arms to repetitive motions. Symptoms include pain and tenderness on the side of the elbow. Almost all improve with conservative modalities that focus on rest and physical therapy followed by strengthening of the muscles around the elbow. In very few patients, surgery may be required.
Runner’s Knee
Patellofemoral pain syndrome or runner’s knee is a condition of pain around the kneecap. It commonly occurs in runners and athletes who engage in various activities that put pressure on the knee. Symptoms include knee pain when walking or after long periods of sitting. The treatment options include RICE and physical therapy to correct knee misalignment and muscle weakness.
Shin Splints
Shin splints are the pain that occurs along the shin bone called the tibia due to overuse and strain of the lower leg muscles. This injury occurs in runners, dancers, and military recruits. Symptoms include – stabbing or throbbing pain along the inner shin. Recommended treatment includes rest, ice, compression, and stretching exercises to relieve pain and avoid further injury.
Sports injuries require the services of sports experts to be correctly diagnosed and treated. Dr. Himanshu Gupta in Delhi NCR is known to treat different kinds of sports injuries such as meniscus tear, cartilage damage, hamstring strain, rotator cuff tear, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, runner’s knee, and Shin splints.
Sports injuries Treatment & Management in Delhi
Arthroscopic Surgery: Non-Invasive Surgery for Sports Injury
Consider surgery if nonsurgical treatments are unsuccessful in treating your sports injury symptoms or if your functionality is affected, preventing you from leading an active lifestyle. Arthroscopic surgeries are a large group of different surgeries, which are the advised sports injury treatment for many types of problems. These surgeries are designed to preserve, repair or replace ligaments, meniscus, cartilage, tendons etc. The aim is joint preservation, rather than replacing the joint.
Arthroscopic Surgery
- Less pain and swelling, as small incisions are made to treat the underlying problem by your Arthroscopy Surgeon. This method is less stressful than other standard operations.
- Shorter/ earlier recovery: Another benefit of using arthroscopic small incisions to repair sports injuries is that you recuperate more quickly and can resume your regular daily activities more quickly.
- Decreased risk of infection: This Sports injuries treatment minimizes the overall healing time and also reduces the patient’s risk of infection.
- Early discharge: patients after an arthroscopic surgery are generally discharged the next day itself, and for some procedures, they can be sent home on the same day within a few hours. Thus, hospital stays are minimised.
Your arthroscopic surgeon will advise you an ice pack and some medications after surgery to reduce any swelling and discomfort. You will also be started on a structured program of rehabilitation and exercise which is as important as the surgery itself to regain your function and active lifestyle.
