Sports Injuries Treatment Doctor Q&A
Sports injuries are common and happen as a result of overuse, direct impact, or force that the body cannot tolerate. They can range from minor shin splints to severe injuries to bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other body parts. If you have injured yourself while playing a sport, seek help from the experienced medical professionals at Columbia Clinic Urgent Care today! For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you at Tibbetts St Portland, Stark Street Portland, and Tigard, OR. We also accept walk-ins.
Table of Contents:
What are the most common sports injuries?
What are the main causes of sports injuries?
How are sports injuries diagnosed?
Can you go to an urgent care clinic for sports injuries?
If you play sports, you know about the benefits that come with exercising and doing something you love. Sports injuries will sideline millions of people every year. While there is no way to prevent these injuries, you can do things to help. Injuries caused by straining and overuse may be prevented by doing pre-sports and post-sport stretching. Also, make sure to listen to your body when it needs to rest.
● Strains: Strains are by far one of the most common of all sports-related injuries, and this is simply because we use so many muscles and tendons when we exercise or play. These moving parts are all susceptible to stretching farther than they should or moving in ways they shouldn’t move, which can lead to them being torn, damaged, and in pain.
● Sprains: When ligaments turn the wrong way, they can pull or tear apart. Ankle sprains are one of the most frequent types of sprains among athletes, followed closely by knee sprains and wrist and elbow sprains. Sprains tend to be painful, can take longer to heal than strains, and sometimes require immobilization to protect against further injury.
● Knee injuries: The knee is a complicated joint, and it endures a lot of impact and wear during most sports activities. For this reason, it is given its own category for sports injuries.
● Fractures: Impact and contact sports often lead to fractures of the bone, all of which can be painful, take weeks of immobilization to heal, and may sometimes require surgery to correct.
● Tennis elbow: You don’t need to play tennis to have this injury. Tennis elbow is one of several “injuries of repetition,” a strain of the ligaments in the elbow due to overuse and repetitive activity.
● Plantar fasciitis/shin splints: These two go hand and hand, also because they are both related to the overactivity of the feet and legs, combined with a lack of proper support. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the tendon in the arch of the foot, causing sharp pain with every step you take.
● Back injuries/back pain: Your back and spine undergo some level of stress with almost every sport. Over time, this may add stress and turn into inflammation around the vertebrae and back muscles, sometimes causing injuries to the discs and frequently causing upper or lower back pain
● Concussion: This is most common in sports such as contact sports like football. A concussion occurs when a sudden impact to the head causes the brain to lurch inside the skull. This can sometimes damage the tissues holding it in place. Concussions can be mild to severe, with symptoms ranging from headaches and dizziness to sleepiness and temporary loss of consciousness. Always seek medical attention from a spine-and-brain doctor with any blow to the head, as sometimes more serious symptoms may occur after the fact.
Sports injuries are commonly caused by impact, overuse, or force that is greater than the body part can structurally withstand. There are two kinds of sports injuries, they are acute and chronic.
Chronic injuries are caused by the overuse of your joints or muscle groups. Poor technique and structural abnormalities can also contribute to chronic injuries. A medical investigation of any sports injury is very important because you may be hurt more than you thought.
Depending on the suspected injury and the level of pain or disability, your doctor might take an X-ray to rule out any broken bones. While some broken bones are evident on an initial X-ray, some fractures may not be noticeable until a few days later, once healing of the injury has begun.
Yes, you can! Our doctors at Columbia Clinic Urgent Care are happy to help you with any sports injury that you have encountered. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Tibbetts St Portland, Milwaukie OR, Oak Grove OR, Stark Street Portland, Fairview OR, Happy Valley OR, Gladstone OR, Cedar Mill OR, Tibbetts Street Portland OR, West Linn OR, Aloha OR, Tigard OR, Lake Oswego OR, Tualatin OR, Oregon City OR.