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Sports Injury Treatment

The Most Common Types of Sports Injuries

The most common sports injuries include:

  • Groin pull
  • Swollen muscles
  • Shin splints
  • Torn Achilles tendon
  • Sprained ankle
  • Strained hamstring
  • Other strains (tearing or overstretching of muscles or tendons) and sprains (overstretching or tearing of ligaments)
  • Dislocations
  • Tennis elbow
  • Rotator cuff injury
  • Torn ACL
  • Other knee injuries
  • Fractures

Preventing Sports Injuries

Luckily, many types of sports injuries are preventable. You should always warm-up and stretch before any physical activity because warm muscles are more flexible. Cold muscles are “stiffer” and more prone to injury. Apart from stretching, other methods of preventing sports injuries include:

  • Use proper equipment. Shoes or other gear that don’t fit well or are overly worn-out can contribute to sports injuries.
  • Use proper technique. Whenever possible, have somebody watch to make sure you’re using the optimal technique for your sport or athletic activity. Poor technique can lead to injuries.
  • Cool down. After your workout, you should cool down your muscles with stretching and other gentle exercises.
  • Don’t rush back after an injury. As tempting as it is to suck it up and work through the pain after an injury, this only increases your risk of causing a chronic injury that may become worse over time.
  • Don’t nurse an injury for too long. While you want to allow your injury to rest and recover for about 48 hours, excessive rest after that can delay healing. Depending on the injury, you should start gently exercising the injured area after about two days of rest.

Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is caused by small tears in the plantar fascia, which results in inflammation. These tears can be caused by too much stretching and tension in the ligament.

Who Is at Risk for Sports Injuries?

While anybody can suffer from a sports injury, some people are more at risk than others. Risk factors include:

  • Age – children and older adults are more prone to sports injuries
  • Failing to treat minor injuries
  • Obesity adds strain to joints like the hips, knees, and ankles

Treating Sport Injuries

You may have heard of RICE for treating sports injuries. Now, doctors are recommending PRICE:

  • P – Protect from further injury with a splint, pad, or crutch if necessary
  • R – Restrict activity for a couple of days to allow the injury to heal
  • I – Ice an injury immediately and for 48 hours after the injury. Apply ice for 20 minutes at a time every hour or two. Avoid heat during this time and focus strictly on ice because it reduces swelling.
  • C – Compression with an elastic wrap can reduce swelling
  • E – Elevate an injured arm or leg above the level of the heart to help reduce swelling

In addition to PRICE, over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) can help reduce swelling and pain. If the pain is so severe that over-the-counter pain relievers don’t help, it may be time for a trip to the doctor. Other signs you should head to the doctor rather than healing at home include:

  • Excessive swelling and pain
  • Deformities, or a joint that doesn’t look or move right
  • Skin color changes apart from moderate bruising
  • Popping or crunching sounds when using the joint
  • Inability to bear weight on a leg or use an arm
  • Instability
  • PRICE doesn’t help within two or three days
  • Dizziness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fever

Other treatments for sports injuries will vary depending on the type and severity of the injury.

Chiropractic Care For Sports Injuries

Chiropractic care can not only treat but help prevent sports injuries. These days, you’ll find a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) on the staff of most major league sports teams, including every National Football League (NFL) team. In fact, experts estimate that around 90% of all world-class athletes use chiropractors to increase their athletic potential and prevent injuries.

Why? Chiropractors have a much better understanding of and experience with biomechanical and neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction than the average family doctor, making them a better choice to get and keep athletes healthy.

The types of therapies that chiropractors can utilize to help treat sports injuries include:

  • Joint mobilization and manipulation
  • Soft tissue therapy
  • Rehabilitation
  • Individual exercises and lifestyle advice
  • Determining the best strategy for returning to normal activity

Contact Southside Chiropractic Car Injury Clinic Today!

While the name of our practice suggests we only specialize in car injury care, we at Southside Chiropractic also offer sports injury care and prevention. Call us today at 904-497-0823, email us at info@southsidechiropracticcarinjuryclinic.com, or schedule an appointment to see how we can help you prevent or treat your sports injury.

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