Sports Injuries Pain Management

The sports person has to be able to get over the injury to compete and to be able to continue training.

Problems with quadriceps followed by hamstring muscles are most common in foot ballers. Injury to knee, ankle and shoulder are the most common in football, basketball volleyball cricket etc.

Upper extremity injuries like shoulder sprains rotator cuff tears are more common in tennis, table tennis, shuttle badminton and cricket particularly bowlers.

Types of Sports Injuries:

Prevention:

It is better to prevent these injuries by taking precautions with reinforcements like wearing braces for the thighs, knee, ankle, arch supports, wrist brace etc. Stretching before and more importantly after the sports activity is essential to prevent injury. Prior stretching (warm up) prepares the muscles to take on the extra load and stretching afterwards works out the kinks and prevents cramping. The dictum is “start low go slow” particularly for people who start working out after long gap. It is preferable to start training gently and gradually increase the intensity rather than suddenly jump into intense sports. It is also preferable to check the vitamin deficiencies which predispose to muscle and ligament tears. A very important precaution is to make sure that any injury is fully healed before restarting activity to avoid developing a chronic pain state. This is particularly true for injuries to the lower limb which has to bear the bodyweight.

Knee Injuries:

Knee Injuries are the most common injury with high impact activities like running, amongst football, basketball, volley ball players, cyclists and with vigorous aerobics where they fall down on the knee or brace their whole weight on the knee and wrench these ligaments. This results in injury to one or more of the ligaments that stabilize the knee or have a bruising or fracture of the knee cap or patella.

These lead to intense spasm of thigh and calf muscles. The treatment of these injuries is rest, splinting, icing and anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or paracetamol. And muscle relaxants If the pain does not subside with this it is preferable to treat this muscle spasm actively with USGDN. In addition, it may be necessary to do injection of platelet rich plasma into the area of injury.

Muscle Tears and Strains(Pull)

Strains commonly involve thigh muscles like the quadriceps and groin strain in the uppermost part of inner thigh and the calf muscles or muscle of the shin to cause a shin splint. Groin strains are common in weight lifters who try to stand up while carrying a heavy weight. it can also happen due to a sudden change of direction while running and manifests as a sharp pain in the upper and inner thigh area.

Tears are more common in thos who change directions suddenly while running like football and basketball players and runners . Tears usually occur in the long muscles of thigh like the quadriceps and hamstrings but can also occur at the heel tendon.

Both tears and strains respond very well to Ultrasound guided dry needling (USGDN) which becomes a specific treatment by altering the muscle shortening. Healing which occurs by bridging of the gap is made easier by this approximation of torn ends. Usually pains from the tears disappear after 2-3 sessions but the stiffness takes a little longer. However, the patients are warned not to resume sports even though there is no pain because the tear has to be physically bridged and the healing takes 3-6 weeks time. The relaxation of persistent muscle knots by USGDN completely relieves the pain. Thereafter, gradual physiotherapy can strengthen the muscle so that pains don’t return.

Upper Extremity Injuries

Upper extremity injuries like shoulder sprains rotator cuff tears are more common in tennis, table tennis, shuttle badminton, Golf, swimming and particularly cricket bowlers where there is an over head swinging motion at the shoulder. Rotator cuff tears – As the name suggests rotator cuff forms a ring of tendons around the shoulder.

Most tears around the shoulder and their symptoms can be treated very well with rest antiin flammatory agents and USGDN becomes a specific treatment because it relaxes the retracted torn fibres to come close to one another.

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a common condition that causes pain on the outer side of the elbow. It is usually caused by overuse or repetitive strain on the muscles and tendons that attach to the lateral epicondyle, a bony prominence on the outer part of the elbow. Tennis elbow is often seen in people who play racquet sports, such as tennis and squash, but it can also affect people who do not play these sports. It can also be caused by other activities that involve repetitive arm, wrist, and hand movements, such as painting, carpentry, or typing. The most common symptoms of tennis elbow are pain and tenderness on the outer side of the elbow, weakness in the arm and wrist, and difficulty gripping objects. Treatment may include rest, physical therapy, and, in some cases, surgery.

Golfer’s elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis, is a condition that causes pain on the inner side of the elbow. It is similar to tennis elbow, but it affects the muscles and tendons on the inner side of the elbow, near the bony prominence called the medial epicondyle. Golfer’s elbow is often seen in people who play golf, but it can also affect people who do not play golf. It can be caused by other activities that involve repetitive arm, wrist, and hand movements, such as throwing a ball, lifting weights, or using a computer mouse. The most common symptoms of golfer’s elbow are pain and tenderness on the inner side of the elbow, weakness in the arm and wrist, and difficulty gripping objects. Treatment may include rest, physical therapy, and, in some cases, surgery.

Sports Injuries Pain Management

Types of Sports Injuries:

Knee Injuries

Muscle Tears and Strains (pull)

Upper Extremity Injuries

Prevention:

Knee Injuries:

Muscle Tears and Strains(Pull)

Upper Extremity Injuries

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