What are they?
These are injuries that can be obtained from any kind of sport. Whether you are a youth, high school, or college athlete or you are a weekend warrior these injuries can come at any stage of life. They can be small and quick to overcome, or they can require surgery and some post-surgical rehab time.
Information on what causes them?
Athletic injuries typically have a few main causes. First, they can be an overuse injury. Consistently playing one sport or focusing on one type of movement can cause our soft tissues to become overloaded and wore down faster. Second, they can be caused by a general lack of strength and stability. Not having a good base or foundation to work from can cause can serious soft tissue or joint injuries with athletic movements. Finally, they can be caused by an uncontrollable accident. When you are playing a sport, especially a team sport, there are many factors that can cause injury that you cannot control.
The signs and symptoms?
The signs and symptoms of these issues are acute and sudden pain, swelling, inability to bear weight without compensation, altered gait mechanics, popping, clicking, decreased motion and flexibility, decreased power, and strength, are just a few to name.
Treatment?
Physical therapy will initially focus on the decreasing and eliminating the pain and swelling. Once these are under control or eliminated, we will then work on improving the healing of the affected bone or soft tissue. This could include modalities, tools, and exercises to improve the healing process and working on regaining the motion and strength needed to return you back to where you were before the injury. Finally, a comprehensive home program will be set up to make sure you have the tools you need to maintain your gains and avoid this injury again in the future.
Expectations?
At your first visit you should expect a physical therapist that is there to get to know you, your current complaints, and your goals. Using this information and the information they gather during their evaluation they will set up an individualized treatment plan that will help you reach your goals and get back to your life faster. Treatments could include modalities for pain control, manual therapy to help with muscle, soft tissue, and joint healing, and exercises to restore motion and strength.
