With all of those activities – especially when started up again after a few months of cold weather inactivity – injuries can easily occur. One type of injury that you don’t hear very much about, though, is “overuse injuries”. So, we thought now would be a GREAT time to discuss some of the most common overuse injuries that we see so that YOU know what to look out for…or, better yet, avoid all together!
Warm-Up: Always, always, ALWAYS take the time to warm up and stretch prior to practice or competition. Cold muscles have a much higher incidence of sustaining injury. So, make sure to warm up with five minutes of jumping jacks, light jogging, or walking. Then, slowly and gently begin to stretch, with a bit of extra attention being given to hips, knees, calves, and thighs.
The athletic shoes of today have come a long way from their predecessors, and are highly diversified at that. Present day athletic footwear is designed with specific activities in mind – including running, hiking, baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, football, tennis, and volleyball. And, it’s recommended that if you’re participating in a particular sport more than two times per week you should be fitted for and purchase shoes that have been specifically designed for that sport (such as a running shoe, court shoe, cleats, etc).
For as high impact and collision prone of a sport as soccer is, the amount of protective gear worn by the players is pretty minimal. Shin guards, obviously, are paramount, because they protect the lower leg. In fact, it’s been shown time and again that a good portion of the lower leg injuries that occur in soccer are due to inadequate shin guards. Aside from mouth guards and the occasional lightly padded gear that goal keepers often wear to protect themselves from obscene amounts of turf burn, shin guards are pretty much “it” when it comes to protective gear and soccer players.
Let’s start with how this painful disorder is diagnosed. As with the diagnosis of anything, early diagnosis and treatment is important. The earlier Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caught, the sooner treatment can begin, which lessens the likelihood of any permanent nerve damage. And, even though carpal tunnel syndrome is a very common cause of pain, weakness, and numbness in the hand(s), it’s not the only cause.
Well, it’s the result of the median nerve – which runs from the forearm to the palm of the hand – becoming compressed at the wrist. This can happen because, to get from the forearm to the hand, the nerve must pass through the “carpal tunnel”, which is a narrow passageway comprised of both bone and ligaments and is located at the base of the hand. For a variety of reasons, the tunnel can narrow and compress the nerve…leading to weakness, pain, and numbness that can affect the entire arm (as opposed to just the hand and wrist).
As discussed previously, some of the main goals of physical therapy are to provide a viable, conservative option to surgery; to help improve both mobility and range of motion; and, assist in helping patients manage their pain without the long-term usage of narcotic pain medication.
Physical therapists work with your doctor to examine, evaluate, and treat individuals who may be suffering from one (or more) of many different conditions. For instance, physical therapists work with individuals experiencing back pain, neck pain, injuries affecting joints, carpal tunnel syndrome, burns, joint replacement, developmental disabilities, arthritis, sports injuries…honestly, the list goes on and on.
Often times, it’s the first 24 hours after surgery that surprise people the most. Why is that? Well, because both your orthopaedic surgeon and your physical therapy team will want you to start the process of getting out of bed and taking your first steps with your new knee (typically with a walker). Your physical therapists will teach you how to do things like how to get in and out of bed, how to get out of a chair, and the best way to manage stairs.
Wrist sprains are a common injury that seems to affect those who participate in volleyball, tennis, and hockey at a somewhat higher rate. These sports involve excessive usage of the hands, which means that the wrists are always exposed to injuries. A wrist sprain occurs when a ligament is torn or stretched, and frequently occurs by falling over the wrist, or twisting it abnormally while playing a sport.
