Safely Returning to Play After Athletic Injuries
If you participate in sports, you know how frustrating it can be to sustain athletic injuries that keep you from the sport you love. But returning to physical activity too quickly can put you at risk of causing further damage to the injured area or experiencing a new injury. At Summit Orthopedics, our sports medicine experts are here to help athletes of all ages throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul area safely return to the activities they love as quickly as possible.
Types of Sports Injuries
In general, athletic injuries are grouped into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute injuries occur suddenly, such as bone fractures that happen from a sudden blow. Chronic injuries develop over time and are usually overuse injuries. A common example is stress fractures, tiny cracks on the surface of bones, which often affect runners, gymnasts and others who perform repetitive movements that cause impact to bones.
Athletic injuries can happen to anyone and affect many different parts of the body, including muscles, bones, tendons (tissue that connects muscles to bones), ligaments (tissues that connect joints to bones) and other tissues in the knees, shoulders, elbows, ankles, feet and other areas. How long it takes to get back to playing sports depends on the type and severity of your injury.
Some common sports injuries include:
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear: One of the most common knee injuries is an ACL tear. The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally down the middle of the knee and helps control your knee’s motion. This injury can happen while playing sports that require changing directions, jumping or stopping suddenly.
- Meniscal tear: The menisci are pieces of cartilage that act as shock absorbers in the knee joint. A meniscus can tear from overuse or from sudden trauma to the knee.
- Rotator cuff tear: This is the most common type of injury to the shoulder. A group of muscles and tendons called the rotator cuff hold the shoulder joint in place. The tendons can tear from overhead movements, such as those made by swimmers or tennis players.
- Sprains and strains: A sprain is a torn or stretched ligament, while a strain is a torn or stretched tendon or muscle. These injuries can occur from falling, twisting or other types of traumas while playing sports. Sprains are common in the wrists and ankles, while strains are more likely to happen in your back or hamstrings.
- Tendonitis: This occurs when tendons become inflamed. Some forms of tendonitis include tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, swimmer’s shoulder and Achilles tendinitis, which affects the large tendon in the back of the lower leg.
When to See a Doctor for Athletic Injuries
Minor injuries can often be cared for at home with rest and over-the-counter pain medications, as well as ice, compression and elevation to reduce swelling. You should see a doctor right away if you have signs of a more serious injury, such as:
- Inability to bear weight on a specific area
- Joints or bones that are clearly out of place
- Severe pain and swelling that doesn’t go away after a few days
Treatment depends on the severity of your injury. You might need a sling, splint, brace or cast to protect the area and help it heal. For more serious injuries, such as severe fractures or tears, surgery is sometimes required.
After healing, it’s important to take steps to prevent reinjury. Be sure to wear the right protective gear for your sport, follow proper techniques, take breaks while playing in competitions or practicing and drink plenty of liquids. Remember to also give your body time to recover by taking at least one day off per week and one week off per year.
How Do You Know When You’re Ready to Return?
After your injury has healed, you might need physical therapy to build your strength and improve your range of motion before you can return to playing your sport. Your sports medicine physician and physical therapist will collaborate to determine when it’s safe to get back to your sport. You will need to pass specific tests geared toward your sport to show that your body is ready to return.
At Summit Orthopedics, our ASCEND Return to Sport program, which begins after the completion of standard physical therapy, is designed to help qualifying athletes who have an ACL tear or other type of lower extremity injury gradually intensify physical performance until they are back to their prior level. The program focuses on increasing muscle and core strength, improving agility and neuromuscular control and boosting confidence to ensure you are mentally ready to return as well.
Schedule an appointment with a Summit Orthopedics sports medicine provider.
