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Sports Injury Rehabilitation
Sports injury rehabilitation is an effective therapeutic approach to treat pain and injury in athletes to help them recover and achieve their optimal sports performance. Sports injury is the type of injury sustained during physical activity, including competitive or recreational sports.
According to data reported by Statistics Canada, every year, millions of Canadians sustain sports injuries, with many requiring sports injury rehabilitation. Both children and adults are vulnerable to sports injuries, while playing contact sports is linked to higher risk of getting hurt.
While most sports injuries heal within several weeks, some types of injuries can cause debilitating pain and discomfort for months and even years. Our multidisciplinary team of experts is committed to providing our patients state-of-the-art care in sports injury rehabilitation to regain optimal performance.
What are the most common types of sports injury?
The type of sports injury sustained depends on the specific activity performed, with different injuries producing varying symptoms and complications. Typically, musculoskeletal injuries are the most common type of injury sustained during sport participation.
The most common types of injuries include the following:
Sprains
Sprains are a type of ligament injury. Ligaments are bands of tough, fibrous connective tissue that hold the joints together. Sprains are caused by tearing or overstretching or tearing the ligaments as a result of a physical impact. Mild sprains can often be treated at home, while severe sprains require surgery to repair torn ligaments and extensive sports injury rehabilitation. Some people develop painful joints and chronic pain after receiving initial treatment for their sprains, requiring additional medical attention and a comprehensive rehabilitation program.
Strains
This type of injury is caused by tearing, twisting or overstretching of tendons or muscles. Tendons are structures that connect bone to muscle. This type of injury causes pain, bruising and inflammation. Commonly strained tendons and muscles include those in the knees, back, legs and feet. Some types of strains require sports injury rehabilitation to rebuild lost strength and reduce symptoms of pain and discomfort.
Dislocations
This is a common type of sports injury in contact sports, with shoulder, knee and hip joints being the most commonly affected. During a dislocation, a bone becomes forced out of its socket, often due to forceful impact from collision with another person or from falling and hitting the ground. Sometimes, dislocation can cause joint instability and even chronic pain, which requires specialized treatment and, in some cases, surgery.
Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common types of injury in high-impact or contact sports. It is a neck injury caused by sudden and forceful movement of the head forward, backwards or sideways. This type of motion can result in significant damage to the neck by causing fractures in the bones of the spine, as well as in the disks between the bones. Moreover, whiplash injury can cause damage to the ligaments, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in the neck.
The length of time it takes to recover from whiplash injury can be difficult to predict. Moreover, whiplash can cause the following lasting effects:
- Chronic neck pain
- Chronic headaches
Concussions
A concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury often sustained during sports accidents and is typically caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. It is also possible to get a concussion from a whiplash-type injury sustained during contact sports that causes the brain to quickly shake inside the head. Although most people recover from the concussion completely, some individuals who sustained a concussion injury continue to experience long-term symptoms, called post-concussion syndrome.
Some of the common symptoms of post-concussion syndrome include the following:
Post-concussion syndrome can have significant negative consequences on the overall quality of life. Many individuals who suffer from it experience concussion-like symptoms at rest or when performing physical or mental activities, such as exercise or work. These effects could be detrimental to the physical, professional, and social aspects of their lives.
The long-term effects of a concussion include the following:
- Persistent headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability and personality/behaviour changes
- Memory problems
- Sleep problems
- Depression and psychological problems
- Disorders affecting smell and taste
- Sensitivity to light and sounds
Post-Traumatic Headaches
Headaches are some of the most common and debilitating health consequences of sports injury. Typically, this type of headache arises following head and/or brain injury and can persist for months or even years after the accident. Post-traumatic headache refers to headache which develops within seven days of the injury, often resembling migraine and tension-type headache. According to studies, it often resolves within three months of injury; however, in some people, post-traumatic headache can persist for significantly longer.
What are the treatments for sports injuries?
There are several types of treatments for sports injuries and their persistent symptoms, depending on the type of injury and symptom severity.
Here are some of them:
Medication
Some musculoskeletal sports injuries causing pain and inflammation can be effectively treated with over-the-counter or prescription medication. Moreover, medication can be used to alleviate headaches and migraines which can be common following concussions and head injuries sustained during athletic activities.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient medical practice based on traditional Chinese medicine widely used around the world to treat a variety of medical conditions. Acupuncture can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies, including more conventional methods. Numerous scientific research studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can help to alleviate pain, including chronic low-back pain and neck pain due to whiplash injury.
In addition, studies have also shown that acupuncture can be used to treat recurring headaches and migraines which often arise following concussions and head injuries sustained during physical activity and sports.
Nerve Block
A nerve block injection is a minimally invasive medical procedure which combines the use of anti-inflammatory medications with local anaesthetics to prevent or manage different types of pain. When injected near a nerve, the nerve block prevents the release of chemicals that send pain signals to the brain. This procedure can be used to treat chronic neck and joint pain, as well as chronic headaches and migraines following a sports injury.
Botox® Treatment
Botox treatment can be used to effectively reduce the frequency of recurrent headaches and migraines following head injury, whiplash injury or concussion. This procedure involves injections of one of the forms of botulinum toxin, which is a protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and species related to it. In turn, this toxin blocks signal transmission from nerves to muscles, resulting in muscle relaxation, while reducing pain and frequency of chronic headaches and migraines.
Manual connective/soft tissue manipulation
Osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) is a safe and effective way to reduce chronic pain which persists following sports injury. This type of therapy involves the use of a variety of manipulative and gentle techniques to restore the biomechanical equilibrium of muscles and joints. OMT can be effectively used to treat joint pain following traumatic injury, restoring movement and function, while reducing muscle spasms, pain and discomfort.
