What is a Sports Injury?
Most sports injuries are minor and consist of bruises, sprains and strains. However, some sports injuries can be serious and have a big impact on your daily life. These injuries can happen anywhere in the body and depend largely on the sport you’re taking part in.
Chiropractic treatment
Chiropractic care and rehabilitation for athletes has been a growing field since more and more athletes are seeking a sports chiropractor for the treatment and rehabilitation of a sports injury. Our Chiropractor is well prepared to manage spinal injuries as well as the various musculoskeletal injuries that occur during sports.
Your chiropractic treatment will depend on your condition and injury. Once we’ve understood the history and examined you thoroughly, we’ll establish a treatment plan that may consist of joint manipulation, trigger point therapy, soft tissue manipulation, stretching and strengthening exercises. We have treated amateur athletes to professionals and understand that getting back to your sport is important.
Causes and risk factors
- Head - Concussions are common sporting injuries that take place and occur when the head is hit with enough force to shake the brain inside the skull. This may cause a person to lose consciousness for a brief period of time. It’s important to wear a properly fitted helmet to prevent concussions. With that said, a helmet does not make you invincible and should not be considered something that can totally prevent head injuries.
- Neck - Muscles of the neck can be strained due to the repetitive motion involved in some sports and a serious neck injuries can occur when a collision happens. This can cause the vertebrae to crack or cause a herniated disc in the spinal column.
- Shoulders - The shoulder allows precise movement in multiple planes due to its number of ligaments and tendons. However, the shallow joint of the shoulder means it is prone to dislocation and stress that lead to injury. This is common due to imbalance from sports training.
- Elbows - Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow, which can occur in a variety of sports, is inflammation and soreness of the elbow which may be caused by repetitive micro tears in the tendon that connects the muscle to the bone.
- Wrists - The wrists are common places for sports injuries resulting in sprains, strains or fractures. Sports that involve holding a grip (e.g., golf) can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes numbness in the hands due to a pinched nerve.
- Hands - A jammed finger is commonly seen when the fingers are impacted directly. This can happen from a collision with an object or the ground. A jammed finger typically heals as long as there is no fracture or dislocation.
- Upper Back - The muscles of the upper back affect how the shoulder and arm move so it is common to see pain resulting from overuse. Serious conditions involve the vertebrae in the head and neck and are common in contact sports that can have jarring movements.
- Lower Back - Lower back pain is probably the most common injury since the lower back plays a large role in how we bend and twist our bodies. If an athlete is overweight, they are more likely to experience an injury to the lower back.
- Hips - The multiple muscles, ligaments, and tendons that make up the hip means there are many types of injuries that can occur through repetitive use or impact. Mild injuries can be treated with rest, ice/heat, and anti-inflammatory medication, while serious injuries require immediate medical attention.
- Knees - Knees tend to be problematic in older athletes since cartilage and other protective material wears down over time. Surgery is a common solution to knee injuries including damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the menisci, which happens when the knee is twisted.
- Ankles - Ankle sprain is by far the most common sports injury and can happen quite easily. Ligaments in the ankles can also become stretched and even torn. Since there are many bones connected to a number of ligaments, there are different types of sprains and different levels of severity that can occur.
- Feet - A common sports injury in the foot is fractures, due to running on hard surfaces. Another common injury is a plantar fasciitis, which is a painful inflammation of the fibrous band at the sole of your foot. Proper footwear with adequate support is the easiest way to prevent sports injuries to the foot.
Long-term effects and when to speak to your doctor
With mild sports injuries, many doctors recommend active rehab. If a condition is serious or chronic, then it’s important to seek treatment so you can make a full recovery. Injuries left untreated may have a big impact later in life.
Contact Us for Your Consultation
If you think Chiropractic treatment can help, contact us to schedule a consultation at our Singapore Clinic. The consultation includes:
- X-ray review and measurement
- Lifestyle and activity assessment
- Doctor examination
- Clinic session
- Spinal adjustment
- At-home care recommendations
If new X-Rays need to be taken, they can be done the same day (at an additional cost) as your appointment. Our doctor will also show you some results from previous patients so you can feel confident in the Chiropractic treatment we provide.
We promise to never hard-sell you, because we believe that our patients must be as committed to their treatment as our team is to their care.