Treatments for Sports Injuries
Dr Hitesh Manga specialises in the treatment of sports injuries. Treatments are available in the Port Elizabeth area, focusing on injuries such as sprains, fractures, shin splints, and many more.
What are sports injuries?
A sports injury refers to injury caused during sports activities or exercise. Sports injuries can occur in many ways. They can occur due to an accident, poor training, utilising the incorrect equipment or not knowing how to warm up correctly. Most sports injuries occur due to overtraining or lack of incorrect training. The most common sports injuries include sprains, knee injuries, fractures, shin splints and more, as outlined below.
Common types of sports injuries
A sprain is either a stretch or a tear in the ligament, which is the band of connective tissues joined to the actual bone. Sprains can be caused by a fall or knock to the body which moves the joint out of position. The most common places to get a sprain are your wrists, ankles or knees.
There are different types of sprains: a first-degree sprain which consists of just a minimal disruption of adjacent fibres, and a third-degree sprain which is a complete tear. A chiropractor can assist in pain control, musculoskeletal nutrition protocols, and rehabilitation of the injury.
Shin splints is a pain inside the shin caused by inflammation of the muscles attached to the shin bone. This can happen when training or exercising has increased from a normal level to a high level of intensity. Running and jumping can also be a major cause of shin splints. Symptoms include swelling or experiencing pain while walking or running. Treatments for shin splints include applying ice to the area where the person is experiencing pain, learning how to stretch correctly or taking an anti-inflammatory.
A fracture is usually a break found in the bone. Fractures can consist of two things: either a stress fracture which is a crack in the bone, or an acute fracture which is a clean break and doesn’t damage much tissue. Acute fractures are, in most cases, an emergency and need to be seen to right away. An acute fracture can be dangerous if it breaks the skin, which could lead to infection.
Fractures can be caused by a fall, sports injuries or low bone density. A few symptoms of fractures include limited mobility, numbness and tingling or intense pain. A chiropractor will decide which treatment will be best suited for which type of fracture.
Knee injuries are exceedingly common and can occur at any stage in life. The knee joint is comprised of bone, cartilage, ligaments and fluid. If any of these joints happen to be injured, it can cause a lot of pain, difficulty walking or trying to get up from a chair. Knee problems can be caused by falling or twisting the knee, as well as sports accidents. There are many types of knee injuries. The most common knee injuries would be runner’s knee, osteoarthritis and bursitis.
Treatments for knee injuries include heat, ice, leg stretches, medicines to help relieve the pain or knee braces which offer extra support to the knee. A chiropractor can also help in treating those injuries and formulating suitable rehabilitation exercise programmes which will assist in strengthening the muscle and improving endurance and stability.
Tendonitis is characterized by the inflammation of tendons or degenerative connective tissue disorders such as Tennis or Golfer's elbow, Achilles tendonitis and chronic heel pain. It is usually extremely slow to heal or to respond to mainstream treatments due to the poor blood supply to the tendon.
Local cryotherapy has proven to be highly effective in the treatment of tendonitis.
The main reason for the success of cryotherapy is the ability to increase circulation to the area by up to four times. This allows for four times the amount of oxygen, nutrients and repair cells to access the affected tissue, which helps to fast-track healing. Studies show that cryotherapy can reduce recovery time by up to 50%. Added to that is the hormonal response by the body in response to the cold stimulus. Nor-epinephrine, a powerful anti-inflammatory hormone, is released, thereby helping to alleviate the inflammation that builds up between the tendon and its surrounding sheath which, in turn, relieves pressure on the tendon and relieves pain.
Plantar fasciitis is the most common condition of heel pain. This condition occurs when the long fibrous plantar fascia ligament along the bottom of the foot develops tears in the tissue resulting in pain and inflammation. The pain of plantar fasciitis is usually located close to where the fascia attaches to the calcaneus (heel bone), but it can also be felt along the plantar arch. The condition can be caused by various factors; running and ‘flat feet’ amongst the more common causes.
Local cryotherapy has proven to be highly effective in the treatment of plantar fasciitis.
The main reason for the success of cryotherapy is the ability to increase circulation to the area by up to four times. This allows for four times the amount of oxygen, nutrients and repair cells to access the affected tissue, which helps to fast-track healing. Studies show that cryotherapy can reduce recovery time by up to 50%. Added to that is the hormonal response by the body in response to the cold stimulus. The powerful anti-inflammatory hormone, Nor-epinephrine, is released, which helps to alleviate the inflammation that usually builds up in the plantar fascia. Endorphins are also released into the area of the affected fascia in response to local cryotherapy. There is an almost instantaneous relief of pain in the affected structure.
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Our approach to treating sports injuries
At our practice, we utilise a combination of traditional treatments alongside the latest technologies. Cryotherapy is often used in the treatment of both acute and chronic injuries.
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The benefits of cryotherapy in sports performance include:
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Schedule an appointment and begin your path to pain relief today.
Accredited / Member of:
CASA
SASMA
IOD Medical Center
ICCSP
