When to See a Specialist and Protect Your Long Term Performance
Most sports injuries will not need emergency treatment but putting off getting evaluated can cause long term damage. An accurate diagnosis and prompt rehabilitation will get you back to sport quicker with less time lost.
If you experience pain that doesn’t resolve itself, increased swelling or instability when you move your joints you should seek medical attention.
Acute vs Overuse Injuries
Some injuries happen suddenly after a hard tackle, unexpected twist, or awkward landing. Acute injuries cause sudden onset pain, swelling, bruising, and difficulty moving the injured joint or limb.
Degenerative conditions such as tendonitis, bone bruises, stress reactions, or bursitis are examples of overuse injuries.
Some cases are more urgent than others. If you experience an acute injury that results in deformity of the affected limb or joint, you should go to the emergency room. If you have pain that is not improving after changing your activities for several weeks you should see a specialist.
Warning Signs
You should not ignore the inability to put weight on an injured extremity or gross joint instability. Other serious symptoms include the popping of a joint followed by immediate swelling.
Numbness, tingling, weakness, or lack of coordination can also be cause for concern. Pale or cool skin near the injury, absent pulses, or uncontrollable swelling are also worrying signs.
Redness and fever along with your injury are cause for concern and you should be evaluated to rule out infection.
Seek Medical Attention
The RICE method of injury treatment is appropriate for some acute soft tissue injuries. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation should be performed as soon as possible for the first forty eight hours.
Ice helps decrease swelling and should be applied for 15-20 minutes several times per day. Compression should be snug but not limit circulation to the affected area.
If you continue to experience instability with weight bearing, mechanical locking, or the area continues to swell after initially healing you should seek further medical attention.
These symptoms can indicate a need for an MRI or Ultrasound to confirm your diagnosis. Many times athletes try to self treat injuries which can lead to prolonged recovery.
Getting Checked Out Early
Having your injury evaluated within the first week of symptoms is ideal. If your symptoms are not improving then it is better to get checked sooner rather than later.
Chronic Pain
If you are still experiencing pain weeks or even months after injury you may be dealing with a chronic problem. Some athletes never fully recover from an injury and continue to have pain with activity.
Scar tissue can build up, joints can become unstable, and nerves can become irritated with an incomplete recovery.
A sports medicine physician can help determine the cause of your pain and develop a plan to treat your injury. This can range from specific rehabilitation, injections, bracing, or strength training.
Even chronic inflammation can be reversed with early intervention. Corrective exercise can help restore proper muscle balance around a joint.
Neuromuscular reeducation can help athletes learn movement patterns that do not cause pain.
Return to Play
An athlete should never return to sport based on how they feel alone. There are objective measures that can be used to determine if an athlete is ready to return to sport.
Asymmetries in strength and range of motion can be measured as well as functional movement tests under fatigue.
With some injuries there may be compensations that don’t hurt during rehabilitation but may cause issues once an athlete returns to sport.
Performance professionals can help analyze movement patterns to decrease risk of reinjury. Motion capture and wearable technology can help visualize movements that need to be improved.
Rehab should be progressive in nature. You should not jump from being able to walk to running right away.
Start with improving mobility if that is impaired. Then progress to strengthening before working on power and sport specific agility drills.
Your sport specific drills should be progressed slowly until you can run, cut, and jump without pain.
Alpha Sports Performance Medicine takes return to play very seriously. We utilize input from our physicians, therapists, and performance coaches to determine when an athlete is ready to return to sport.
This is done so we do not prematurely return our athletes and put them at risk for re injuring themselves.
See a Doctor
Many athletes tough it out when they are injured. Pain is something that many athletes believe they should be able to play through.
If your pain is not going away after a week, if you notice your swelling is getting worse, or you have lost range of motion you should get checked out.
Often times athletes will miss more time because of an injury by not getting it diagnosed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I see a sports injury specialist near me?
If you are unable to bear weight, experience significant swelling or instability, have numbness or weakness, or have pain that is not going away after one to two weeks it is time to see a specialist.
Is it okay to treat a sprain at home?
Yes, if you notice that the pain is going away after icing and resting you should be able to treat your injury at home.
You should see a doctor if your symptoms are not improving in a few days or if they are getting worse.
What can a sports injury specialist do to diagnose my injury?
Your doctor can order advanced imaging such as MRI, Ultrasound, and Nerve Conduction Studies to confirm a diagnosis.
How will I know if my injury is chronic?
If you are experiencing pain that has not resolved in what you believe to be enough time to fully recover you may need specific rehabilitation.
Chronic injuries can also cause you to have instability that keeps returning or decreased performance.
Will seeing a doctor early help me recover faster?
Yes, allowing your doctor to evaluate you early can prevent long term damage and get you back to 100% faster.