Every year, there are 8.6 million sports-related injuries in the United States, affecting 34 people out of every 1,000. If you find yourself among these numbers and dealing with persistent pain, don’t wait to get help.
What Are the Most Common Sports Injuries?
The human musculoskeletal system is incredibly strong, but it can only withstand so much. Sports participation adds extra stresses that often push this system beyond its limits, which leads to injuries such as:
- Muscle strains and sprains
- Joint injuries
- Fractures
- Tendon tears or pulls
- Cartilage tears
- Tendinitis
The injuries listed above are broad in nature, so to give you an idea of more specific injuries, the following is a list of the most common reasons for seeking treatment:
- Ankle sprain
- Groin pulls
- Anterior cruciate ligament tear
- Rotator cuff tear
- Tennis elbow
- Meniscus tear
- Head injury
- Back strain
When Should I See a Pain Specialist for a Sports Injury?
For an athlete, sports injuries are more than just a nuisance. Being sidelined from the activities you enjoy the most can be incredibly frustrating, especially if your pain is persistent and nagging. This chronic pain not only prevents you from participating in the sport of your choice; it also hampers your ability to function normally in everyday life.
Whether you’ve had your sports injury treated by a doctor, or you’ve tried to let your body heal on its own, if you’re still dealing with pain, it’s time to see an interventional pain management doctor.
How Are Sports Injuries Treated?
The doctors make it their mission to find ways to remedy the pain that often accompanies sports injuries. They use the latest techniques and medicine, including:
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Steroid injections
- Epidural injections
- Nerve blocks
- Kyphoplasty for vertebral fractures
- Discography
- Radiofrequency denervation
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Intrathecal and epidural infusion systems
- Regenerative medicine, including platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapies
Your doctor may recommend one or more of these treatments combined with physical therapy to strengthen your sports injury to prevent re-injury.
These treatments are meant to relieve your immediate pain and provide you with long-lasting results that allow you to get back to your active lifestyle as soon as possible.
Precision Pain Care and Rehabilitation has two convenient locations in Richmond Hill – Queens and New Hyde Park – Long Island. Call the Queens office at (718) 215-1888, or (516) 419-4480 for the Long Island office, to arrange an appointment with our Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Jeffrey Chacko.
