WILLOWBROOK
Chiropractor & physical therapy
HOMER GLEN
CHIROPRACTOR & PHYSICAL THERAPY
NAPERVILLE
CHIROPRACTOR & PHYSICAL THERAPY
CREST HILL
CHIROPRACTOR & PHYSICAL THERAPY
MRI CENTER
same day imaging, Crest hill, il
AURORA
CHIROPRACTOR & PHYSICAL THERAPY
If you have a sprain, knee injury, rotator cuff injury, bone fracture, joint dislocation, or other sports injury, you have many treatment options to facilitate recovery. While injuries are inevitable for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, proper treatment methods reduce pain and swelling and quickly get you back to your active lifestyle. Discover the common treatments for sports injuries below.
Physicians typically recommend R.I.C.E as the first intervention after a sports injury. After getting injured during sports, it’s important that you stop to avoid worsening your injury and making yourself hurt more. Don’t attempt to push your limits by continuing with the activity.
Placing ice packs on the injured area reduces inflammation and swelling, especially if you have a musculoskeletal injury. Use ice for 15 to 20 minutes with about 30 minute-breaks between each application.
Next, use a compression bandage to wrap the injured area but not too tightly to restrict blood flow. Lastly, elevate the injured area above the level of the heart to reduce inflammation and pain.
If injured muscles, joints, or limbs constantly move or bear weight, they don't heal quickly and may be damaged further. As such, your physician will likely immobilize the injured area to facilitate recovery.
Common immobilization devices include casts, splints, and slings, depending on which body part is injured. These devices let blood flow freely to the injured area and protect the soft tissue.
Anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin, naproxen sodium, and ibuprofen relieve muscle aches, fever, and swelling after a sports injury. These medications are best taken after a sports injury occurs before swelling occurs. However, anti-inflammatory drugs are only recommended for short-term use.
Cortisone injections reduce pain and inflammation, making them effective for sports injuries. Cortisone is an artificial steroid that works like the cortisol hormone produced by the body. Typically, physicians inject cortisone into joints like the elbow, ankle, shoulder, knee, and hip. However, the number of shots you can get is limited due to the many potential side effects associated with this treatment.
Physical therapy is essential to a rehabilitation program after a sports injury. Physical therapists use manual therapy, exercises, heat and cold therapy, stretches, and specialized equipment to help you heal after injury and regain strength. Physical therapy techniques also reduce pain and inflammation and enhance your range of motion.
Chiropractic care accelerates healing after a sports injury and quickly gets you back to normal life. Chiropractors focus on restoring the health of the musculoskeletal system, consisting of bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue.
Through spinal alignments and manual therapy, a chiropractor reduces inflammation after an injury and eliminates limitations on the affected muscles. Most importantly, chiropractic care facilitates blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the injured area for faster healing. Chiropractors can treat various sports injuries, including joint injuries, soft tissue injuries, and low back pain.
If you sustain injury from exercise and sports, our sports chiropractors at Crest Hill can help. First, our chiropractors will evaluate your injury and medical history. Then, the experts will customize a treatment goal to help you achieve your health goals, such as improved athletic performance, reduced pain, and better range of motion.
Our Crest Hill clinic is furnished with state-of-the-art equipment for diagnosing and treating any musculoskeletal problem. We can help with many sports-related treatments, including rotator cuff repairs, hip and knee replacements, arthroscopic surgical repairs, and knee meniscectomy.
There are many treatments for sports injuries, some of which are invasive, like surgery, or have side effects like pain-relieving medication. Physical therapy and chiropractic care are non-invasive, drug-free interventions for sports injuries that encourage your body to heal naturally.
Contact our rehabilitative team today if you are dealing with a sports injury in Crest Hill.
