ACL Recovery Stories Provide Hope to Athletes

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a non-elastic fibrous band located within a person’s knee that connects the thighbone to the leg bone. The ligament provides stability to the entire knee and restricts the knee joint from bending backwards.

Due to the ACL’s non-elastic nature, it is susceptible to tearing. A torn ACL is actually a common injury. According to surveys, 250,000 Americans suffer from torn ACLs every year, while according to medical experts, most of these torn ACL cases were sustained through sports or sports-related activities.

It was not too long ago that ACL tears were considered the ultimate career-killing injury in sports. Today, however, ACL tears are no longer considered the career-killing injury they used to be thanks to advances in sports medicine. In fact, athletes who have torn their ACL like Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles have been able to return to the field and continue playing at a high level.

Although professional athletes have proven that ACL injuries can be overcome, younger athletes should realize that ACL injury recovery is not easy. Different people recover at different speeds, as evidenced by Rajon Rondo and Danilo Gallinari’s recovery. With dedication to physical therapy and the help of an experienced orthopedic surgeon, young athletes can now recover from ACL tears and continue to chase their dreams of one day becoming professional athletes.

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Controlling Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease of the immune system that inflames the joints of the body. If you have been diagnosed with RA recently, it’s important to gain the upper hand over the disease as soon as you can. If left untreated, RA can affect your ability to work, impact your quality of life, and increase your risk for heart disease

RA is a chronic disease, meaning it can’t be cured. It is the most common autoimmune disease affecting the joints— anyone can get it, but it’s more prominent in middle-age patients. In the U.S. the risk of developing RA is 3.6 percent in women and 1.7 percent in men.

Although there is no cure for RA, its impact can be significantly reduced through early diagnosis and effective treatments. Many drug therapies are now available to treat the disease, so the challenge is finding the one that’s right for you. To begin a drug therapy treatment, you should first talk to a rheumatologist who can design a treatment plan based on his physical evaluation and your body’s response to medication.

Surgery is another way to relieve RA symptoms. Surgery for RA is mainly performed to improve function of severely deformed joints that don’t respond to drug or physical therapy. Surgeries for people who have severe RA include arthroscopy, synovectomy, arthroplasty, cervical spine fusion, and resection of metatarsal heads.

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Sports Medicine Helps Relieve Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a painful condition that occurs when the plantar fascia becomes irritated or inflamed. It is a common injury in the United States. A study has shown that more than 2 million Americans are diagnosed and treated for plantar fasciitis every year. The common symptoms of plantar fasciitis include a sharp pain in the sole of the feet, especially when standing immediately after waking up.

Most cases can be resolved by applying the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) on the affected foot and allowing it to rest. However, some cases of plantar fasciitis become severe and people may need to go to a sports medicine clinic to receive anti-inflammatory shots to reduce the pain. For particularly troublesome cases, people have resorted to orthopedic surgery to cure their ailment.

Seeing as the majority of cases are caused by ill-fitting shoes and strenuous walking, running, or jumping exercises, plantar fasciitis can easily be prevented by avoiding the causes mentioned earlier. People may also consult sports medicine specialists to learn stretches and exercises that build the strength and reduce the stress of the plantar fascia. Sports medicine can also diagnose and treat plantar fasciitis caused by poor gait (the way a person moves on foot).

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Orthopedic Treatment for a Torn Meniscus

It happened so fast. You were running down the court and all you did was stop. Suddenly, you’re on the floor with a sharp pain in your knee. Unfortunately, you may have torn your meniscus.

The meniscus is a small C-shaped piece of cartilage in your knee that keeps the entire knee stable and prevents your knee bones from grinding against each other. Although quite sturdy, the meniscus can be torn by sudden stops, deep squats, and quick pivots.

A meniscus tear can be classified into three categories: partial, moderate, and severe. Depending on the severity of the tear, an orthopedic surgeon can determine if there is a need for surgery or if the injury can heal by itself.

Common symptoms people begin to feel after tearing their meniscus include pain and swelling. For severe meniscus tears, people report feeling knee instability, manifesting as a popping or locking of the knee, or its suddenly “wobbling” and giving way.

Meniscus tears are often mistaken for ACL tears, another type of knee injury, as both injuries tend to happen at the same time. In some cases, both the meniscus and ACL can be torn by the same action. Thus, people who have suffered a suspected knee injury should be brought to an experienced orthopedic surgeon for accurate diagnosis and immediate treatment.

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Tennis Elbow—When to Seek Medical Help

Tennis elbow may have derived its name from the popular lawn sport, but it's actually a misnomer because most people who suffer from it don't play tennis. By definition, tennis elbow is pain or soreness of the lateral side (the outer side) of an elbow that may extend down to the forearm and the back of the hand. Its symptoms include weakening of the grip, swelling and tenderness of muscles, tendons, and/or bony structures on the outside of the elbow, and pain in the elbow/arm area.

Tennis elbow is often the result of repetitive activities such as continuously extending the wrist or twisting the forearm to a “palm up” position. Plumbers, painters, cooks, butchers, and construction workers are just some of the people who often suffer from this condition. In sports, athletes who suffer from it are usually involved in a sport that requires them to grip something for long periods, such as a racket or a stick.

If it's your first time to experience tennis elbow, wait no longer than a month to have it seen by a medical professional. If you've had it before, seek medical help if conservative home treatments don't offer any improvement within four to eight weeks. Conservative home treatments for tennis elbow include ice or heat compression, and massage.

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What to Do about a Wrist Sprain or Strain

Wrist strains and sprains are common injuries that people often get mixed up. This is understandable since both involve the overstretching or tearing of a certain body tissue. The main difference is that sprains involve ligaments that connect one bone to another while strains involve the muscles and tendons that are attached to bones.

If you have strained or sprained your wrist, you may experience swelling, a feeling of popping or tearing, pain at the affected area, and bruising. Typically, such injuries can be treated with the RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). However, if pain and swelling continue beyond 48 hours, you'll need to have your injury checked by a doctor.

If after examination, the doctor says that the injury is moderate, this means there's a partial tearing of the ligaments. You'll likely be fitted with a cast or splint to allow the joint to heal and prevent continued irritation. On the other hand, if the doctor says the injury is severe, that means a ligament or muscle has been completely torn. If such is the case, medical or surgical care will be required.

After your treatment, your doctor may require you to start graded strengthening exercises for your wrist, so don't be surprised if he refers you to a physical therapist. This is simply meant to help you regain full use of your wrist and prevent further injury.

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Sports Medicine: Medical Care with a Twist

Sports doctors are known as medical professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating the injuries of athletes. They focus on joint, bone and muscle health, and they also give general medical care to the people they work with. The field of sports medicine prepares these doctors for a flexible work environment, as they may have to work in non-traditional medical facilities such as a sporting venue clinic or in professional or college-level sporting events. In fact, their field continues to evolve as some of them venture into fitness centers, while others choose to focus on specific groups like geriatric populations or school-age children.

Those who aspire to be sports doctors must first complete a bachelor's degree, complete with a pre-med concentration so they have sufficient background in biology, chemistry, and physics. They will also be required to pass the Medical College Admission Test so they can be accepted into medical school. Those who pursue sports medicine are usually sports lovers themselves, and are generally involved in some kind of team or individual sports activity. The majority complete a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) or a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.

Every state mandates that these doctors have to be licensed. Being certified by a recognized organization also adds to their credentials. The certification shows that the sports doctor has met the professional requirements of the organization. The American Board of Medical Specialists and the American Osteopathic Association are the organizations that provide this certification.

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