Sports Injuries

What are sports injuries?

Sports injuries affect the musculoskeletal system and come from playing sports or engaging in other physical activities. If you’re athletic in any capacity, you’re at a greater risk of getting a sports injury than other people. 

You can minimize your risk by warming up before exercise, taking rest days, and using the appropriate techniques and equipment for your sport, but you can’t eliminate the risk entirely. Sports injuries fall into two categories:

Acute sports injuries

Acute sports injuries happen suddenly, usually during a specific practice session or game. They cause immediate pain and sometimes visible deformity. 

Chronic sports injuries

Chronic sports injuries develop slowly over time and might not cause pain right away. You may notice your discomfort gradually increasing as you overuse a specific muscle or muscle group. 

What are some of the most common sports injuries?

Heacock Urgent Care provides evaluations and treatment for acute and chronic sports injuries in athletes of all skill levels. These injuries commonly occur in or around joints, which you use when you engage in physical activity. 

Some sports injuries the team at Heacock Urgent Care can treat are:

• Smaller broken bones and stress fractures
• Joint dislocations
• Tendonitis
• Sprains and strains
• Concussions

Diagnostic imaging tests like X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans offer insight into an injury’s severity and the necessary treatments to heal it. 

How are sports injuries treated?

The treatment and self-care recommendations you get for a sports injury vary widely based on the injury’s type and severity. The team provides initial care and can help coordinate a personalized rehabilitation plan that includes exercises to help with healing and strengthening. 

Your personalized sports injury care plan may involve:

• Immobilization with casts, braces, splints, or boots
• Assistive devices like crutches 
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Pain-reducing injections
• Physical therapy referrals

More severe sports injuries occasionally need surgery to heal as much as possible. If you need surgery, the Heacock Urgent Care team can refer you to a specialist. 

Heacock Urgent Care specializes in sports injury evaluations and treatment. Call the office, schedule an appointment online, or walk in for immediate care today.