Should you consult a sports medical doctor?

Common sports injuries for which you might have to seek a sports medical doctor's guidance: Achilles tendon pain or numbness, fractures, knee irritation, shin splints, sprains and strains and swollen muscles. While many of these can be dealt with by a general practioner, it's a good idea to visit a sports doctor as he/she will be able to guide you with injury recovery and re-entry into your workouts or sporting activities.


Yes, sometimes they can. It depends on the kind of pain one suffers. If you have already tried the RICE method i.e. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, in order to treat your swelling and injuries, without much relief or reduction in swelling, however, you will have to consult a sports medical doctor. A doctor will be able to help you with the recovery, but a sports doctor will be able to tell you where you went wrong and how you can avoid that specific sport injury from happening again.


Sports injuries at times can be acute, sudden injuries caused during exercise or at times they are chronic in nature i.e. they develop over a period of time. If the injury is beyond your control and you think you have broken a bone, if you are limping, feeling totally numb or you are witnessing excessive bleeding, then you should seek a doctor's help. Any kind of pain which continues for more than 3 to 5 days should not be taken lightly. Signs of acute injuries include sharp pain, bruising, swelling and at times bone dislocation, also repeat injuries to the same spot over time.


The answer to this question lies in, first of all, understanding the problem. You have to identify the nature of the injury- is it regular soreness or is something seriously wrong. The healing process usually advised by doctors starts with switching to a different; perhaps a lighter mode of exercise, such as breathing exercises, swimming and so on. This way you rest the injured muscles/muscle groups so that they can be healed. In severe cases, surgery is also recommended if there has been a structural damage of the tissues.


Sports injuries can be prevented just by keeping one thing in mind- smart training. Cross training is also recommended by doctors in order to prevent injuries. Physical activities such as running, swimming and biking should be performed alternately, so that no single muscle group is stressed or overloaded.

Massage Chatter: Dealing With Shin Splints

Athletes and those who treat their injuries are all too familiar with the surge of strains, sprains and tears associated with the first few weeks of athletic training. Common among runners, anterior shin splints are one of the most prominent early season injuries. Anterior shin splints can develop gradually over a period of weeks to months, or may occur after a single, excessive bout ohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giff exercise. Often occurring bilaterally, anterior shin splints typically involve inflammation and/or small tears in the tibialis anterior muscle where it is attached to the tibia. The pain is usually noticeable when exercise begins, then decreases as exercise continues. Often experienced as a burning sensation, the pain worsens after exercise or the following morning. Due to the tearing of muscle fibers away from the periosteal attachment, anterior shin splints manifest as bumps and tender areas on the anterior leg. As these fibers heal, they become fibrotic, making it difficult for the muscle to lengthen normally. The fibrotic patches weaken the muscle by restricting movement, perpetuating the probability of future shin splints. Additionally, untreated shin splints place the individual at a greater risk for developing stress fractures. According to James Mally, ND, instructor of the Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies' Sports Massage continuing education program, “The best ways to avoid shin splints are to warm-up well; stretch; run on soft surfaces as much as possible; avoid major changes in training, and ice at the first sign of discomfort. Orthotics may be necessary if there is inadequate arch support.” In the August/September 2000 edition of Massage and Bodywork, Zhenya Kurashova Wine imparts information on Russian sports massage for running injuries. Wine clarifies the reasoning for the upward stroke direction when addressing anterior shin splints, “To reiterate, it is very important not to apply any downward pressure since this will increase the chance of edema, hemorrhage and possibly more tissue damage.” A certified athletic trainer and strength and conditioning specialist, Benny Vaughn, LMT, suggests resistance exercises using rubber tubing or bands. Performing resistance exercises consisting of ankle dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, eversion and inversion can lengthen and strengthen the lower leg muscles, providing added insurance against future shin splints.

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