Health blog Category: Sports Injuries
Injury Prevention: Basketball
Given that basketball requires a lot of stress on your lower body and extremities. some common injuries include:
- Ankle instability
- Patellofemoral pain
- Hip pain/impingement
- Low back pain
In the same aspect, given basketball requires the upper extremities to shoot, rebound, and defend, some other common injuries in the upper extremities include:
- Shoulder impingement and instability
- Wrist, hand, and elbow pain
- Scapular dyskinesis
At LSTC, we have the pleasure of treating and preventing injuries in many athletes, including basketball athletes.
Read full blogStrengthening and Biomechanics
Strengthening is a key component to focus on when trying to improve an athlete’s performance. However, before any kind of heavy lifting occurs, the athlete must understand the basic movements needed to perform their sport. This is known as biomechanics.
Mechanics of the sport:
- Flexibility
- Technique/Core Work
- Appropriate Strengthening Program
- Adequate Rest
- GAINS
Mechanics refers to the working parts of something.
Read full blogDon’t Let an Injury Sideline You!
Have you…
- Had a prior sport related injury?
- Had a prior injury of any kind?
- Had pain during training or workouts?
- Recently started or soon starting a new sport season?
- Training for new sports/competition?
- Known someone who has a season ending injury?
Here’s how you can prevent sports injuries!
Injury occurs when one of two factors are present:
- Repetitive Actions: Most sport and athletic competition involves repetitive motion.
Overuse of Injuries
Overuse injuries can be any chronic condition that stems from repetitive motion or force through a joint that places a significant amount of stress (over time) on the joint or surrounding tissue. These injuries can affect your bone, cartilage, tendons, and muscles. Some injuries produce a constant dull, ache; while others you may feel more sharp and pinching pain, depending on the area.
Some examples of overuse injuries are:
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin Splints)
Shin splints may lead to some sort of stress reaction/fracture in the tibia if not taken care of.
Stretching Can Help Avoid Injury
Have you ever gotten up after sitting in a movie theater for a couple of hours and felt really stiff? Whenever you are stuck in the same position for a long period of time it is pretty common for the muscles around your joints to get tight and stiff. If it goes away relatively quickly, then no harm done, however if it’s something that takes longer than usual, you may want to look into a good stretching program.
Read full blogRunning Too Much, Too Soon Can Cause Shin Splints
Doing too much, too soon can be a recipe for shin splints!
What are shin splints?
Shin splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, MTSS, are an overuse injury caused by repetitive stress to the lower legs. It’s common for runners to get them especially when they don’t gradually increase their mileage. Remember feeling pain in your shins right your first few practices at the start of a sports season?
Read full blogKnee Injuries Don’t Just Occur In Sports
Whether it is sports related or just degenerative changes that occur as you age, at one point or another you have probably experienced a knee injury. Some of the most common injuries are osteoarthritis, ligament injuries and meniscus injuries. All of these cause pain, weakness in your knees and a decrease your ability to participate in some activities.
Ligament injuries more commonly occur with the more active patient population.
Sports such as soccer and basketball that involve jumping, planting of the leg, or a change in direction can cause ACL tears.
What Knee Pain Are You Having?
You probably don’t think about how much you move your knee joints in a day but when you are experiencing knee pain you become more aware of how much you are moving. Some of the common knee problems that people experience are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Tendinitis
- Ligaments sprains and tears
Osteoarthritis:
Unfortunately, we cannot control if we will develop osteoarthritis in our lifetime.
Read full blogSafely Returning to Play
If you have participated in sports there is a good chance that you, or one of your teammates, have suffered from a concussion.
Concussion research is steadily growing and health clinicians are gaining more insight about the best practices for athletes who have sustained a concussion. While there are various factors to consider, evaluate, and manage, safely returning to sport should be taken seriously by the athlete, coaches, and parents.
Return to play progression:
Return-to-play (RTP) protocols take an athlete from stationary exercise, to full sport-specific execution before returning the field or court.
The Power of “Good Strength”
What does the word ‘strength’ really mean?
The word itself actually has three distinct pieces to it. Each piece is just as important as the other and all three must come into play in order for a muscle to have what is considered “good strength”.
- How much weight can you lift? This means how much force a muscle can produce in one moment of time. For example, do you have the strength to lift that bag of groceries, bag of mulch, or get yourself up or down the stairs?
