Sports Medicine and Sports-Related Injuries

What are sports-related injuries?

Sports-related injuries are any injuries that happen while playing sports, exercising or participating in physical activities. These injuries often result from improper technique, inadequate equipment or insufficient warm-up and stretching routines.

Accidents, overexertion and inadequate rest between workouts can also lead to sports injuries. It’s important to recognize the signs of these injuries and address them quickly to prevent further damage and promote recovery.

The board-certified sports medicine doctors at Main Line Health can evaluate, diagnose and develop a personalized care plan to help relieve your pain and get you back in action.

Symptoms of sports-related injuries

Symptoms of sports-related injuries can vary widely but often include:

  • Acute or chronic pain
  • Swelling
  • Bruising
  • Restricted movement
  • In severe cases, deformities

Acute injuries happen suddenly, often during a game or activity, causing immediate pain. Chronic injuries involve ongoing or recurring pain that can flare up during exercise or even when you're resting.

If you’ve had an injury and are unable to drive yourself or feel as though you might pass out, call 911 right away.

Types of sports-related injuries

Sports injuries may affect the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments. Common sports injuries include:

Diagnosis and testing for sports-related injuries

Diagnosing sports-related injuries begins with a thorough evaluation by board-certified sports medicine doctors. Utilizing advanced diagnostic tests, your care team will identify the injury type and extent, forming the foundation of a tailored treatment plan.

Sports-related injuries treatment options

For immediate care, the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is effective for minor injuries. However, severe sports injuries like head injuries, broken bones or dislocations require emergency medical attention.

Common treatments for sports injuries include:

Orthopaedics at Main Line Health offers a comprehensive sports injury rehabilitation team, including orthopaedic surgeons, physiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, sports medicine specialists and athletic trainers. Together, our team of experts can help you heal, strengthen and get back to doing the activities you love to do.

At Main Line Health, we understand the impact a sports injury can have on your life. Our sports medicine team is committed to offering empathetic, expert care to guide you through recovery and back to the activities you love. Treatments can include:

Treatments

Non-Surgical Orthopaedic Treatments

Some orthopaedic conditions are first treated with non-surgical procedures followed by surgery as the next step.

Orthopaedic Rehabilitation

As one of the most extensive programs at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, our primary focus is to help patients build strength, mobility and endurance for a variety of orthopaedic conditions.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Most ACL tears cannot be sutured (stitched) back together. To surgically repair the ACL and restore knee stability, the ligament must be reconstructed.

Hamstring Tendon Repair

Uses the same specialized equipment used for hip arthroscopy, without the traction, to repair tears in the tendons of the hip.

Hand Repair and Rehabilitation

Main Line Health's experts use the latest techniques to help patients regain their hand's functionality. Explore our comprehensive services.

Hand Surgery

If you need hand surgery, Main Line Health has locations throughout Philadelphia providing clinical and surgical expertise for many types of hand conditions.

Hand Therapy

A hand therapy specialist is well-versed in a variety of methods and works to develop a personalized regimen for the unique needs of every patient. Our patients come from all walks of life—from young athletes to long-term arthritis sufferers to accidental burn victims.

Hip Fracture Surgery

The type of hip fracture repair surgery you may have generally depends on the location and severity of the fracture, whether the broken bones aren't properly aligned (displaced fracture), and your age and underlying health conditions.

Joint Aspiration

This procedure is used to relieve pain and swelling by removing fluid from the joint space but also allows for fluid analysis to diagnose gout, arthritis and joint infection.

Joint Distension

Joint distension, or hydrodilitation, involves injection of sterile water into the joint to expand the area and help the adhesions loosen and pull away so the shoulder is no longer restricted.

Joint Manipulation

Joint manipulation under anesthesia is performed by an orthopedist skilled at stretching and maneuvering parts of the body to break up scar tissue “adhesions” in major joint locations such as elbow, knee, pelvis and shoulder.

Kneecap Surgery

The kneecap is a flat, triangular-shaped bone that protects the knee joint and helps muscles move your leg more efficiently. A healthy kneecap glides up and down a groove at the end of the thigh bone.

Meniscectomy

The goal of this surgery for a torn meniscus is to remove part or the entire damaged meniscus. The type of procedure is determined by the pattern, location and size of the tear and your health status.

Meniscus Repair

Some meniscal tears can be repaired by suturing (stitching) the torn pieces together. Whether a tear can be successfully treated with repair depends upon the type of tear, as well as the overall condition of the injured meniscus.

Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment

One of the newest treatments for various orthopaedic problems and injuries ranging from sprained knees to chronic tendon injuries is platelet-rich plasma, or PRP.

Regenerative Medicine Treatment

For people who have tried a variety of nonsurgical pain management treatments and traditional pain-relief methods, such as physical therapy and steroidal injections—yet have not experienced sufficient pain relief—it may be time to consider regenerative medicine treatments.

Repair Labral Tears in the Hip

The labrum may tear due to repetitive use such as in certain sports like ice hockey, ballet or soccer. A tear may also occur as the result of an injury or because of a structural abnormality such as hip dysplasia.

Repair of Tears to the TFCC in the Wrist

Called TFCC, this cartilage is the cushioning ligament in the wrist between the ulna and radius bones that can be torn during a fall on an outstretched hand.

Rotator Cuff Surgery

Minimally invasive rotator cuff surgery is our expertise. Find out from the orthopaedic experts at Main Line Health about the latest treatment options to repair a rotator cuff tear.

Shoulder Tear Repair

During arthroscopic surgery, the doctor will examine the rim and the biceps tendon. If the injury is confined to the rim itself, without involving the tendon, the shoulder is still stable.

Spine Surgery

Our spine surgery specialists are academically trained in advanced techniques and perform a high volume of surgeries using the latest technologies.

Hand Tendon Repair

People who are severely affected by rheumatoid arthritis, infection, overuse or injury may develop a condition that involves the long tendons on the back of the hand — called dorsal tenosynovitis, inflammation of the lining of the sheath that surrounds the tendon.

Tendon Transfer Surgery

This procedure helps restore hand function after a spinal injury by giving working muscles different jobs.

Tennis and Golf Elbow Surgery

These painful conditions that occur when the tendons in your elbow are overworked and damaged, from repetitive movement of the arm and wrist respond to non-operative treatment techniques such as injection with Platelet Rich Plasma or minimal incision radiofrequency tendon debridement.

Trigger Finger Release

Release is provided by dividing the tendon sheath. In traditional surgery, this required an open incision in the palm of the hand.

Wrist Fracture Repair

Sometimes there are small fragments of bone that stay within the joint after a bone breaks, and these need to be removed, or the bones may need to be aligned and stabilized with pins, wires or screws.

Orthopaedic Surgery

Services

Sports Medicine

If you’ve had a sports-related injury or have a condition that’s keeping you out of the game, our sports medicine expert physicians and specialists are here to help you get back to doing the things you love.