Monmouth County Pain Management and Rehabilitation for Sports Injuries

Sports injuries can happen to any active person, from professional athletes to the most casual sports enthusiast. While the number of people trying to stay healthy and active is increasing, more people are experiencing any number of sports injuries. Approximately 1 million Americans are injured every year while playing a sport. Generally speaking, sports injuries are most often related to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints of the body. For example, herniated discs, tendonitis, ankle sprains, and neck injuries have all been associated with participating in athletic activity.

Most commonly, athletes will experience injuries related to overuse, which causes wear and tear on the tissues of the body. This is particularly true for parts of the body which are repeatedly subjected to activity (including the knee, ankle, or shoulder). Tennis Elbow is an extremely common sports injury resulting from overuse.

It is important that those suffering the effects of a sports-related injury seek treatment as soon as possible. This is an important element of the treatment process; in fact, ignoring the symptoms of injury may lead to a chronic pain condition (which is more difficult to treat). A chronic pain condition can lead to a number of debilitating symptoms that can last for many years.

At Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation, we offer a broad range of services for sports injuries, including medical care (pain management); physical therapy; acupuncture; and chiropractic care.

Diagnosis

After a sports injury, the first step is to seek out a proper diagnosis. A proper diagnosis is essential to a full recovery. Patients should have a full orthopedic and neurological examination. At Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation, our medical staff has a number of imaging technologies to ensure proper diagnosis, including fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and traditional x-rays.

Pain Management through Medical Care

Patients who have recently experienced a sports-related injury have a lot of treatment options to consider. By visiting a doctor that specializes in pain management and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, patients can experience a program of pain management and rehabilitation that is designed specifically for the types of injuries caused by athletic activity.

By incorporating this type of doctor (known as a Physiatrist) in a facility that includes all of the major rehabilitation modalities—physical therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic care—Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation has made the rehabilitation process easier and more effective for patients.

Our Medical Director focuses on making an accurate diagnosis before creating a rehabilitation program with several basic objectives: to reduce pain, heal the injury, and improve overall functionality, strength, and flexibility. With a number of conservative treatment options available to our patients, this system has been implemented at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation to help patients heal without surgery or excessive drug use.

When sports injuries cause debilitating pain (pain that restricts the ability to heal), our pain management specialist may incorporate a number of pain-reducing strategies—including injections of a long-lasting steroid or anesthetic numbing agent. These might include epidural steroid injections, joint injections, trigger point injections (for muscle pain), or sympathetic blocks (injections to block nerve pain).

Physical Therapy for Sports Injuries

The purpose of physical therapy for sport injuries is to reduce pain while promoting maximum movement, flexibility, and strength. Physical therapy can also help someone manage pain and prevent permanent damage and recurring problems. For sports-related injuries, a typical physical therapy program may include any of the following:

• Therapeutic Exercise: Therapeutic exercise is an extremely important part of rehabilitation in that it helps patients to restore strength, range of motion, and balance. This can help patients to avoid not only surgery, but the risk of recurrence. It is important that patients do not attempt to exercise after an injury without the guidance of a physical therapist; to do so could cause further injury.

• Spinal Decompression: Spinal decompression relieves pain by taking the pressure off of compressed nerves. In many cases, spinal decompression is used as an alternative to surgery, particularly in situations involving herniated or bulging discs.

• Low Level Laser Therapy: Also known as cold laser therapy, this technology speeds up the healing process at a cellular level. It aids in the production of collagen (the main protein in connective tissues). It can also assist with reducing pain and inflammation.

Other physical therapy practices offered at our Red Bank rehabilitation facility include the use of Power Plate vibration technology, ultrasound, and electrotherapy. The Power Plate at our facility accelerates recovery and regeneration from sports injuries.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a practice of ancient Chinese medicine, which holds that any sort of injury causes imbalance in the body. The purpose of acupuncture is to unblock the flow of life energy (Qi) and bring the body back into balance to reduce pain and inflammation.

Because acupuncture has proven to be an effective method of dealing with pain, Western medical studies have been conducted to understand the mechanisms behind the ancient technique. It has been found that the stimulation of certain points on the body can prompt the body’s natural pain-killing and stress-relieving response. By harnessing the power of naturally produced opiate-like chemicals in the brain (endorphins), pain can be reduced with little or no pharmaceutical intervention.

Chiropractic Care

The most common sports injuries can lead to pain and, even worse, may actually affect the structure and functioning of the spine. Whiplash, for example, can occur from athletic activity. This injury may actually cause an abnormal curvature of the cervical spine (the neck), a starting point from which many other health concerns can start. Chiropractic can address this injury by correcting the misalignment of the spine and reduce pain and inflammation.

Sports injuries often result in soft tissue damage. Chiropractic adjustments can treat the injured site, restore normal joint movement, and prevent scar tissue formation. Nearly every sports injury leads to spinal misalignments and muscular imbalances. If you’ve been injured, you need a spinal exam. At Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation, you can get results for your sports injury without drugs or surgery.

The following is a list of some common sports injuries that we treat here at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation. Click on the injury to learn more about the condition and how we can treat it.

• Sprained Ankle • Shin Splints • Lower Back Strain
• Tennis Elbow • Runner’s Knee • Foot Arch Strain and Pain
• Muscle Pull • Neck Strain and Pain • Shoulder Impingement

Childhood Athletic Injuries and Treatment

For children and teenagers in the U.S., sports injuries are becoming more common. Each year, more than 3 million sports-related injuries requiring medical attention occur in children under the age of 15. As more youths are involved in the same sport year-round, many young athletes are developing overuse injuries. Overuse injuries typically occur over time with prolonged, repeated motion or contact. Overuse injuries range from chronic muscle strains to stress fractures.

Overuse injuries are likely to occur in competitive sports, most commonly baseball, basketball, running, and swimming. Any recreational activity that includes repetitive motion has the potential to cause an overuse injury. The forearm and hand are common areas for overuse injuries in sports that require gripping, such as golf and tennis. Sports that involve throwing typically cause overuse injuries to the shoulder and elbow, whereas running and jumping sports most often strain the leg, knee, ankle or foot.

When a child is not accustomed to an activity and starts doing it on a regular basis, overuse injuries can occur. Additionally, more youth today are practicing one sport at an early age and training year-round. As competition and seasons expand to year-round, the two or three-sport young athlete appears to be a thing of the past.

When an overuse injury is present, seeking treatment is important. Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation offers treatment for a variety of youth sports injuries, including overuse injuries. We offer pain management, chiropractic care, physical therapy and acupuncture in one location for the convenience of our patients. If you have been injured, it is essential to seek out an experienced professional, like a chiropractor, to diagnose the injury and design a plan of care. At Monmouth Pain, our staff is a team of professionals ready to help you get moving again and recover from an injury.

Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation and Sports Injuries

The integrated, multi-disciplinary care for sports injuries in our Red Bank, NJ office is a new type of treatment: this system ensures that pain management and rehabilitation practices are more effective through the collaborative and cooperative effort of a team of highly experienced professionals.

Please contact our Monmouth County office today to learn more about treatment for sports injuries in Red Bank, New Jersey.