What is sports medicine?
There’s almost no downside to leading an active and healthy life, except for an increased risk of injury due to the extra stresses you may be placing on your musculoskeletal system. Sports medicine is designed to help you remain active by preventing injury, enhancing your performance, and, if you do suffer an injury, treating you with the least amount of downtime.
Dr. Parsa has extensive experience helping her athletic patients stay in the game and avoid future injury through her advanced and comprehensive sports medicine care.
What are the most common sports injuries?
If you’re active, there are any number of ways you can injure yourself. That said, most sports injuries tend to affect your connective tissue, such as your muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
The most common sports injuries include:
- Ankle sprains
- Hamstring strains
- Knee injuries, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
- Kneecap injuries, such as patellar tendon ruptures
- Tennis elbow
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Achilles tendon injuries
Many sports injuries develop after repetitive use, as is the case with tendinitis or tendinopathy issues. Your tendons connect your muscles to your bones and as they weaken from age, overuse, or acute damage, they’re more susceptible to tearing or rupturing.
How are sports injuries diagnosed?
After reviewing your symptoms and taking a look at your problem area, Dr. Parsa typically orders diagnostic imaging so she can get a better idea of what’s going on inside your body. After an initial X-ray to check for fractures, she may order an MRI or CAT scan to determine the extent of the damage in your connective tissue.
How are sports injuries treated?
As a specialist in sports medicine, Dr. Parsa looks to minimally invasive, cutting-edge techniques that help you heal more quickly and more soundly, which include:
- Bracing
- Physical therapy
- Medications to control pain and inflammation
- Corticosteroid injections
- Tendon repairs
Tommy John surgery, where Dr. Parsa replaces one of the tendons in your elbow with a tendon from elsewhere in your body
Dr. Parsa starts out conservatively, with an eye toward getting you moving about freely again without limitations and pain. If your problem proves resistant to conservative treatments, Dr. Parsa is a highly-trained orthopaedic surgeon and uses the latest techniques to resolve your medical issue.
To learn more about sports medicine at Parsa Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Institute, call or use online booking to schedule an appointment.
