Sports Medicine Specialist

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine is a specialty that revolves around treating sports injuries and optimizing performance.

Sports injuries are a common problem that Dr. Blackwell regularly sees at the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Some of the types of injuries he sees most often include:

• Strains 
  
• Sprains
  
• Soft tissues tears
  
• Fractures
  
• Dislocations
  
• Impact injuries
  

Sprains, strains, and tears occur in muscle fibers and connective tissues like ligaments and tendons. The tissue stretches too far when put under excessive pressure, and fails to return to normal.

Fractures are broken bones; dislocations force bones out of their correct position in your joints. As well as damaging the bones themselves, fractures and dislocations can cause severe damage to surrounding tissues.

Sports injuries can happen suddenly when you’re playing or training, causing an acute injury. They can also develop more slowly when tissues experience repeated strain that leads to tiny areas of damage. The damage builds up over time and spreads, causing chronic musculoskeletal pain.

What symptoms do sports injuries cause?

Acute sports injuries typically cause pain, which is often instant or could develop soon after the event. The affected area is likely to feel sore and be tender and swollen. You might develop redness or bruising on your skin, and find it hard to use the affected body part.

Chronic sports injuries take time to develop and often start as an ache or minor discomfort. The discomfort spreads and worsens over time and can become constant and disabling. Continuing to use a muscle, ligament, tendon, or joint that’s causing pain could well make the problem far worse.

If you injure yourself playing sports, it’s best to seek help from Dr. Blackwell at the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine before your injury threatens your ability to play in the future.

What treatments might sports medicine involve?

Dr. Blackwell provides cutting-edge treatments and uses advanced technologies to ensure you receive the best care for sports injuries.

In most cases, initial treatments are likely to involve conservative measures like strapping, hot and cold treatments, activity modification, and physical therapy. If the initial treatments aren’t improving your injury, there are further treatment options available, including:

• Epidural steroid injections
  
• Radiofrequency ablation
  
• Selective nerve root block
  
• Facet joint injections
  
• Joint injections
  

Dr. Blackwell is an expert in surgical solutions for sports medicine problems, for example, surgical repair of meniscal and ACL tears. He also uses state-of-the-art Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology, which helps plan and perform the most accurate minimally invasive surgeries for joint replacement.

To arrange a consultation with Dr. Blackwell, call the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine today or request an appointment online.