Did you know that 16.3% of the common sports injuries occurred were due to general exercise such as running? This shows that you do not have to be a professional athlete to be at risk of sustaining a sports injury; anybody who brings their A-game may hurt themselves, especially if proper techniques were not used or warm-ups were not done.
Hence, if you are a sports junkie, make sure you watch out for these three common sports injuries that may require you to pay a visit to an orthopaedic doctor in Singapore.
Read on to find out more.
1. ACL injury
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a strong band of tissue connecting the bones in your knee and can become injured when overstretched.
An ACL injury such as a tear or sprain is common in athletes and anybody who participates in sports that involve changing directions quickly and doing jumping and landing movements, such as football and basketball.
You may hear a “pop” when the injury occurs, followed by significant knee pain and swelling. The injury can be categorised into three grades depending on the severity and can be diagnosed by an orthopaedic doctor.
It is important that you seek medical attention early when you sustain an ACL injury because the symptoms such as pain and swelling can rapidly worsen and cause loss of range of motion, while in the long term you may experience knee instability, with secondary injuries to the meniscus and cartilage. This may affect your ability to participate in sports in the future.
Depending on the severity, an orthopaedic doctor will either treat ACL injuries with non-surgical methods like bracing and physical therapy or suggest surgery to rebuild the ligament if it is completely torn. The aim of treatment is to restore function and stability to your knee so that you can go back to the activities you love.
2. Hip labral tear
The hip labrum is a ring of strong yet flexible cartilage on the outer edge of the hip socket but is unfortunately also susceptible to injuries like a tear. It is not just the result of trauma from a car accident, but also from repetitive use during sports such as golf.
There are two main types of hip labral tears – anterior and posterior. The former occurs the most frequently and tears show up on the front of the hip joint, while the latter occurs on the back of the hip joint.
Some hip labral tears can go unnoticed for years but others have symptoms like pain in the hip, groin or buttocks, hip stiffness, and a clicking or locking sensation in the hip joint.
We recommend visiting an orthopaedic doctor as soon as symptoms appear so that treatments can be administered. They include conservative options such as injections, medications and physical therapy, or surgical procedure to repair the tear.
3. Rotator cuff tear
Shoulder injuries make up 20% of sports-related injuries and can range from dislocations to sprains and fractures. One such common shoulder injury is a rotator cuff tear in which one or more of the tendons is torn.
There are two types of rotator cuff tears – partial which means the tendon is damaged but not completely severed and full-thickness which means a complete tear. The tears occur typically due to an acute injury such as falling on an outstretched hand while playing sports and can be degenerative too, from repetitive stress put on the shoulder joint in sports like tennis and baseball.
A rotator cuff tear can result in symptoms like pain when lifting and lowering your arm, weakness and a crackling sensation when moving your shoulder.
Like the other two common sports injuries mentioned above, seeking early diagnosis and treatment is key to regaining your quality of life as soon as possible. An orthopaedic doctor may prescribe medications, injections and physical therapy, or suggest surgery if the tear is severe or when symptoms do not improve.
Visit an orthopaedic doctor in Singapore for your sports injuries
Early treatment for sports injuries is necessary to help you regain motion and get back to doing what you love.
Reach out to us and our orthopaedic doctor, Dr Poh Seng Yew, will advise you on the next steps forward to the best of his ability.