March Madness – Preventing Basketball Injuries

March-Madness

The 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament starts on March 18, 2014 and OSS congratulates all the teams who have made it to the tournament. March Madness is a frenetic tournament of college teams on their quest to be the best.

Getting to this tournament has been long and sometimes with injury, but we hope that they have performed all the necessary conditioning so that they can compete with the best.

Basketball is a fast, moving sport and sometimes, injuries can occur. Common basketball injuries include:

Ankle Sprains

Treatment for an ankle sprain involves rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). The need for X-rays and evaluation by an OSS physician is determined on a case-by- case basis and depends on the severity and location of pain. Pain and swelling over the bone itself may need further evaluation. An injury to the ankle could represent a simple sprain or could be the result of an injury to the growth plates located around the ankle and should be evaluated by a physician.

Jammed Fingers

Jammed fingers occur when the ball contacts the end of the finger and causes significant swelling of a single joint. Application of ice and buddy taping the finger to the adjacent finger may provide some relief and allow the athlete to return to play. If pain and swelling persist, evaluation by a physician or athletic trainer is recommended and an x-ray of the finger may be needed.

According to Dr. Scott Ruhlman, “It is often difficult to distinguish a devastating finger injury versus a simple sprain based on swelling alone. An x-ray is key to guide ideal treatment.”

Knee Injuries

Basketball requires extensive stop and go and cutting maneuvers which can put the ligaments and menisci of the knee at risk. Injury to the medial collateral ligament is most common following a blow to the outside of the knee and can often be treated with ice, bracing and a gradual return to activity.

Deep Thigh Bruising

Treatment includes rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Commercially available girdles with thigh pads are now available for protection.

Foot Fractures

Stress fractures can occur from a rapid increase in activity level or training or from overtraining. Stress fractures in basketball most commonly occur in the foot and lower leg (tibia). Once diagnosed, a period of immobilization and non-weight bearing is recommended. Return to play is permitted once the fracture has completely healed and the athlete is pain free.

Prevention of Basketball Injuries

  • Have a pre-season physical examination and follow your doctor’s recommendations for basketball injury prevention
  • Hydrate adequately – waiting until you are thirsty is often too late to hydrate properly
  • Pay attention to environmental recommendations, especially in relation to excessively hot and humid weather, to help avoid heat illness
  • Maintain proper fitness – injury rates are higher in athletes who have not adequately prepared physically
  • After a period of inactivity, progress gradually back to full-contact basketball through activities such as aerobic conditioning, strength training, and agility training.
  • Avoid overuse injuries – more is not always better. Many sports medicine specialists believe that it is beneficial to take at least one season off each year. Try to avoid the pressure that is now exerted on many young athletes to over-train. Listen to your body and decrease training time and intensity if pain or discomfort develops. This will reduce the risk of injury and help avoid “burn-out.”
  • Talk with your coach, an OSS physician and/or athletic trainer about an ACL injury prevention program and incorporating the training principles into team warm-ups.
  • The athlete should return to play only when clearance is granted by a health care professional.

Dr. Jonathan Franklin reminds everyone that “Conditioning and flexibility are key as they reduce the risk of injury during the season. Preparing your body for a game ahead of time will pay off with more success during the season.”

If you believe you are suffering from a basketball-related injury and need specialized orthopedic care, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle provide excellent treatment options available for you. Please feel free to contact OSS at (206) 633-8100 to schedule an appointment.

Preventing Injuries in the Gym while Maintaining Your New Year’s Resolution

Gym-photo

It’s been a month or so now and you continue to be inspired by your New Year’s resolution of being more active and healthy. Hitting the gym was the biggest change to your new found resolve of an active lifestyle, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, where rain and even snow have kept us from enjoying the great outdoors.

The gym is the best place to work on losing a few more pounds as well as conditioning your body for an active Spring and Summer season.

OSS hopes that you are on your way to your healthier lifestyle and offers a few reminders of how to stay safe in the gym and avoid one of five common gym-related injuries and build a safe and stable foundation for your success. These common injuries include foot and ankle, knee, lower back, shoulder and neck injuries.

Foot and Ankle Injuries: Cause, Prevention, and Treatment

The most common foot and ankle injury to new gym goers are stress fractures. Stress fractures occur when a former couch potato hits the gym doing too much without building a foundation. By not allowing your feet and ankles to adapt to the stress of loading and unloading the bones, and not allowing enough recovery time between workouts, stress continues building on weak bone structure.

Just as a pull tab on a soda can will break off as it is bent and unbent enough times, repeated stress on the small bones of the feet and ankles that have not been properly conditioned can snap and suffer a stress fracture.

Stress fractures can be prevented by:

  • Starting slowly with any new weight bearing activities such as running on a treadmill
  • Follow a sensible program of gradually increasing your workout by no more than ten percent week by week. (If that is a struggle, do less or stay at the same level for an extra week before increasing your workouts further)
  • Be sure to wear proper shoes. Select in running or sports shoes that can assist in finding the right shoe for your activity and foot.

Treatments for stress fractures:

  • Modifying workout to avoid weight bearing until pain lessens and the use of a stiff soled shoe for several weeks – Severe cases require the use of a cast or crutches. Healing can be a long slow process. Surgery may be necessary if the fracture fails to heal properly.

Knee Injuries: Cause, Prevention, and Treatment

Knee injuries are very common to gym goers and weekend warriors. More often than not, the cause involves weak muscles in the feet, ankles, hips and even the back. As you attempt to use muscles weaken from years of inactivity, it is easy to pull or twist the knee in an attempt to adapt to sharp or sudden changes in direction. Knee injuries may range from minor pulls and strains to major problems in dislocations, or torn cartilage.

Knee injury Prevention:

  • Gradually working to strengthen core, hip, and foot and ankle muscles as all these work together to assist the knee in tracking in proper alignment.

Treatments for knee injuries:

  • Standard R.I.C.E procedure (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevate) – If there is extreme pain, swelling or the knee seems misshapen, consult an OSS doctor as damage may require realignment of the kneecap or surgical repair to torn ligaments or cartilage.

Lower Back Injuries: Cause, Prevention, and Treatment

The risk of gym related lower back injuries is highest when first beginning an exercise routine. Moving too quickly and expecting weak muscles in your back, hips, and core to support your back and maintain proper spinal alignment is a sure formula for injury.

Lower back injury prevention:

  • Warm-up before beginning a workout – Attempting to lift too much weight before you have built up a base, poor posture and lack of regular exercise leads to lower back injuries in and outside the gym.
  • Proper recovery time – Acute lower back sprains occur when time is not taken to work up to higher weights used in many gym workouts. Overuse of muscles in the back causes tiny tears in muscle tissue, without proper recovery time between workouts, those microscopic tears do not have time to heal and strengthen the muscle. Chronic overuse can lead to sprains that are more serious or even disk injuries in the spine itself.

Treatment for lower back injury:

  • Taking gradual steps to strengthen the muscles supporting the back, using good posture, avoiding sitting or standing in the same position for long periods of time, and scheduling weight training with days off for recovery will greatly reduce the chance of missing long-term workouts.
  • Rest, over-the-counter pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen, medical treatments and gradually increasing exercise to strengthen the muscles of the lower back and core – In most cases, these steps will relieve lower back pain. If pain continues, is excruciating to the point it hinds daily activity, contact an OSS doctor. Traction or surgery is used as a last resort to treat severe lower back injuries.

Shoulder Injuries: Cause, Prevention, and Treatment

The large range of movement the shoulder has makes it at risk for injuries due to the repetitive movements during exercise. Rotator cuff injury, inflammation including tendonitis and bursitis, and compression of the bursa and tendons that leads to a condition call Impingement syndrome. The cause for most shoulder injuries is over training or improper form or techniques.

Simple guidelines for preventing shoulder injuries:

  • Learning and using proper technique and form, warming up before exercising the shoulder by stretching the muscles by performing shoulder shrugs, stretches, and shoulder rolls, and begin a routine to gradually strengthen the shoulder muscles. – If injury does occur, do not try to ‘push through the pain. Doing so could lead to a serious rotator cuff injury requiring surgery. Treating shoulder pain and injury early is vital.
  • Early treatment options include modifying exercise, ice or heat therapy, and the use of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications for pain control. Treating shoulder injuries may require consulting an OSS doctor to prevent long-term damage or loss of range of movement.

Neck Injuries: Cause, Prevention, and Treatment

Most neck injuries are muscle strain or over use. Tension from maintaining your neck in one position to long can cause pain in the neck and shoulders. Minor neck sprains may also result from twisting, attempting to lift too heavy a weight, or using improper form. Major life-altering damage, such as whiplash or fractures, can also occur to the neck when safety precautions and proper form is not consistently used.

Preventing neck injuries:

  • Awareness – Remain aware of safety issues; do not leave free weights or other equipment where it will cause a falling or tripping hazard.
  • Pay attention to proper form – Avoid sudden twisting or jerking movements. Know your own limits.
  • Do not attempt heavy weights without a friend to spot for you or standby to help if needed.
  • Always start slowly with a pre-workout warm up.

Treating neck injuries:

  • Vary depending on the type and severity of the injury.
  • Minor neck pain and strains from over use respond to treatment with rest and over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, within a few days.
  • Ice therapy may also help during the first 24-48 hours of a minor injury – Serious injuries to the neck such as whiplash or fractures usually require immediate medical treatment. These injuries may require a neck brace, surgery, or traction. Consult with an OSS doctor as well as physical therapy is also part of the treatment for serious neck injuries. Treat all neck injuries seriously and do not attempt to ignore pain during a workout.

Dr. Joel Shapiro has this to say when you are in the gym, “Give up the push up. Pushups are hard on shoulders and there are better ways to strengthen triceps, biceps, pecs and deltoids. Work with a trainer on using the best form while working out. If you do sustain injury come in and see me for an evaluation.”

If you believe you are suffering from a gym-related injury and need specialized orthopedic care, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle provide excellent treatment options available for you.

Cheers to Chambers Business Expo a Success

Chamber Business Expo

Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle (OSS) was proud to be a part of this year’s Cheers to Chamber Business Expo!

Hosted by the Ballard, Fremont, Green Lake, Phinney/Greenwood and Queen Anne Neighborhood Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations; the focus was on connecting residents and business leaders to form a stronger local community. OSS was pleased to meet new business owners as well as current businesses and find out the latest goods and services in each respected community.

The Master of Ceremonies of the event was Mark Aucutt and Mayor Murray was on hand to say a few words to everyone at the Expo.

Congratulations to John Marshall for winning the OSS gift basket! OSS hopes to be a part of this event again next year!

Dr. Ruhlman Featured in Swedish Ballard

This is Swedish Ballard’s third post in a four-part series to encourage and inspire Ballard residents and the surrounding communities to be healthy while leading active lifestyles in 2014.  Below, posted in its entirety, is the article from Swedish Ballard’s web site; posted 1/29/14.

By Scott Ruhlman, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon

Looking to be more active in 2014? Have you been waiting all year to enjoy winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding?

There are a few common injuries that often get my patients down when they are on the go. Below are a few tips and tricks to help you prevent these common injuries and determine the best treatment options should you need it.

Sprains/Fractures
The most common injuries in the wrist and ankle are sprains and fractures. Throwing, twisting, weight-bearing, and impact can put you at risk for a wrist injury. Ankle sprains and fractures are typically caused by making a fast, shifting movement with your foot planted on the ground.

In most cases, I recommend the RICE approach: rest for around 48 hours; ice the injured area to reduce swelling (use a pack wrapped in a towel); compress with an elastic ACE wrap; and elevate the injury above heart level.

However, if you experience these symptoms, contact your provider for further evaluation.

  • Pain at the time of injury
  • Swelling
  • Bruising or discoloration
  • Difficulty moving the wrist or ankle
  • A “popping” or tearing sensation during the trauma
  • Warmth and tenderness of the skin

More serious injuries will likely be treated with a splint, boot or cast. The healing process can take up to six weeks. Surgery may also be required.

ACL Tears
The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the major ligaments in your knee that helps with stabilization when turning or planting. ACL injuries take place during cutting or pivoting movements. The hallmark of a torn ACL is a distinct popping noise and your knee may give out. The affected knee will begin to swell and become stiff between 2-12 hours after the injury. People often experience pain or tenderness, and discomfort while standing or walking.

Treatment for ACL injuries depend on the severity of the tear, as well as your age and activity level. Non-surgical treatment such as physical therapy or using a brace may be sufficient. Other individuals will need reconstructive surgery. In all cases, it is important to consult with your provider as soon as possible if you suspect a problem.

Rotator Cuff Tears
The rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles and tendons in the shoulder that provide stability to the shoulder and mobility to the arm. A torn rotator cuff can happen in two ways. An acute tear happens suddenly, such as when you fall on an outstretched hand or lift a heavy object. Tears can also happen slowly over time. As we age, the tendons of the rotator cuff become weaker and gradually fray.

Symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include pain with movement of the shoulder and tenderness to touch. Inability to lift even household objects out to the side or overhead is also typical. Another indicator is a prior history of shoulder tendonitis or bursitis as this would point to excessive stress on the rotator cuff over time.

Treatment can be conservative for some tears, including physical therapy to improve shoulder mobility and progressively strengthen the cuff muscles. However, the majority of tears will likely require surgery to restore shoulder function.

Meniscus Tears
The meniscus helps to absorb shock, as well as stabilize the knee joint. A lot of your body weight is distributed through the meniscus when you move, especially when performing athletic activity. Meniscus tears are caused by twisting and compression that can occur with such activities as running or jumping.

If you have a meniscus tear, you may hear a popping sound or feel a tear or rip in the knee. Swelling generally occurs within a few minutes to a couple of hours and your knee might feel like it is out of place. In less acute injuries, swelling may not occur. Your knee might feel like it’s catching during movement, or like it’s “out of place”. If you suspect you may have a meniscus tear, make an appointment with your provider right away.

Initial treatment of a meniscal tear is typically nonsurgical, and may include RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation). If the tear doesn’t heal, you may need surgery.

Prevention
While the majority of these sports injuries are due to circumstance and pre-existing injuries, there are precautions that you can take to help prevent them from happening to you:

  • Maintaining a lifestyle involving consistent exercise
  • Warming up and stretching prior to rigorous activities
  • Cooling down and slowly relaxing after exercise.

Dr. Scott Ruhlman practices orthopedic surgery at Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle, and has extensive experience with sports medicine. If you have any questions regarding your shoulder pain or function, please feel free to contact Dr. Ruhlman’s office at (206) 784-8833.