Whether you play baseball, golf, soccer, tennis, basketball, football, lacrosse, or some other sport, you are likely to suffer a sports injury from time to time. It’s reassuring to know that Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine has five conveniently located offices in Nassau and Suffolk, all of which have excellent diagnostic equipment, a broad range of nonsurgical treatments, and excellent doctors who specialize in pain relief and restoration of function.
If you or someone you love is suffering from a sports injury, contact us to get a prompt or same-day appointment. One of our highly qualified physiatrists will accurately diagnose your medical problem and begin to help you heal so you can get back in the game as soon as possible.
Acute and Chronic Sports Injuries
Sports injuries can be acute, meaning they happen suddenly during a fall, twist, or on impact, or chronic, meaning they occur from overuse (repetitive stress) and develop gradually. While either type of injury can occur in any sport, acute injuries are more common in team sports, especially contact sports like football, and chronic injuries are more common in sports like golf, swimming, and tennis in which the same joints and muscles are used over and over.
At Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine, our doctors are skilled physiatrists who specialize in spinal and musculoskeletal injuries and disorders. We are well-equipped to provide you with treatments for both acute and chronic sports injuries.
Sports Injuries Affect Bones, Joints, and Muscles Throughout the Body
All parts of the body are vulnerable to injury. Nonetheless, depending on the sport you play,
your position on the team, your congenital strengths and weaknesses, your state of health and conditioning, and your history of previous injuries, certain muscles and joints will be at greater risk.
Why Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine Is a Wise Choice
Our practice uses a holistic approach, so we have multiple therapies available no matter what body part you have injured. Whether your pain is intense or achy, constant or sporadic, disruptive or disabling, we are here to help. As physiatrists, we work hard to relieve pain and restore range of motion without surgery. We frequently use traditional and complementary therapies in combination to provide the best outcomes.
Contact us now to feel the difference when you work collaboratively with empathic physicians. Our doctors are not only personally committed to making you feel better, but committed to doing so through methods you find agreeable.
Diagnosis Comes First When It Comes to Treating Sports Injuries
We have a well-deserved reputation for accurate diagnosis. This is important because without understanding the underlying cause of your pain and dysfunction we cannot help you get well. We are also acutely aware that improper diagnosis can lead to a worsening of symptoms. Therefore, we are extremely careful to make certain we get your diagnosis right.
In addition to taking a full medical history and analyzing its possible impact on your current problem, we will perform a physical examination to get a handle on precisely where you feel pain and how your range of motion is restricted. Then, we will administer diagnostic tests that will pinpoint the trouble spot. Which tests we use may depend on whether or not you are experiencing back pain.
Our diagnostic methods include:
- Imaging tests: X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound
- Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies to detect neurological damage
- Ultrasound-guided injections into musculoskeletal tissue to show us precisely where your pain originates
- Diagnostic medial branch block, fluoroscopy-guided facet injections, or discography if you are experiencing back pain
Once we have the correct diagnosis, we will move forward to working out the best treatment plan for you, always taking your preferences into account.
Sports Injuries We Treat on a Regular Basis
At our practice, we treat patients with a wide variety of sports injuries, including:
- Knee injuries — such as runner’s knee (patellofemoral syndrome), meniscus tears, and ACL sprains
- Hip Injuries — hip bursitis, hamstring injuries, and sacroiliac injuries
- Shoulder Injuries — shoulder impingement, dislocation, subluxation, tendonitis or rotator cuff injuriesÂ
- Elbow Injuries (epicondylitis) — affecting the outside or inside of the joint depending on the sport
- Hand/wrist injuries — carpal tunnel syndrome and De Quervain’s tendonitis
- Back and neck pain — herniated or ruptured discs, sciatica, stress fractures, pinched nerves
A Wide Range of Treatments to Heal a Wide Range of Sports Injuries
Because we are dedicated to using nonsurgical methods wherever possible, you will find our practice open to proven innovative therapeutic techniques. Because we are well aware of the mind-body connection, you will find us happy to partner with you in determining your best course of treatment. After all, you know your body best.
Depending on the type of sports injury you have and how it is affecting your daily life, we may suggest one or more of the following:
- Physical therapy with electrical stimulation to restore strength and range of motion
- Corticosteroid/analgesic injections to relieve pain and inflammation directly at the site
- Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy, which, in addition to treating pain and inflammation, increases the oxygenation of cells to support healing
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to promote healing
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to deaden the spinal nerve transmitting back pain
- Acupuncture to improve circulation and reduce pain and inflammation
- Fluoroscopy-guided facet injections to relieve back pain
As you can see, we are well-prepared to treat your sports injury whatever it is. Often, combining two or more of these therapeutic options is the key to accelerating the healing process.
Contact Our Experienced Sports Injury Physicians Today
Take a look at our website to see a sampling of our patient testimonials. We are proud of having helped sports enthusiasts all over Long Island return to the healthy activities they enjoy. Contact us now so we can help you do the same.