Top 5 Sports Injuries That Can Be Healed Without Surgery

When you suffer an injury playing sports, your mind immediately goes to worst-case scenarios, including surgery that could keep you out of action for weeks or months.

Thankfully, surgery isn’t the only option available to treat sports injuries, a term we use to encompass injuries to your musculoskeletal system, including bones, muscles, tendons, soft tissues, and joints. In fact, surgery is not even the best option much of the time. 

At Carolina Joint and Arthritis, our team, led by Dr. Austen Yeargan, works to restore our patients back to optimal condition with natural regenerative methods that don’t involve going under the knife. Here are the top 5 sports injuries that can be healed without surgery.

Sprains

A sprain occurs when you stretch or tear the ligaments that connect your bones. The most common location for a sprain is the ankle. Sprains can usually be treated with rest, ice, compression, and elevation as they heal over time. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy can also be an effective treatment to speed up the healing process.

Runner’s knee

Runner’s knee, or patellofemoral pain syndrome,  refers around the kneecap or in the front of the knee. This could include swelling, inflammation, stiffness, or bruising. Dr. Yeargan can use the innovative mi-eye 2®, a hand-held scope with a camera, to locate the source of your pain.

Once he has determined the pain’s location, medication and physical therapy can help, along with regenerative treatments such as PRP therapy, cell therapy, the Tenex ultrasound, and the Nanoplasty® and Mechanical Axis Deviation Procedure.

Pulled muscles

A pulled muscle, or muscle strain, is one of the top reasons athletes miss sports. This injury causes stretching of the muscle fibers, leading to a partial or complete tear of the muscle. Muscle strains usually heal with a combination of treatments including rest, ice, compression, and elevation, along with time off from the activity that caused the problem, steroid injections, physical therapy, and PRP therapy.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis involves inflammation of a tendon (the tissue cords that attach muscle to bone)  due to overuse or repetitive movements over a long period of time. This includes Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, and similar injuries.

Several non-surgical treatments can be effective for healing, including rest, physical therapy, steroids and injections, PRP therapy, and the Tenex ultrasound procedure.

Rotator cuff tears

Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint and hold it in place. An injury occurs when one of the muscles or tendons is strained or torn due to an accident or repetitive overhead motions.

A complete tear does require surgery for complete healing, but many rotator cuff injuries can be healed with other methods, including immobilization, anti-inflammatories and steroids, the Tenex ultrasound, physical therapy, and orthobiologic treatments.

Suffering from a sports injury? If you’d like to consider regenerative and non-surgical treatment, Dr. Yeargan and the Carolina Joint and Arthritis team are here to help with information and treatments. To schedule an appointment, call our Wilmington, North Carolina, office or use our online scheduler to book a time.