By Dr. Valerie Sorge
Overuse injuries due to repetitive motion are common in recreational and elite athletes. Some overuse injuries resolve quickly after activity modification, but others can persist, which often prompts the patient to seek medical attention.
What is chronic pain? Whether you’re driven by a passion for the game or a fierce determination to let nothing get in your way, you might be tempted to keep playing despite the discomfort. Keep in mind, however, that disregarding the pain can mean ignoring serious issues that are causing it. Pain is chronic when it lasts for at least 3-6 months after an injury.
How do you avoid chronic pain after an injury? Acute injuries cause immediate pain and symptoms. On the other hand, chronic injuries take a long time to develop and may start as nothing more than a mild ache.
Common sports injuries like sprains, strains, tears, and dislocations weaken your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints and develop into chronically painful conditions. No matter which kind of injury you have, there are a few essential things to do to lessen your chances of suffering through months of pain afterward.
Getting early treatment is essential. Your first line of defense against chronic pain after an injury is to get treatment as soon as you feel the symptoms. Early treatment gives your damaged body its best chance of making a full recovery and not bothering you later.
There are several ways to treat chronic pain, including Hormone Therapy, Hyperbaric Chamber, and Prolozone Therapy. All of these treatments are available at Vidaful Medicine.
PROLOZONE THERAPY
Prolozone is a form of non-surgical ligament reconstruction known to have a lasting effect on chronic pains. Prolozone is a connective tissue injection therapy of collagen-producing substances and ozone gas which can reconstruct damaged or weakened connective tissue in and around joints. These substances are injected into the damaged connective tissue in and around a joint to rebuild the damaged areas. Repairing the connective tissue is all that is needed to perpetually reverse chronic pain.
Prolozone Therapy is an injection technique similar to prolotherapy that uses ozone. The use of ozone causes the joint to heal much more quickly than in traditional prolotherapy. This is because ozone is a highly reactive molecule and, when injected into a joint capsule, can stimulate the fibroblastic joint repairing abilities.
Ligaments are the structural “rubber bands” that hold bones to bones in joints – acting like the body’s shock absorbers. Ligaments can become weak or injured and may not heal back to their original strength or endurance. Ligaments will also not tighten on their own to their original length once injured. The blood supply to ligaments is limited; therefore, healing is slow. To further complicate this, ligaments also have many nerve endings, which will cause a person to feel pain in the areas where the ligaments are damaged or loose.
A concussion is a brain injury caused by an impact to your head strong enough to temporarily affect your brain activity. Concussions can be very serious and require immediate medical attention. Signs of a concussion following head trauma can include:
• Headache
• Feeling confused or dizzy
• Nausea or vomiting
• Slurring your speech
• Feeling sensitive to bright lights and the sun
Groin muscles are located along the insides of your upper thighs. They help you move your legs together and apart. If you’re not very flexible and make a quick side-to-side movement, you can strain your groin muscles. You can identify strains by tenderness and bruising in the area.
Sometimes sports cause you to pinch a nerve in your back that leads to pain and numbness down your back and legs. Golf and tennis players commonly experience sciatic nerve problems because of the way they twist their torso during games. Sciatic pain often radiates out from the pinched nerve and may tingle or feel numb.
Shoulders and elbows face the risk of impact injuries and strains from overuse. If you fall while playing a sport, you brace yourself with your arms. This can tear muscles and strain ligaments from the sudden impact and pressure. Participating in sports like golf, baseball, and tennis may cause overuse injuries from repetitive motions.
Dr. Lisa Caprio
We are delighted that Dr. Lisa Caprio will be joining Vidaful Medicine. She brings a wealth of medical experience and her passion for assisting others in regaining and maintaining their vitality. Dr. Caprio specializes in regenerative medicine, focusing on aesthetics, the treatment of sexual wellness, and medical acupuncture. Her passion is to assist others in regaining and maintaining their natural vitality. Focusing on her most valuable skills makes her a dedicated problem solver, not a manager.
To find out more, or to schedule your appointment, please call 239.920.7676 or visit www.vidaful.com.
7955 Airport-Pulling Rd, Suite 101
Naples, FL 34109