Living an active lifestyle can be a great way to stay in shape but it can also lead to some common injuries from time to time for even the most seasoned athletes and fitness enthusiasts. When injuries do happen, physical therapy can be a great option for recovery and provide a pathway to reduce the likelihood of future injuries with proactive efforts. We’ve identified some of the most common injuries and highlighted how physical therapy can help you get moving again after a recent injury.
Golfer’s Elbow and Tennis Elbow are two of the most common injuries that can occur from overuse. One of the common misconceptions with both of these common injuries is that they can only occur to individuals who play either sport, but the truth to the matter is that they can occur in everyone – not just those who are athletes in the respective sports. Both Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow often occur with a repetitive activity that causes stress on the forearm and wrist.
Both of these common injuries can cause the wrist and forearm to be sensitive to touch and make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Physical therapy can help individuals with both Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow by reducing pain, improving function, and identifying ways to reduce the likelihood of overuse and injury in the future.
If you’ve been diagnosed with Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow, schedule an appointment today to connect with one of our trained physical therapists in a location near you!
The next common injury that many individuals can experience is a sprain. A sprain can occur when there is stretching or tearing of ligaments, which are the connective tissue that can connect bones together in a joint. Some of the most common areas that can experience sprains include the wrist and ankle. Wrist sprains and ankle sprains are two very common injuries across the United States and are one of the leading injuries that can occur on the job.
Sprains can occur from a variety of different methods but most often stem from falls or physical trauma. The severity of a sprain can vary based on a number of factors, but physical therapy can be an effective method for treating sprains with manual therapy techniques which focus on alleviating pain, improving range of motion, and getting back to performing everyday activities.
The body has a very effective healing capacity with such injuries, but many things can complicate and prolong healing unnecessarily. Physical therapists are experts at ensuring you are healing normally.
You might be surprised at how often we use our hips for nearly every activity throughout the day. If you work from home or have limited physical activity, your hip flexors might be underdeveloped and weak. These important muscles play a key role in controlling how you move your lower body, including how you walk, bend, and adjust your hips to perform routine movements.
Underdeveloped or weak hip flexor muscles can be strained when you try to run, go up a flight of stairs, and make sudden changes in direction. Physical therapists can help reduce and alleviate the pain that can stem from hip flexor strains by implementing a tailored treatment program that focuses on hip-strengthening exercises and restoring range of motion. In addition, a licensed PT can provide valuable education on ways to perform similar movements that will help to reduce the likelihood of a future injury.
Knee injuries and chronic knee pain impact millions of individuals every single year, which is why it’s no surprise that they are one of the most common injuries. Some of the leading causes for knee injuries and knee pain include overuse, improper lifting technique, physical trauma to the area, overuse, and not giving previous injuries enough time to heal before resuming activity.
We put a lot of stress on our knees in a variety of scenarios, which is why it seems like there is no shortage of possible knee injuries, but some of the most common injuries include tears, hyperextensions, arthritis, sprains, fractures, dislocations, and runner’s knee (Patella Femoral Syndrome).
Learn more about knee conditions we treat and find a knee pain specialist near you.
Broken bones, fractures, and stress fractures are some of the most common injuries across the country with over 6 million fractures occurring each year. When the bone loses its integrity, it can be defined as a fracture. The likelihood of a fracture increases with age and two of the most common fractures include ankle fractures and hip fractures.
There are plenty of reasons one could sustain a fracture, but three of the most common reasons include contact sports, physical trauma, and repetitive stress with inadequate recovery periods. Stress fractures can develop over time with overuse and are often diagnosed after extended periods of time when the individual has tried to avoid a proper evaluation. Many people push through the pain with the mindset that the ailment is something minor and they’ll eventually get over it and don’t realize that they’ve suffered a stress fracture until the pain becomes debilitating.
After the bones have healed, physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for those individuals who are looking to strengthen supporting structures and restore mobility to the area.
Keeping healthy and staying active can go a long way to strengthening bones and preventing fractures, particularly in the elderly.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a fracture schedule an appointment today and connect with a physical therapist near you!
Shin splints are a common injury for runners or athletes and often stem from a lack of warmup, overdoing activity outside of your body’s tolerance, stretching, and inadequate support. Shin splints can be annoying and prevent you from performing your best during a workout if they’re not taken care of. Shin splints can develop from weak lower leg muscles, tight calves, and repetitive stress to the area.
One of the great things about working with a physical therapist is that they can work with you to identify underdeveloped or weak muscles which might contribute to pain or injuries down the road like shin splints. During physical therapy treatment, your physical therapist will work with you to develop and strengthen those muscles to reduce the likelihood of shin splints and other similar running injuries that are common.
If you’ve been diagnosed with shin splints schedule an appointment today to connect with one of our trained physical therapists in a location near you!
We place a lot of stress and strain on our backs during our lifetime, which makes them susceptible to plenty of common injuries and chronic pain including Degenerative Disc Disease and Sciatica.
Millions of individuals can be susceptible to many different types of back pain which can also be compounded by being overweight or obese. Repetitive stress, inactivity, improper lifting techniques, underdeveloped muscles, and health conditions can all contribute to back pain. Physical therapy can help alleviate back pain and can be a useful method for learning more about low-impact activities that can help to build strength and endurance to alleviate pain and restore function and mobility.
If you’ve been diagnosed with back pain schedule an appointment today to connect with one of our trained physical therapists in a location near you!
Concussions have been at the forefront of media for the last few years, as new studies continually investigate the impact concussions have on everyday life and ways we can all reduce the likelihood of traumatic brain injuries including senior citizens and athletes. Concussions don’t discriminate and can impact everyone who experiences a sudden impact to the head. Recovery periods can vary widely for each person and it can take weeks to months to recover properly.
Physical therapy can treat many of the impairments and symptoms that can stem from a recent concussion.
Groin injuries can be one of the most common injuries for athletes, individuals who are making quick lateral movements, and those who lack flexibility when participating in a workout.
While some groin pulls or groin strains last for a few days, many can take weeks to heal and they can make life difficult when performing everyday activities. Like any injury, many things can interfere with normal healing, such as developing habitual compensatory movement habits. Physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for maximizing the body’s capacity to heal, structuring an effective rehab program, learning how to properly stretch, and improving range of motion to avoid groin injuries in the future.
Strains are often confused with sprains but they are significantly different in how they occur and some of the most common anatomical areas that can be impacted. Strains occur when there is stretching or tearing of tendons or muscles which connect bones to muscles. Oftentimes, individuals will experience muscle strains in the lower back, hamstring, biceps, and shoulders. Strains can occur when you tend to overexert yourself, lift heavy items improperly, or perform repetitive activities without much rest.
After a strain, a licensed physical therapist can help you with a strain by focusing on improving the range of motion to the impacted area, alleviating pain, and building up strength and endurance to prevent future injuries.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a recent strain schedule an appointment today to connect with one of our trained physical therapists in a location near you!
Many of the most common injuries we’ve outlined above can sideline you for weeks if you’re not careful or taking an active role in your health. Physical therapy can help you prevent and recover from these common injuries with personalized treatment programs that are tailored to your unique needs and goals.
Schedule a physical therapy appointment today at a clinic near you. We’ve got hundreds of clinics across the country and we’re passionate about helping you alleviate pain and recover from your injuries.
