Sports injuries are common in athletes and people who exercise frequently, but the related pain may not appear right away. Athletes who are injured during sports should seek prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent further problems. The sports medicine specialists at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics (CNSO) offer diagnosis and treatment for patients in northern New Jersey with brain, spine, and nerve conditions, including sports injuries. Here, CNSO discusses how sports injury pain can be delayed and why timely treatment is important.
Common Sports Injuries
Participating in sports and exercising can lead to many kinds of injuries. Common sports injuries include:
- Bone or spinal fractures
- Sprains and strains of ligaments, muscles, and tendons
- Dislocated joints in the shoulder, knee, etc.
- Inflamed or torn tendons
These injuries can occur in all kinds of athletes and in active people who don’t play a sport, such as runners, bikers, and other people who do repetitive movements. Sports injuries are more likely to happen to athletes who don’t stretch or warm up properly, who overtrain or overuse certain body parts, who don’t wear protective equipment, and who participate in contact sports.
About Delayed Sports Injury Pain
Many athletes experience pain immediately or shortly after a sport-related injury. However, sometimes the pain can be delayed until days or weeks later, so the patient may not realize the pain is related to their sports injury. This is common in sports injuries affecting muscles, tendons, discs, and other soft tissues. Delayed pain from a sports injury can happen for two main reasons:
- Increased adrenaline from physical activity, stress, and even being in shock can delay feelings of pain.
- After an injury, swelling that presses on nerves can lead to pain that appears later.
If an athlete is not in agonizing pain right immediately after a sports injury, they may think they’re fine. However, pain can intensify once adrenaline wears off and swelling increases, causing a patient to seek medical attention. It’s best if a patient who is injured during sports or exercise sees a doctor promptly to have any problems diagnosed and treated before they get worse. This can also prevent pain from worsening if the doctor prescribes pain management treatments. Pain that’s left untreated can lead to serious problems later and even affect an athlete’s performance or career.
Treatments for Sports Injuries and Pain at CNSO
Athletes in northern New Jersey who are injured during sports or exercise can look to CNSO for diagnosis and treatment. As New Jersey’s most comprehensive brain and spine center, CNSO has the expertise necessary to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical problems, including sports injuries. Treatments available for sports injuries and related pain include both non-surgical and surgical options. They include:
Physical Therapy
Patients with delayed pain after a sports injury often can benefit from physical therapy. At CNSO, the physical therapy team uses a variety of methods to help patients experience pain relief and increase their strength, including:
- Manual manipulation
- Stretching
- Heat and cold packs
- Electrical stimulation
- Joint mobilization
Pain Management
When a patient is struggling with immediate or delayed pain after a sports injury, pain management treatments may be an ideal way to provide relief and get them back to their sport faster. CNSO has a team of pain management specialists who help control pain from sports injuries with a range of treatments, including joint injections, physiatry, rehabilitation medicine, and more.
Surgical Treatment
Some sports injuries require surgery, such as tendon tears, rotator cuff injuries, and spinal injuries. If a patient injures their spine during sports, the surgical team at CNSO can offer several surgical treatment options to provide relief, including spinal fusion to stabilize the spine and a discectomy if a herniated disc is causing pain and needs to be removed.
At CNSO, the team of neurosurgeons, orthopedic spine surgeons, pain management physicians, physiatrists, rehabilitation specialists, physical therapists, and more collaborate to determine the best treatment option, whether it is surgery or physical therapy. Patients with sports injury pain should know that CNSO believes in a conservative approach to treatment, using surgical measures as a last resort after trying non-surgical treatment options.
Trust Comprehensive Sports Injury Pain Treatment at CNSO
Athletes love playing their respective sports and never want an injury to slow them down. Athletes who are injured should seek treatment to rule out serious problems and prevent delayed pain. CNSO is trusted for both non-surgical and surgical treatments in northern New Jersey. To learn more about treatment for delayed sports injury pain, contact Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics today to request an appointment.
