Sports Injuries Specialist

Sports Injuries Q & A

What are the most common sports injuries?

Whether you’re on a team or a weekend warrior, exercise is beneficial, but if you don’t warm up properly or if you overdo it on occasion, you can end up with a sports injury that keeps you on the bench for a few weeks. Sports injuries are very common, and many of them heal with rest and home therapies like ice or heat, but a more serious injury that goes untreated can cause problems later on in life. Some of the most common sports injuries include:

• Strained muscles
• Sprained or torn ligaments
• Rotator cuff/shoulder injuries
• Knee injuries
• Ankle sprains
• Pulled hamstrings
• Tennis or golfer’s elbow

The experts at The Hirsh Center specialize in treating a variety of sports injuries nonsurgically. With highly targeted, ultrasound-guided injections, the medical team can inject platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or steroids, like cortisone, to promote healing and tissue regeneration. These minimally invasive techniques relieve pain and promote your body’s restorative response and can even work on partial rotator cuff tears.

What is platelet-rich plasma therapy?

Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) is a regenerative medicine therapy that uses your body’s own blood plasma and stem cells to help you heal from an injury. The doctors first take blood from your arm and then process it in a centrifuge to separate out the platelet-rich plasma from the other blood components. PRP contains a concentration of proteins, or growth factors, that stimulate dormant stem cells in your body to grow new tissue.

Through the precisely guided imagery of ultrasound, the team injects the platelet-rich plasma into your injured ligament or strained muscle to promote your body’s natural healing response. PRP is also effective around injured and arthritic joints, like your knee, elbow, or ankle. One of the benefits of PRP treatments is a faster recovery than you’d experience after a more invasive procedure.

When should I seek treatment for a sports injury?

If you have chronic pain or an injury that doesn’t seem to heal completely, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention. Sports injuries can develop into much more serious conditions if they’re not diagnosed and treated effectively. The Hirsh Center team recommends treating a sports injury as soon as possible if it's not improving with home remedies.

Additionally, if you have an activity-related injury that hasn’t responded well to other treatment options, ultrasound-guided injections may be able to provide the relief and healing you need to fully recover and return to the sport or activity you enjoy.

Call the office or schedule an appointment online to learn more.