ACL Tears: Why Football Needs a Riverside Sports Medicine Orthopedist

One of the injuries holding the USC Trojans back, particularly lineman Kenny Bigelow, is known as an ‘anterior cruciate ligament’ (ACL) sprain or tear—a type of knee injury prevalent among sports that involve plenty of legwork, like football and basketball. However, this description doesn’t even begin to describe the impact of this injury, such as long-term cartilage damage. Fortunately, a respected Riverside sports medicine practitioner such as Dr. Wade Faerber would have the experience and knowhow necessary to treat ACL injuries effectively and thereby bring players up to speed in terms of their recovery.
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Bicep Tendonitis: Arm Pain for Athletes

The risk of injury is common in most, if not all, sporting activities. Even if a person doesn’t play anywhere near the frequency or intensity of professionals, a nagging injury can ultimately be developed. This is because not all injuries necessarily occur within one play, as some can be caused by time and constant wear on a particular body part.

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How Riverside Sports Medicine Practitioners Help Pro Athletes Recover

For superstar athletes (fondly referred to as “freak athletes”), injuries are a part of daily life, making sports orthopedic doctors a fixture in every professional athletic setting. A Riverside sports medicine practitioner like Dr. Wade Faerber specializes in the science that treats and heals sports-related injuries. Bleacherreport.com writer Will Carroll narrates how this discipline has helped NBA franchise players Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and others stage comebacks after suffering seemingly career-ending injuries. Sports medicine and sports science have led to a high rate of return for NBA players. Even devastating injuries like an Achilles rupture that would have been career-ending just a decade ago are now just career-altering …new techniques in rehab and surgery piggyback well with a drive to succeed and a solid physical conditioning base.
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For Sports Injuries in Kids, Visit a Riverside Sports Medicine Center

Surgical treatment for a dislocated joint

Immediate treatment for dislocation mainly focuses on returning the joint to its normal position through nonsurgical means. If this cannot be achieved, surgery will likely be required.

What kind of doctor can perform surgery on a dislocated joint?

Primary physicians do not have the specialized training and equipment necessary to perform surgery on a dislocated joint. If a dislocation that requires surgery is found upon examination and testing, it is important to see a Riverside, CA orthopedic surgeon like Dr. Wade Faerber.

http://drwadefaerber.com/for-sports-injuries-in-kids-visit-a-riverside-sports-medicine-center/

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Athletes Who Suffered Career-Ending Injuries

Sports injuries range from the rather miniscule, to the potentially career-threatening. Here are some of the athletes whose promising careers were cut too short by injuries.

Doc Powers – Powers played as a catcher for the then Philadelphia Athletics of Major League Baseball. However, in the Athletics’ first game at the newly constructed Shibe Park, Powers got injured chasing a pop-up straight into a wall. He suffered numerous internal injuries and died two weeks later.

Joe Theismann – A former quarterback for the Washington Redskins, Theismann enjoyed a successful 11-year NFL career only to be forced out of the game for good in 1985. In a game against the New York Giants, Theismann suffered a brutal break in both the bones of his lower right leg after being sacked by Giants linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson.

Steve Moore – Playing for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Moore stepped away from the game for good after being punched in the back of the head by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Todd Bertuzzi. Moore was laid out by Bertuzzi with a blind cheap shot, resulting in three cracked vertebrae and a concussion. As of press time, Moore still suffers from post-concussion syndrome.

Mike Utley – Former Detroit Lions offensive lineman Mike Utley went off to a promising start, but his career ended abruptly after suffering an injury to his sixth and seventh vertebrae in a game against the St. Louis Rams. After the incident, Utley became paralyzed from the chest down.

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Putting the Separated Shoulder Back Together

A separated shoulder is one of the more serious injuries you can incur while playing high-intensity contact sports like football. Sports medicine physicians define it as the spraining of ligaments between the clavicle and scapula. The injury often occurs due to an outstretched hand or direct hit to the shoulder. Analyses of the injury may classify its level from Type I to VI, with Types III to VI requiring surgery.

Symptoms of separated shoulders include a deformed shoulder, tenderness in the collarbone, and intense pain when the injury strikes. If you are the subject of a separated shoulder injury, you will have put the affected arm on a sling and apply ice up to four times a day. Your medical practitioner should also prescribe painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, as well as determine whether the injury needs surgery. 

The surgery often involves reattaching the torn ligaments back together and using strong sutures to anchor them in place. However, extra care is needed over the course of the operation. Some experts note the danger of complications such as clavicle loss of reduction, fractures in the clavicle itself, and detaching deltoid/ trapezius muscles. The post-recovery operation may take between two to six months.

A separated shoulder is never the end of the world. Adequate surgery may give you a fighting chance to get back in form.

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Some of the Most Serious Sports Injuries

Injuries are commonplace in sports. While most of them are simple sprains and concussions, there are several injuries that every athlete dreads. What are those? Here are some of the most common serious sports injuries.

Torn ACL

The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is one of four major knee ligaments that hold the knee joint together. Massive force exerted into the knees when quickly changing directions – such as in football or basketball – may tear the ACL. This is characterized by a “pop”, and the knee giving way. Once you suffer this injury, you are most likely done for the season, and could possibly sit things out a year or so – just ask Derrick Rose.

Severe Concussion

Common in contact sports like boxing or MMA, severe blows to critical body regions like the head can lead to serious complications (e.g. impaired vision, memory, and motor function).

Torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament

Baseball pitchers and tennis players are at a particular risk of tearing their UCL. The UCL is much like the ACL, but it is basically one of the ligaments that hold the elbow joint together. Heavy use of the joint can cause the ligament to stretch, fray, and tear due to the strain.

Fractured Vertebrae

This is probably the worst of all, mainly because it is directly related to the spinal cord – a vital component of one’s nervous system. Fracturing a vertebra can essentially paralyze an athlete on a specific part of the body, potentially ending his career once and for all.

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Importance of Knee Imaging for Riverside Sports Medicine Procedures

We will be looking at four common imaging tools used that help sports medicine specialists choose the correct procedure for treating knee injuries: radiography, magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, OCT, and ultrasound.

Riverside, CA orthopedic centers, like most medical facilities in the U.S., use radiography as it is the most accessible tool and least expensive. Radiography is a quick way to identify a wide range of knee problems, including fracture, degenerative changes, osteochondral defects and effusions.

http://drwadefaerber.com/importance-of-knee-imaging-for-riverside-sports-medicine-procedures/

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Proper Riverside Sports Medicine Helps Players Improve from Injury

There are a lot of injuries that can debilitate and stop an athlete from showing his or her full potential on the court. For basketball players, knee injuries and foot fractures are some of the most common ones that keep them from showing everyone what their games are all about.

This is why it is important for these athletes in California to find reliable doctors like Dr. Wade Faerber. These doctors know procedures that can help players regain the orientation and range of movement their bodies once enjoyed before injury struck. It will also allow players to perform to their full potential.

http://drwadefaerber.com/proper-riverside-sports-medicine-helps-players-improve-from-injury/

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Sports Injuries that Shouldn’t Be Ignored

Athletes and sports aficionados are susceptible to developing injuries at one point or another. Whether these people engage in contact sports like boxing or individual sports like tennis, they are likely to find themselves dealing with an injury. Some injuries are more serious than others.

Obviously, a neck or a head injury should be treated as a serious matter regardless of the circumstances in which they occurred. Injuries that directly lead to apparent deformities like a bent finger or a wrist are not to be taken lightly either. Both of these need immediate medical attention.

However, there are some injuries that are actually more serious than they seem. For instance, sharp back pain is something that most people will attribute to excessive amounts of time spent in strenuous activities. What people may not know is that there may be a dislocation in their vertebra, causing the sharp back pain, and if left alone, the pain will eventually affect the whole body.

Another injury that shouldn’t be ignored is ankle pain, which is common for marathon runners. Most runners will probably blame their tendencies to run in long distances or for long periods for the ankle pain, but those may not tell the whole story. Ankle pain can also indicate a sprained ankle or a strained ligament, and in this case, a visit to a sports medicine expert is necessary.

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The Most Common Sports-Related Knee Injuries

Cycling, basketball, and football are among the most exciting sports, as with most sporting activities, are also plagued with many hazards. In a recent report, the Department of Health & Human Services estimates that 12 million Americans between 5-22 years old suffer from sports-related injuries every year. A large portion of these injuries affect the knee.

Here are the most common knee injuries sustained in sports:

Patellar Fracture

The patella or knee cap is a small bone that protects the knee joint. Because of its size, the knee cap can be easily get fractured by traumatic contact, such as bumping into another player or falling knee-first on the floor. Fractures may be as mild as hairlines or as grave as shattered bones.

Dislocation

High-intensity contact sports like football can result to direct blows to the knee. Once the trauma occurs, the bones connecting the knee and the knee cap can pop out of alignment. Other pathologies, such as arthritis, may aggravate the possibility of a knee dislocation.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear

The knee is supported by various ligaments and tendons, including the ACL. When the athlete abruptly changes direction or jumps with improper form, the ACL tears easily. Strength training on the legs, plyometric exercises and form correction are recommended to avoid ACL injuries.

For any pain or other symptoms that suggests a knee injury, visit your nearby Riverside sports medicine clinic. A board certified orthopedic and sports medicine physician determines the proper course of action to treat your condition.

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