When is surgery necessary?

The reality is some of your body’s tissues simply do not heal well or heal completely, even with proper physical therapy. Tissues that typically do not heal well without surgery are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), cartilage, ligaments, and joint capsules. When tissues lack a healing blood supply, when their normal function prevents proper healing, and when they cannot be protected well enough and long enough to fully heal, surgery becomes necessary to restore full function. Regaining that function through surgery and effective rehab therapy is essential to returning an athlete to sports and very often to enjoyable living.

Types of sports injuries

• Sprains Overstretching or tearing the ligaments results in a sprain Ligaments are pieces of tissue that connect two bones to one another in a joint.
• Strains Overstretching or tearing muscles or tendons results in a sprain. Tendons are thick, fibrous cords of tissue that connect bone to muscle. Strains are commonly mistaken for sprains. Here’s how tell them apart.
• Knee injuries Any injury that interferes with how the knee joint moves could be a sports injury. It could range from an overstretch to a tear in the muscles or tissues in the knee.
• Swollen muscles Swelling is a natural reaction to an injury. Swollen muscles may also be painful and weak.
• Achilles tendon rupture The Achilles tendon is a thin, powerful tendon at the back of your ankle. During sports, this tendon can break or rupture. When it does, you may experience sudden, severe pain and difficulty walking.
• Fractures Bone fractures are also known as broken bones.
• Dislocations Sports injuries may dislocate a bone in your body. When that happens, a bone is forced out of its socket. This can be painful and lead to swelling and weakness.
• Rotator cuff injury Four pieces of muscle work together to form the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff keeps your shoulder moving in all directions. A tear in any of these muscles can weaken the rotator cuff