If you are a pro athlete or maybe an every other weekend sports player, you may have suffered an injury at some point during your sporting life. Many times a sports injury occurs from over use of a limb or even from disorders in the musculoskeletal system. When you have an injury that is sports related, then you may seek the advice of an Orthopedic Sports Medicine professional.

The musculoskeletal system is a complex arrangement of the human bodies bones, joints, muscles, tendons, nerves and ligaments. Orthopedics has a strong affiliation with sports medicine as it concentrates on the correction of injury, illness and disorders that can occur through the participation in various sports. Some of the musculoskeletal problems that present to Orthopedic sports medicine professionals can include bone breaks and fractures, joint dislocations and traumas as well as arthritis and other traumas to the musculoskeletal system.

Sports medicine makes up one of the nine sub categories in Orthopedic Surgery and is a pivotal component in the treatment of these types of injuries. Whereas other fields of medicine may prefer to leave surgery as a last resort, only to be considered when other treatment options fail, sports medicine orthopedic surgery is starting to see a rise in popularity and preference as the results from such specific surgeries have shown great success.

Your Orthopedic sports medicine doctor often sees patients present with the most common of sports injuries for diagnosis and treatment. Each sport has a range of the most common injuries that can occur when participating in them. Below is a list of the more common sports and the injuries associated with them.

Football:
It is important to use the correct protective gear at all times while playing and training. Many of the injuries incurred from football can range from minor to very serious and traumatic. These include:

• Knee and leg specific Injuries
• Cruciate ligament injuries
• Meniscus injuries
• Groin strain
• pulled, torn and strained hamstring muscle
• IBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome)
• Pulled or strained calf muscle
• Various sprains and strains
• Shin splints

• Foot and Ankle Injuries:
• Achilles tendon rupture
• Sprained ankle
• Turf Toe

• Hand Injuries:
• Wrist sprains
• Fractured fingers
• Tendinitis of the wrist

• Back Injuries:
• Lower back pain
• Muscle strains
• Herniated disks
• General aching back and stress

Considering the grueling workout that playing football brings, it is obvious to see that getting advice and treatment from a specialist like a Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeon is the only way to truly diagnose and treat these injuries. Whilst it is true that surgery is very effective as a treatment option, the types of surgery offered by the surgeon can be considered far from invasive. Keyhole and arthroscopic surgery is preferred and commonplace nowadays, allowing the patient to recover faster with less scar to contend with.

Of course, if you are an athlete and you have an injury or pain that has lingered longer than a few days, you should consult with your Orthopedic Sports Medicine doctor as soon as possible. Many times ignoring a complaint can exacerbate the injury.