Athletic Injuries

What are common athletic injuries?

While some injuries result from direct trauma during high-impact sports, you can also develop chronic pain from overuse injuries caused by the repetitive movements required of many sports.

Common athletic injuries include:

• Ligament tears
• Bone fractures
• Muscle strains
• Tendon damage

Sports-related injuries often heal on their own with rest and home care, but some cause chronic pain that needs medical attention.

How are athletic injuries diagnosed?

The medical team atBlue Ridge Pain Management Associates offers on-site diagnostics, including imaging tests like:

• MRIs
• X-rays
• CT scans
• Ultrasounds

These technologies provide your physician with a closer look at the inner structures of your body, including bones and soft tissues.

Your Blue Ridge Pain Management Associates physician also performs a physical exam and evaluates the activities you were doing before the pain started.

What treatments are available for athletic injuries?

Regardless of your injury, the Blue Ridge Pain Management Associates medical team creates an individual treatment plan to address pain and other symptoms associated with your injury. The goal of treatment is to alleviate pain and restore functionality to the injured area.

Options for treating sports-related pain include trigger point injections and PRP therapy. Trigger point injections are beneficial for treating painful, tight muscles. Treatment involves the insertion of a needle into the specific muscle to stimulate relaxation and provide immediate pain relief.

In PRP therapy, the Blue Ridge Pain Management Associates team uses platelet-rich plasma generated from your own blood. This plasma contains a high concentration of growth factors that speed up the healing of injured soft tissues and bones. Growth factors stimulate the production of new, healthy cells to replace the damaged ones.

What can I expect from PRP therapy?

PRP therapy involves the extraction of a sample of your blood, which the doctors process in a centrifuge. This device spins the blood quickly to separate the beneficial platelets from other blood materials. Your Blue Ridge Pain Management Associates physician then reinjects plasma with a higher concentration of the platelets into the injured area.

Over time, new cells continue to develop, increasing the efficiency and speed of your healing. PRP therapy provides long-term relief of pain and enhances your overall mobility, allowing your body to heal itself from the inside out.

Learn more about the benefits of PRP therapy and other treatments for athletic injuries by calling the office nearest you or by booking an appointment online today.