Portland, Oregon’s capital, is the City of Roses. It is also home to famous sporting teams, including the Trailblazers, Timbers, and Winter hawks. Sport is a massive part of the city, and for those who play sports understand that injuries are part of the game. Those who get injuries have to go to a Portland sports medicine physician. Sports injuries are most likely to happen when people play games or participate in sporting events. They can either be minor or major, depending on the extent of damage to the tissues, bones, and joints. If you have a fracture, sprain, dislocation, sprain, sports injury, treatment is necessary for your recovery. You can be treated by:
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Rest
Resting your body, especially the injured part of your body, is an integral part of your sports injury treatment. Rest allows the body to recover from injuries and prevents further damage to the cells, and it also helps you recover faster from any sports injury. Resting instigates the healing process within the injured tissues, damaged bones, or joints. The muscle fibers, tendons, or ligaments will repair themselves to become stronger. It will take several months for the injury to heal fully, but you can reduce this time by resting as much as possible.
Heat and Ice Therapy
Heat and ice therapy is a popular sports medicine treatment where heat will be applied to the injured area to help relax muscles and reduce pain. On the other hand, ice therapy reduces swelling by numbing down pain receptors within the damaged tissues, which also reduces blood flow to the area and prevents further damage. You can use either one or both heat or ice, depending on the severity of your sports injuries.
Electrotherapy
Portland sports medicine physicians use electrical stimulation to speed up your recovery process. They will stimulate the muscles through electricity creating contractions that help relax and stretch the injured area. Your sports injury doctor may also recommend using electrotherapy to treat stiffness and inflammation. Electrotherapy can also relieve chronic conditions such as tendonitis, bursitis, and arthritis.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a popular sports medicine treatment that will help you strengthen the musculoskeletal system, which helps reduce pain and stiffness in your muscles, tendons, or ligaments. It also reduces the chances of re-injury as it speeds up your recovery process. You can attend physical therapy sessions with a sports injury specialist to learn new exercises and stretches that will help you strengthen your muscles.
Surgery
If these therapies are not enough, you may need surgery as a Portland sports medicine physician can recommend which course of treatment is best for you. Surgery is recommended if there have been unsuccessful attempts at physical therapy or any activities that the patient has been doing that will cause more damage is also needed if you have an injury that has not healed correctly even after weeks of rest.
It is essential to go to a sports medicine specialist or physician for treatment as soon as possible once you get injured. If not, the tissues will become stiff, and you can develop osteoarthritis. Some treatments take time, so it is best to start as soon as you notice that you are experiencing pain.