Common Sports Injury Treatment for Athletes at AFC Urgent Care & Walk-In Clinic in Downingtown, PA

AFC Urgent Care & Walk-In Clinic in Downingtown, PA treats sports injuries for both children and adults

There are a number of ways you can stay in shape throughout the year. Among the most popular choices are working out and playing sports. However, these activities put you at risk for common injuries if you are not careful. Injuries can be prevented if you know your physical limitations. You can avoid these common injuries from getting worse if you know their symptoms when they occur. At AFC Urgent Care Downingtown, our experienced staff and board-certified providers can help diagnose and treat you for these common sports injuries. Our walk-in urgent care center can treat your entire family, including any children who engage in school-based sports and activities. Our convenient walk-in urgent care center is located in the Mill Town Square shopping center in Downingtown, PA.

What are some common sports injuries you treat at AFC Urgent Care Downingtown?

We see a variety of common sports injuries here at AFC Urgent Care Downingtown that can occur during sports or exercise. Most of these injuries are focused on the muscles, bones, ligaments, cartilage, and other tissues in the musculoskeletal system.

Some common injuries include:

Strain – A strain is an injury to the muscle or tendon. These injuries can involve overstretching, over contracting or tearing these tissues. Strains occur when you twist an area of your body or pull harder than the tendon or muscle can withstand. Our walk-in urgent care center can treat minor to moderate strains. Severe strains that result in a complete tear of the muscle or tendon often also cause the total loss of function in the area of that injury. In these cases, this injury must be seen by a specialist. The symptoms of a muscle strain include pain, loss of strength, and muscle spasms. Hamstring sprains and groin pulls are the two most common strains we see.

Sprain – A strain involves injuries to the muscles and tendons while a sprain is an injury to the ligaments that join bones and joints together. When ligaments overstretch or tear, you suffer a sprain. Sprain symptoms include tenderness, pain, swelling, inflammation, and bruising. Joints may also feel “loose," and it may be challenging to move them. The most common places for a sprain to occur are in the wrists, ankles, and knees. We can treat minor to moderate sprains like strains at our clinic. Severe sprains often must be surgically repaired by specialists as the ligament has completely torn.

Tennis Elbow – You do not need to play tennis to suffer from “Tennis Elbow." Another common name affecting related muscles in the area is “Golfer’s Elbow." Again, you do not need to play 18 holes to be afflicted with this injury. Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow occur when someone overuses the muscles around the elbow in everyday activities or sports. This condition is more likely to affect your dominant arm.

Achilles tendon injuries – Often referred to as an ACL injury, this tendon is located along your calf muscle and runs down to your heel. It can become irritated, stretched, or even torn like other tendons. Unfortunately, these injuries can happen suddenly and be incredibly painful. If adequately braced, a tear can be successfully treated. When an ACL rupture occurs, patients often experience a complete loss of function to that body area. ACL tears must be carefully addressed and braced to prevent full ruptures.

Runner’s Knee – Also known as patellofemoral syndrome and “Jumper’s Knee," this injury results from trauma or overuse of the knee joint. Common trauma to the knee that results in this injury include falls or heavy blows to it. You do not need to play sports or be a marathon runner to suffer from this condition. It can happen to anyone who overuses a knee joint. Patellofemoral syndrome symptoms include pain in the knee while squatting, jumping, bending, climbing, or exercising. Pain can also plague the knee if someone with this condition sits for an extended period, like when watching a moving or traveling long distances. The knee joint can also “pop" or “crack."

Shin splints – The medical name for shin splints is medial tibial stress syndrome. Symptoms of this condition are aching or throbbing in your shins after sprinting or running. This pain results from inflamed muscles and ligaments along your shin bones. It can be caused by weak ankles, weak core muscles, shoes that do not provide correct support, or flat feet. Warming up before workouts and cooling down afterward can help ease these symptoms by preparing your muscles for use.

Concussion – A concussion is an injury to the brain. A blow to the head often causes temporary loss of brain function and is frequently the cause of a concussion. While in movies, you might see someone pass out, most people remain conscious, and there is no external trauma to the head. Concussions must be carefully treated to prevent an injury from worsening, causing long-term damage and delaying a complete recovery.

Fractures – You suffer a fracture when a bone breaks in your body. A clean or simple break occurs when the fracture results in little if any, damage to the tissue surrounding the bone. An open or compound fracture occurs when the fractured bone breaks the skin. We can treat clean or simple breaks at our urgent care center. Open or compound breaks should be immediately taken to the emergency room for treatment.

Dislocations – A common injury in high-impact sports, a dislocation occurs when the two bones that make a joint become separated. These injuries require medical treatment and do not heal on their own with rest. A medical professional must reposition bones for an injury to heal correctly. Sprains and strains may also occur with this injury.

How can I prevent sports injuries?

Many injuries occur when someone pushes their body beyond their physical limits. If you know your limits, it will go a long way to preventing these common sports injuries. The risk of sprains and strains can be reduced if you warm up these muscles before you begin an activity. Warming up increased the blood flow to muscles and ligaments and prepared them for an activity. Stretching ligaments and muscles before and after activities prevent tears. You should also rest now and again to avoid muscle fatigue, which can increase your risk for a sports injury.

At AFC Urgent Care Downingtown, no appointment is ever needed to be seen by one of our providers to evaluate and diagnose a sports injury. We are open seven days a week and have a digital x-ray available to our doctors to take images of any injured areas of your body. Visit us when you need immediate treatment and start to feel better!

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