Common Sports Injuries Treatment for Athletes at Walk-In Clinic, AFC Urgent Care West Chester, PA

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

Playing sports and working out is a great way to stay in shape year-round. However, there are many common injuries you can incur as a result of these activities. You can prevent these injuries if you know how they occur and your physical limitations. At AFC Urgent Care West Chester, our board-certified physicians and experienced nurses can help you prevent these sports injuries. We can also diagnose and treat them if they do occur. Our walk-in urgent care center can treat sports injuries in both adults and children.

What common sports injuries do you treat at AFC Urgent Care West Chester?

At AFC Urgent Care West Chester, we can treat many common injuries that can occur as a result of exercise or sports. While any part of the body can suffer a sports injury, most injuries occur in the musculoskeletal system. This system includes bones, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and other tissue.

Some common injuries include:

Sprain – A sprain occurs when connective tissue joins bones, commonly called ligaments, stretch, or tear. This happens when a blow or fall knocks a joint out of its usual position. When you suffer a sprain, some common symptoms include inflammation, pain, tenderness, swelling, and bruising. You also may find your joint feels “loose," or you lose your ability to move the area altogether. Our urgent care center often sees sprains in the knees, wrists, and ankles. We can treat minor to moderate sprains. Severe sprains, which result in a complete tear of a ligament, often require surgical repair from a specialist.

Strain – When you overstretch, over contract, or tear a muscle or tendon, you suffer a strain. A strain can result from twisting or pulling harder than your muscle or tendon can withstand. Much like sprains, we can treat minor to moderate strains. Severe strains, resulting in muscle damage or loss of function, often need to be seen by a specialist. Strain symptoms include loss of strength, pain, and muscle spasms. One of the most common strains we see are hamstring strains and groin pulls.

Achilles tendon injuries – Also known as ACL injuries, this tendon in your calf muscle runs to your heel. Your ACL can stretch, tear, or become irritated. Often these injuries can be sudden and very painful. A tear can generally be treated if your injury is adequately braced. An extremely painful ACL rupture usually results in a complete loss of function. Tears must be managed appropriately and braced to prevent further damage.

Tennis Elbow / Golfer’s Elbow – This injury results from overuse of your arm and forearm, resulting in elbow pain. Unfortunately, this injury is not confined to only tennis players. It can occur to anyone who overuses their arms in their daily activities or sports. “Golfer’s elbow" is another term often associated with this condition. This condition is more likely to occur in someone’s dominant arm.

Shin splints – Also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, you may have shin splints if you find your shins aching or throbbing after running or sprinting. The muscles and ligaments along your shin bones become inflamed and painful. Shin splints can be the result of flat feet, shoes that don’t fit well or provide support, or weak ankles, hips, or core muscles. If you work out often, you can help prevent shin splints by warming up and cooling down muscles in this area.

Runner’s Knee – The medical term for this condition is a patellofemoral syndrome. Also known as “Jumper’s Knee," this occurs when you overuse your knee joint or suffer trauma to the area. Knee trauma can occur due to blows or falling onto it. You do not have to be an active runner to suffer from this condition, and it can happen with anyone overusing that joint. Symptoms can include pain in the knee when exercising, bending, climbing, jumping, or squatting. Pain can also occur after sitting for an extended period, like when watching a movie. “Cracking" or “popping" in the knee joint can also occur.

Concussion – A concussion is a brain injury. It can result in the temporary loss of brain function and is often caused by a blow to the head. In many cases, there is no external trauma to the head. While in the movies, it usually is shown that someone loses consciousness; in many cases, a person will not. At AFC Urgent Care West Chester, we can evaluate patients for concussions and then refer them to specialists for appropriate care. A concussion must be carefully approached to prevent your injury from worsening and prolonging your recovery.

Dislocations – Dislocations are common in sports, especially in high-impact sports. It occurs when two bones that form a joint become separated. Dislocations, while not uncommon, require medical treatment. It is not something that can heal on its own with rest. Bones must be repositioned and put back into place for the injury to heal correctly.

Fractures – When a bone breaks, you suffer a fracture. Acute fractures occur when there is a clean or simple break in the bone that results in little if any, damage to the surrounding tissue. Compound fractures occur when the bone breaks the skin. At our urgent care center, we can treat an acute fractures. Compound fractures should be immediately taken to the emergency room for treatment.

How can I prevent sports injuries?

First and foremost, you should know your body’s limits. You can prevent strains and sprains by warming up before you engage in an activity. Warming up your body increases the blood flow to your body’s muscles, preparing them for an activity. You should also stretch your muscles and ligaments to prevent tears before and after your activities. Finally, injuries can occur due to muscle fatigue. Periodically resting can help prevent injuries.

You never need an appointment to be seen at AFC Urgent Care West Chester for a sports injury. We have convenient hours and an onsite digital x-ray. You can visit us seven days a week for all your urgent care needs.

Some Of Our Most Popular Services:

• Upper Respiratory Infections
• Eye Infections
• Wounds and Lacerations
• Sprains, Strains, & Fractures
• Blood Work
• X-Rays
• Physicals (Sports, DOT, or Immigration)