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

AFC Urgent Care & Walk-In Clinic in Willow Grove, PA, treats Sports Injuries for both children and adults

Many people stay in shape these days by playing a sport or working out at the gym. Despite the overall goal of staying healthy, you put yourself at risk for common sports injuries. AFC Urgent Care Willow Grove’s board-certified providers and experienced staff can treat you for these injuries at our state-of-the-art urgent care center. Sports Injuries need immediate, proper treatment to stabilize the injury before it worsens, causing longer-lasting damage that is more expensive to treat. While you may initially push yourself beyond your physical limitation to injure yourself in the first place, do not make it worse by ignoring the signs of an injury. Our walk-in medical clinic in Willow Grove can treat a variety of sports injuries for both adults and children.

What Are Some Common Sports Injuries You Treat At AFC Urgent Care Willow Grove?

Many sports injuries involve damage to your musculoskeletal system. The system includes your bones, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and other tissues. It is common to suffer injuries to this system while playing a sport or working out.

Shin Splints – Ever wonder why your shin aches or throbs after sprinting or running? It is because you are suffering from a condition called tibial stress syndrome, also known as shin splints. There are muscles along your shinbone, and you can develop this condition when they become inflamed or irritated. It is often the result of weak core muscles, flat feet, shoes that don’t fit well, or weak ankles. Warming up and cooling down should be a part of your workout routine to help ease the symptoms of this condition.

Dislocations – When playing high-impact sports, dislocations are not uncommon. They occur when the bones that make up a joint become separated often also causing sprains and strains to tissue holding that joint together. Unlike other injuries, a dislocation will not heal on its own. A medical professional must put the bones back into place so it can heal properly. Do not try to pop bones back into place as you would see in the movies. You will likely cause further damage to the tissue around the joint.

Tennis Elbow / Golfer’s Elbow – Do you need to play tennis to get a tennis elbow? Afraid not. Tennis elbow can occur in anyone’s elbow if they overuse the muscles in that area. This condition is more common in someone’s dominant arm but can occur in either elbow. A related condition is “Golfer’s Elbow," which affects different muscles around the elbow. These conditions are named after their respective sports because athletes use those muscles regularly while playing.

Sprain – Ligaments that suffer an injury have what is known as a sprain. This tissue helps hold together joints and connects bones. Injuries occur when they are overstretched or torn. Symptoms of a sprain include inflammation, tenderness, pain, swelling, and bruising. Joints may be challenging to move when they suffer a sprain and feel a little “loose." While any ligament in your body can experience a sprain, AFC Willow Grove often sees sprains in the knees, ankles, and wrists. Our clinic can treat minor to moderate sprains, which include minor tears or overstretching. Major sprains that result in a complete tear of a ligament require treatment from a more specialized providers.

Achilles Tendon Injuries – Also known as an ACL, your Achilles Tendon runs from your heel up along your calf muscle. This tendon can become inflamed, overstretched, or torn. These injuries often happen suddenly and are among the more painful people can suffer. A tear in the ACL or overstretching can be treated if adequately braced, so this injury must be identified immediately. If a patient suffers a full ACL rupture, where the tendon completely tears, they will experience a full loss of function in that area of the body. Tears must be appropriately treated and carefully monitored until they are fully healed. It can be easy to reinjure an ACL if it is not 100% healthy.

Strain – Similar to a sprain, a muscle or tendon injury is called a strain. Strained muscles are the result of tears, overstretching, or over-contracting. They often appear after you twist an area of your body or pull beyond what the tissues can withstand. A specialist must treat complete tears of a muscle or a tendon, which usually involves surgery. We can treat your minor or moderate strain at AFC Urgent Care Willow Grove. Symptoms of a strain include pain, loss of strength, and spasms in the area. Groin and hamstring sprains are the two most common strains at our clinic.

Fractures – Fractures occur when you break a bone in your body. Simple or clean breaks are the easiest to treat at our clinic. These fractures are contained and often only do a little damage to the tissue surrounding the bone. A compound or open fracture occurs when the bone breaks the skin and is exposed. This severe, traumatic injury must be immediately treated in an emergency room. Fractures must be treated right away so the bone can heal correctly and regain its strength. If left undiagnosed, you risk further injury in the area. We can treat most simple or clean breaks at our clinic.

Runner’s Knee – This condition is also known as patellofemoral syndrome and can sometimes be referred to as “Jumper’s Knee." Overuse or trauma, such as falls or heavy blows, can cause this condition to affect the knee. Despite its name, you do not need to be a football player or a marathon runner to suffer this injury. If you overuse your knee joint or take a heavy blow to it, you can get patellofemoral syndrome. Those with Runner’s Knee often experience pain when bending, squatting, exercising, jumping, or climbing. They can also have pain in the knee after sitting for long periods. Occasionally, they may experience a “pop" or “crack" in the knee.

Concussion – When you suffer an injury to your brain due to a blow to the head, you suffer a concussion. Although it will cause a temporary loss of brain function, people rarely lose consciousness when they suffer a concussion. You will often not see any external signs of trauma to the head either. Because this injury involves the brain, it must be treated very carefully. You risk a second, more damaging concussion if you are not careful. It could lead to prolonged recovery and an extended period of time where you will be prohibited from many activities.

How Can I Prevent Sports Injuries?

Sports injuries often occur when your body is pushed beyond its physical limits. Being keenly aware of what you can and cannot do will help reduce your risk for a sports injury. The chances of a sprain or strain can be reduced if you warm up and coodownl before and after an activity. These stretches and cooldowns help increase blood flow to muscles and ligaments and prepare them for strenuous work. Muscle fatigue can also greatly increase your risk for a sports injury. From time to time, rest your muscles so they can recover before you continue.

Do I Need An Appointment To Be Treated For A Sports Injury?

No appointment is needed to see one of our board-certified providers at AFC Urgent Care Willow Grove. We can treat you seven days a week at our clinic. Our facility has an onsite x-ray to examine your injury in detail. When you need immediate treatment for your sports injury, come to our urgent care center!

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