Welcome to our final health and wellness spotlight blog post for 2022. We have greatly enjoyed using this space over the last several months to bring more attention to certain health and wellness areas and services that we are passionate about. For our final entry this month, our Family Practice Center healthcare providers wanted to discuss common sports-related injuries and what we do to help people who have been hurt.
Before we begin, we wanted to emphasize that sports medicine is far more extensive than just helping athletes get back onto the field or court. We all carry some risk of potential injury in our daily lives, whether we are athletes or not. From exercising to our jobs to routine activities that we perform every day, taking one wrong step or putting too much strain on one part of the body can have painful consequences. Our sports medicine services are here to help anyone with an orthopedic ailment get back to feeling their best again.
Some of the most common sports-related injuries include:
- Sprains that occur as a result of overstretching or tearing the ligaments in a specific area.
- Strains, which are the same as sprains, only in the case of muscles or tendons instead of ligaments.
- Knee injuries, including tears to any ligaments (ACL, MCL, PCL), and damage to cartilage like the meniscus.
- Swelling or weakening of the muscles.
- Repetitive stress injuries resulting from gradual damage to muscles, tendons, and nerves that build up over time.
- Various back and shoulder issues, including tears or injuries to the rotator cuff.
Our family medicine physician, Dr. Tyler Wheeler is board-certified in sports medicine (in addition to family medicine) and available to help patients who experience any of these or other ailments. Additionally, our entire medical team is trained and experienced in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal injuries. Our available treatments for sports injuries may include referrals to trusted physical therapists, prescription medication management, and injections when appropriate. Dr. Justin Kappel is trained in acupuncture, which can provide pain-relief for a wide variety of injuries. In the case that surgery will be needed, we are able to facilitate referrals with top orthopedic surgeons in the area.
Regardless of a person’s physical activity level, it helps to know that there are trusted and dependable professionals on-hand to assist with an injury should one ever occur. For more information or to schedule an appointment at one of our four Atlanta area locations (Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Canton, Cumming), please contact Family Practice Center. For more health tips, news, and practice updates, don’t forget to follow along with us on Facebook and Instagram.