Summer Is Peak Time For Outdoor Sports Injuries
June 6, 2023
Summertime is the ideal time for outdoor activities like boating, swimming, barbecues and picnicking. It’s also ripe for sports injuries, says Nancy White, M.D., a Henry Ford Health sports medicine physician.
“We encourage people of all ages to get outside and take advantage of all the activities available during the summer. It’s very important, though, that people keep safety top of mind to reduce their risk of injury,” Dr. White says.
Dr. White counts these as the five most common injuries:
- Sprains and strains
- Fractures
- Trampoline injuries
- Bike injuries
- Overuse injuries
“Trampoline injuries are mostly caused by jumping, either by an awkward landing or colliding with someone,” Dr. White says. “Overuse injuries happen when someone overextends themselves in a particular activity, whether it’s attending multiple sports camps or simply exercising outdoors.”
Dr. White recommends these three tips for reducing your risk of injury:
- Stay hydrated. Replenish your fluid intake with frequent water breaks.
- Perform warm-up exercises before your run or your game.
- Wear protective gear. Whether bike riding, rollerblading or skateboarding, a helmet and protective pads are a must. Obey traffic laws and store your phone away.
For soft-tissue injuries strains and sprains, Dr. White says the R.I.C.E. method is an immediate at-home treatment you can apply to reduce swelling and pain. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen (like Advil) or acetaminophen (like Tylenol), can help too.
If the pain worsens to the point that it interferes with your usual activities or sleep, make an appointment with your doctor or a sports medicine doctor.
Seek medical attention immediately if your pain was caused by a particularly forceful impact, you suspect a broken bone, or if the injury is accompanied by:
- Significant swelling
- Redness
- Tenderness and warmth around the joint
- Significant pain
- Fever
For injuries that don’t improve and require medical attention, visit henryford.com/sports and request an appointment with a Henry Ford sports medicine doctor.
Dr. Nancy White is a sports medicine doctor seeing patients at Henry Ford Medical Center-Columbus in Novi and at the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine in midtown Detroit.
When Can I Walk Off Knee Pain — And When Should I See A Doctor?
June 7, 2022
Whether you wake up with a stiff knee, sustain an injury, or start feeling knee pain for seemingly no good reason, you might wonder what to do. Should you immediately rush off to the doctor? Can you just ignore it and hope it will get better? Can you treat it yourself? Knowing when you need a doctor’s intervention can be a tricky decision to make.
We see people at the start of injuries and after they’ve been ongoing,” says Nancy White, M.D., a sports medicine physician at Henry Ford Health. “While the sooner you see an expert, the better, there’s really no right or wrong to it. However, there are a few key signs that it’s a good idea to get it checked out.”
Dr. White recommends seeing a doctor if:
► You are waking up with consistent knee stiffness. If there’s no history of an injury involved, it could be due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
► If your knee pain isn’t going away.
► Your knee is swollen and you can’t bear weight on it.
► You can’t fully flex or extend your knee.
► Your knee is warm to the touch. This could signal inflammation.
If your pain is mild — or you’re trying to decide whether to see someone — Dr. White recommends icing it on a scheduled basis. “That means two to three times a day,” she says. “Apply the ice to your knee. It will get cold. It will burn, then it will get numb. Remove the ice when it gets to the numb stage.”
She also recommends elevating your leg and putting a compression wrap or sleeve on your knee. If the pain is bad, you can try taking ibuprofen or naproxen for a few days.
Common Causes of Knee Pain
But if your knee is not getting better, it’s a good idea to see a doctor, as common causes of knee pain include:
► ACL sprains and tears. Short for anterior cruciate ligament, the ACL is one of four ligaments in the knee that allows it to flex and extend. The ACL can tear when your foot is firmly planted in place, and the knee locks and twists or pivots at the same time.
► MCL sprains and tears. Short for medial collateral ligament, the MCL connects your shinbone to your thighbone. It can tear when landing after a jump, or after an exterior blow to the knee (usually during contact sports). Luckily, most MCL injuries heal on their own.
► Meniscal tears. The menisci are your knee’s shock absorbers; they're two discs made of soft cartilage. Abrupt movements (like pivots, stops, turns, squats or lifts) can cause them to tear.
► Kneecap dislocation. A direct hit to the knee — or a sudden twist or pivoting of the leg — can make the kneecap can shift out of place.
► Patellar tendonitis. This is also known as Jumper’s Knee, as it’s a common injury in basketball and volleyball players. The patellar tendon connects the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the shinbone, and can become inflamed from overuse, excessive force or repetitive stress.
Knee bursitis. The bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac located near the knee joint. Knee bursitis occurs when the bursa becomes inflamed, often because of a knee injury or overuse from frequent kneeling.
How to Help Prevent Knee Pain
And if you want to help prevent knee pain in the future? “Exercise regularly so that you’re strengthening your quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteal muscles,” says Dr. White. “It’s also important to stretch to increase quadricep and hamstring flexibility.”
Wearing shoes with sturdy soles and proper arch support can also help ease pain and issues you may already have, says Dr. White. “I would say the top reasons people get into trouble with their knees are things they could prevent by changing lifestyle habits. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, as being overweight can also lead to increased wear and tear on the joints.
To learn more about your orthopedic condition or to find a provider, visit henryford.com/ortho.
Dr. Nancy White is a sports medicine physician at Henry Ford Health. She sees patients at Henry Ford Medical Center – Novi, and Henry Ford Medical Center — Bloomfield Township.