Sports Injuries

Dr. Corey Anden has been specializing in sports medicine for the past 30 years. She is an active person herself and has had multiple sports injuries. This makes her more relatable to your diagnosis and more passionate to get you back to the sports that you love. Regenerative Injection Therapy is a new area of medicine that is gaining popularity in the sports world. Regenerative Medicine is used to promote your bodies’ natural healing process to regenerate and heal the affected area. Keep this treatment option in mind while reading as this can be used as treatment for all of the below injuries.

Sports injuries arise when engaging in sports or exercise. Sports injuries can occur due to overtraining, lack of conditioning, and improper form or technique. Failing to warm up increases the risk of sports injuries. Bruises, sprains, strains and broke bones can result from sports injuries. Soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, fascia, and tendons may also be affected.

The most common sports injuries are:

• Muscle sprains and strains
• Knee injuries (runners knee, Torn ACL or MCL)
• Tennis Elbow
• Lower back pain
• Shoulder strain and rotator cuff tearing
• Achilles Tendonitis

Muscle Sprains and Strains

Muscle strain is another name for a pulled muscle. It occurs when a muscle is overstretched and tears. Symptoms of a pulled muscle may include pain, swelling, weakness, and difficulty or inability to use the muscle. Muscles in the quadriceps, the calves, hamstrings, groin, low back, and shoulder are the most common sites for pulled muscles. Minor muscle strains resolve with Rest, ice and NSAIDS may help manage pain and swelling. Dr. Anden can offer Trigger Point Injections to help with taught and overused muscles.

Knee Injuries

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) helps hold the knee joint together and provides stability. A torn ACL or MCL may occur when landing wrong, changing direction, or from a direct blow to the knee. Pain, swelling, and loss of range of motion are symptoms of a torn ACL or MCL. Significant rehabilitation is necessary to restore the strength and function of the knee joint after injury.

Surgical treatment is usually advised in dealing with combined injuries (ACL tears in combination with other injuries in the knee). However, deciding against surgery is reasonable for select patients. Dr. Anden can offer you a wide variety of treatment options for knee pain such as: physical therapy, at-home exercises, Regenerative Injection therapy and ultrasound-guided cortisone injections.

Runners / Skier’s Knee

Runner’s knee or Skier’s knee, as we call it in Utah, is a painful condition that occurs when tendons, joint lining and/or other soft tissues of the knee become irritated. In addition to pain, runner’s knee may lead to popping and cracking. Switching to activities that do not stress knee joints may minimize problems.

Dr. Anden can refer you to physical therapy and educate you in at home stretching and exercises. Dr. Anden offers Regenerative Injection Therapy and ultrasound guided cortisone injections if required. Rarely, surgery may be an option for severe cases.

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries are most common in any sport that involves a lot of overhead movement (tennis, swimming, weightlifting, baseball). These problems are generally due to repition and overuse. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and weakness. Sports can also cause tightness and tenderness in the muscles around the shoulder, shoulder blade, upper and mid back area.

Ice, stretching and NSAIDS are a good place to start. Dr. Anden can refer you to physical therapy and educate you in at home stretching and exercises. Dr. Anden offers Regenerative Injection Therapy and ultrasound guided cortisone injections if required.

Tennis and Golfers Elbow

Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that may be associated with playing tennis or golf. Tennis Elbow causes pain on the outside of the elbow. Golfers elbow usually affects the inside of the elbow. Elbow pain involves inflammation of the tendons of the elbow caused by small tears. Rest and NSAIDS can help alleviate tennis elbow symptoms. Dr. Anden can refer you to physical therapy and educate you in at home stretching and exercises. Dr. Anden offers Regenerative Injection Therapy and ultrasound guided cortisone injections if required.

Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles Tendonitis is an overuse injury causing pain, inflammation and or degeneration of the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle. The tendon may become thickened and, in some cases, bone spurs may develop in the area. Achilles tendonitis may be treated with rest, ice, stretching, and NSAIDS. In some cases an injection to reduce inflammation around the tendon may be required. Dr. Anden offers Regenerative Injection Therapy and ultrasound guided cortisone injections if required.

Back Pain

Back pain may be due to overuse, such as playing one too many rounds of golf or lifting heavy weights. This kind of back strain usually resolves on its own without treatment. Rest and anti-NSAIDS can provide relief. Using proper form when exercising and increasing the duration of workouts slowly can help protect the back. In some cases, it may be necessary to modify exercise technique or perform daily activities in a different way in order to reduce the risk of back injury. Please review our page on Back pain for additional information.

Sports Injury Prevention

Physical activity is an important part of maintaining overall health. However, certain precautions should be taken to minimize the risk of sports injuries. Starting activity slowly and gradually increasing strength, flexibility, and endurance gives muscles and other tissues the opportunity to adapt, minimizing the risk of injury. Finally, listening to the body and backing off at the first signs of pain will help reduce the risk of sports injuries.