Sports Injuries Specialist

What are sports injuries?

Sports injuries happen while you’re taking part in a sport or physical activity. Even if you’re in peak physical shape, you can still end up with a sports injury from impact, a sudden awkward movement like twisting your ankle, or overusing a specific joint. 

At Legacy Orthopaedics, Dr. Riley treats sports injuries using his expertise and background as a professional team physician for numerous teams, including the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat of the NBA. When you visit him about a sports injury, you can expect individualized, attentive care with the best possible recovery. 

To diagnose sports injuries, Dr. Riley asks about your symptoms and how the injury happened. He also goes over your medical history and may use imaging tests to locate and assess the damage. Then, he creates your treatment plan that may or may not involve orthopedic surgery. 

What are some of the most common sports injuries?

Dr. Riley specializes in diagnosing and treating many of the most common injuries that affect athletes. Certain injuries are more common in specific sports, but injuries are possible from any sport or physical activity. You can come to Legacy Orthopaedics for musculoskeletal injuries like:

• Sprains (stretched or torn ligaments)
• Strains (stretched or torn muscles or tendons)
• Fractures (broken bones)
• Joint dislocations (misaligned joints)

You’re especially prone to injuries like these if you play contact sports like football or wrestling, are not regularly active, or don’t warm up properly ahead of practices or games. 

How are sports injuries treated?

Dr. Riley treats sports injuries with individualized approaches according to the injury type, severity, your age, and other factors. The main goals are to get you back to enjoying your sport comfortably and playing at the best of your ability. 

Some sports injuries don’t require surgery, but others do. Dr. Riley tends to use minimally invasive and robotic techniques whenever possible in order to minimize your recovery time, post-surgery pain, and scarring. After an in-depth evaluation of your sports injury, Dr. Riley creates a treatment plan with one or more of these treatments:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• Stem cell therapy
• Viscosupplementation
• Corticosteroid injections
• Cartilage preservation procedures
• Joint resurfacing
• Arthroscopic surgery
• Robotic surgery

In addition to in-office procedures and surgeries, you need to make some changes at home as you recover from a sports injury. You should ease back into physical activity according to Dr. Riley’s instructions and take part in physical therapy, use immobilization devices, or follow any other additional recommendations from him. 

Regardless of your activity level or skill, a sports injury can keep you from being physically active for weeks or months as it heals. For exceptional care of sports injuries, call Legacy Orthopaedics or book a visit online today.