HOW TO HANDLE SPORTS INJURIES
What you should know about the most common types of sports injuries and how to manage them, as discussed by Dr.Alan Cheung, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and founder of the International Orthopaedic Clinic (IOC)
In your years of practice in Singapore, what are the most common types of sports injuries you’ve attended to?
I see athletes from all sorts of sports — martial arts, rugby, football, wrestling, basketball, running, and cycling to name a few. Contact sports tend to have more knee injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscal tears, and shoulder injuries like rotator cuff and labral tears. I also see athletes with collar bone fractures and dislocated shoulders from falling off cycles and runners who have rolled their ankles and have torn their ankle ligaments.
Accidents while playing sports are completely unavoidable. in the event that it occurs, what is the best course of action to immediately take?
Prevention is better than cure — so the right protective equipment, learning the right technique, adequate supervision, rest, and conditioning can reduce the risk of injury. If you are interested in treating sports injuries on the field of play, then the Singapore Rugby Union runs an excellent sports related first aid course. My advice is that when a serious accident occurs, call for help immediately and arrange for transfer to an Emergency Department.
Can you walk us through the more common types of sports injuries and what should people expect during the recovery period?
A typical injury that I come across is the swollen painful knee, which can happen in most sports involving running and contact. This is typically caused by a pivoting or twisting motion on the affected leg. Sometimes, there is an audible ‘pop’ followed by swelling and difficulty bending and putting weight on the knee.
Swelling can last at least two to three weeks. If the knee feels unstable and about to give way, then you may have torn a ligament. If there is pain and soreness along the joint line, as well as a jammed/ locked sensation, then you may have torn a meniscus (shock absorbing disc in the knee). If your symptoms do not improve after RICE and a short period of time (24-48 hours) then I advise that you see an Orthopaedic surgeon for an opinion.
What kind of sporting injuries require surgery?
Fractures (broken bones) may require surgery. Structures that tend not to heal spontaneously, such as a torn knee ACL or the shoulder labrum following a dislocation, tend to cause instability and difficulties playing certain sports. Surgery may be required to fix these problems.
Do you have any tips in order to minimize physical injury while playing sports or at least condition the body before engaging in strenuous activity?
If you have not played a sport in a long time, consult a sports-trained medical professional. Find a good instructor in the sport you wish to play and work on the correct technique to reduce risk of injury. Start at a low level of intensity and frequency and build up gradually to increase your fitness and conditioning.
Following the recent circuit breaker,
I saw many overuse injuries from people who decided to start running and ran too much without enough rest and recovery. If you wish to increase your strength and flexibility, seeing a physiotherapist/ strength and conditioning coach will help in the long run.
Can you tell us more about ioc’s experience in handling sports-related injuries?
IOC is extensively involved in the South East Asia sporting scene and has provided medical support for the One Championship mixed martial arts competitions, Wrestling Federation of Singapore during the last SEA Games, and during international Rugby competitions in Singapore. IOC is also providing medical support for the Cycling Federation of Singapore and ProCyclingSG, Singapore’s first professional cycling team.
For more information and interviews with Singapore’s leading sportspeople, head to the SPORTSDOC podcast on YouTube.
INTERNATIONAL ORTHOPAEDIC CLINIC
#05-24 Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, 38 Irrawaddy Road Singapore 329563. T +65 6690 2985 WhatsApp +65 8838 7111 W ioc-ortho.com