Are Sports Injuries Keeping You on the Sidelines?

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Whether you are a weekend warrior or participate in sports more frequently, sports injuries in Flagstaff AZ are bound to happen at some point. Frustration can set in when the injury is slow to heal, or you develop chronic pain. You can feel especially overwhelmed if you have been to the doctor several times only to receive prescriptions for various medications that do not seem to work.

Base Camp Physical Therapy and Performance does things differently. We consider medication and surgery to be last resorts, not something that we offer to our patients after evaluating them for only a few minutes.

Common Types of Sports Injuries

Although anyone can suffer an injury from playing sports, certain situations put you at a higher risk of hurting yourself on the field, court, or rink. These include:

  • Failing to warm up properly before starting the game
  • You have not been active on a regular basis
  • You play contact sports

Sports injuries come in many forms, including those listed below.

  • Achilles tendon pain or rupture: The Achilles tendon is thin, powerful, and covers the back of your ankle. You will experience sudden and severe pain and will have trouble walking if you injure or rupture it.
  • Concussion: Striking your head against a hard surface causes chemical changes in your brain that can cause long-term issues with balance, memory, mood, headaches, and much more.
  • Dislocations: A bone that has become dislocated is no longer in its protective socket.
  • Fractures and broken bones
  • Knee injury, including bursitis
  • Pulled muscles
  • Rotator cuff injury: The rotator cuff in each shoulder has four muscles that normally work together to give you maximum range of motion. An injury to any of the muscles changes that.
  • Sprains and strains

We can still help you recover even if you do not see your specific sports injury listed here.

Get Back in the Game with Customized Care

The first time you come to Base Camp Physical Therapy and Performance, one of our experienced physical therapists spends at least an hour getting to know more about your sports injuries in Flagstaff AZ. We may recommend nerve stimulation, pain management via ultrasound, therapeutic exercises, or another proven therapy after learning about your medical history and treatment goals.

5 Most Common Types of Auto Injuries

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Physical therapy helps individuals in a wide range of situations, including recovery and rehabilitation after auto injuries. Basecamp physical therapists in Flagstaff, AZ, have treated many people for motor vehicle accident injuries. Here are the five most common types of auto injuries that people suffer:

1. Whiplash
Whiplash is arguably the number one most common auto injury. This injury affects the muscles and ligaments in the neck. It most often occurs when a driver and/or passengers are rear-ended by another vehicle, causing the head to violently and quickly move forward and backward in a “whipping” motion.

2. Soft Tissue Injuries
The trauma of auto accidents often causes damage to connective tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles. These can occur anywhere on the body where the body has been subjected to blunt force trauma. This includes things like being thrust inside the vehicle against a hard surface, such as the side of the door, the glove box, the middle console, etc.

3. Burns
Fires and/or explosions cause burns to the skin that may reach deeper tissues. Even superficial burns can be debilitating when they encompass large body areas. Second and third-degree burns require treatment from a variety of professionals, including Flagstaff, AZ, physical therapists like those at Basecamp.

4. Broken Bones
The force of a motor vehicle collision can break bones throughout the body. Commonly fractured bones include ribs, arms, legs, and the pelvis. These often cause mobility problems, which is where physical therapy can usually help.

5. Concussion
A concussion, a form of traumatic brain injury (TBI), happens when there’s a blow to the head or the body is shaken violently. Symptoms can include headaches, confusion, dizziness, and temporary loss of consciousness, indicating brain injury. Physical therapy is especially helpful when the brain injury has led to a loss of cognitive ability, where a person may need to re-learn motor skills.

At Basecamp Physical Therapy & Performance, we understand the many injuries that auto injuries can cause. When you need help after a motor vehicle accident, you can rely on your Flagstaff, AZ, physical therapist to help with healing, create a rehabilitation program, and be there to support you every step of the way. Contact us to learn more.

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Game-Changing Recovery: How Physical Therapy Restores Athletes

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When you spend a lot of time playing sports or participating in your favorite athletic endeavors, a sports injury in Flagstaff, AZ, can feel like such a disheartening setback. However, working closely with a physical therapist during your recovery can help ensure you get back to your beloved activities as quickly and as well-healed as possible. Take a look at the role physical therapy plays in restoring athletes after they have sustained an injury.

Tailored Care for the Specific Type of Injury

From joint dislocations and bone fractures to tendinitis and bursitis, an athlete can sustain so many different injuries. While these injuries are often considered all the same, they can be diverse depending on the nature of the injury and the individual’s physical health. Therefore, you must see a physical therapist when you have sustained an injury. Physical therapists take a tailored, personalized approach to creating an appropriate recovery plan to support healing in the most individualized way possible.

Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Rehabilitation

From ultrasonic pain management to transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS), physical therapists take a robust approach to sports injuries. Your recovery plan may include a collection of different proven methodologies to keep you comfortable and healing well during rehabilitation. The best physical therapists take advantage of the latest technologies to offer the best level of care.

Strengthening Programs for Injury Prevention and Recovery

Not only is it important that your injury heals but it is also important that your risks of injury are lowered going forward. Therefore, physical therapists often incorporate strengthening programs into the recovery plan to help build strength in and around the damaged area. This reduces the likelihood that you will have repeated injuries to the same part of your body going forward.

Discuss a Recovery Plan with a Physical Therapist in Flagstaff, AZ

As an athlete, a physical therapy center in Flagstaff, AZ, could be one of the most important components of your recovery plan. In fact, good physical therapy can mean a difference in whether you can get back to the sport you love at full capacity. Reach out to find out how to schedule a visit to Basecamp Physical Therapy and Performance.

4 Common Types of Sports Injuries

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Whether you’re a weekend rugby player, a passionate pickleball player, a professional athlete or just a dad tossing a football with the kids in the backyard, you’re vulnerable to sports injuries. They happen on the field and off, at the least expected times. In Flagstaff, AZ sport injuries are carefully treated at Basecamp Physical Therapy and Performance. Our goal is to get you back to playing the sport you love, as quickly and as safely as possible. Here are some of the most common types of sports injuries we see.

1. Bursitis
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that help cushion bones, muscles and tendons around the joints in the knees, arms, shoulders, hips, etc. When these sacs become inflamed due to overuse, severe pain, tenderness and/or swelling occur. Bursitis is one of the most common sports injuries.

2. Dislocations
Dislocations are often associated with sports such as soccer, boxing, football and other contact sports. They are often caused by a blow, impact or fall. Most commonly, dislocations occur in the fingers and shoulders, but they can happen in the hips, knees and elbows, as well. Note that even after the joint is placed correctly, follow-up physical therapy is usually needed.

3. Tendonitis
Tendonitis often occurs when a person engages in sports without properly warming up, or when they are not quite fit enough for the activity. It can be brought on by certain forceful motions such as lifting weights, pitching a baseball, serving a ball in tennis, volleying a ball, etc. This is because the motion causes muscles to contract, which leads to a chain reaction where bones and tendons are put into stress. Tendonitis is often referred to as a “weekend athlete” injury.

4. Sprains and Strains
Sprains and strains are quite common in sports. Both of these sports injuries involve stretching or tearing of either ligaments, muscles, or tendons. They can be very painful, but they do respond well to physical therapy.

If you incur any kind of injury while playing sports, you can get physical therapy in Flagstaff, AZ, at Basecamp Physical Therapy and Performance. Contact us today to book your appointment for an assessment and treatment plan. The sooner you do, the faster you can get back to doing what you love!