If you have ever been afflicted with a sports injury, you will know quite how painful it can be. One minute you could be hitting your best-ever tennis shot and the next you’re in agonising pain. The fact is that sports injuries can easily happen and, due to the anatomy of the shoulder, this can be one of the most common places for such trauma to occur.
“The shoulder has a unique and interesting anatomy, making it extremely mobile, with a wide range of motion,” explains Dr Azzam Fayyad, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital, Dubai.
“However, this anatomy also makes the joint unstable, making the shoulder one of the most injured joints. Certain sports and physical activities can increase the risk of a shoulder injury.”
Indeed, experts suggest that specific sports can put people at risk of shoulder injuries more than others.
Dr Usama Saleh, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital, Dubai, says, “Any sport that includes repetitive, overhead motion of the shoulders and arms puts the player at risk of shoulder injuries. Such sports include swimming, pitching, tennis, golf and weightlifting.
“Moreover, contact sports increase the risk of direct injury to the shoulder joint resulting in either dislocation or fracture of the humerus or collar bone.”
This may sound like bad news for sports fanatics, but there are ways to limit the risks.
“The main way to avoid sports-related shoulder injuries is to build the shoulders so they are protected and much more stable during sports. However, this does not protect the shoulders much against direct injuries,” says Dr Fayyad.
“Another tip for avoiding sports injury is to always warm up and work on the flexibility of the joint. Practising moderation and improving ergonomics can also help prevent sports injuries.”
However, sometimes, no matter how careful you are, accidents happen and shoulder injuries occur. Some of the most common of these injuries include dislocations, fractures, rotator cuff injuries and labral tears, which involve damage to the nearby cartilage.
Naturally, with any injury, getting the right diagnosis early on is paramount. Thanks to modern diagnostic tools, a precise diagnosis can be relatively straightforward.
For shoulder injuries, a diagnostic arthroscopy allows doctors to have a better look inside the shoulder and understand the underlying issue.
Once the exact diagnosis is confirmed, there are various treatments available.
“The treatment for sports-related shoulder injuries depends on the type of injury,” says Dr Saleh. “For minimal injuries, patients should rest the affected area, ice the injury to reduce inflammation and compress the area in case of active bleeding. Based on the type of injury, the treatment can range from reduction of fractures, splints and braces to surgical intervention and treatment.
“Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital offers a wide range of surgical and non-surgical services, such as minimally invasive shoulder surgeries for sports injuries, rotator cuff tears, and shoulder instability. We also offer shoulder joint partial and total replacement, treatment of complex fractures and deformity corrections.”
With recent advances in procedures, many of these surgeries now require minimal downtime.
“Surgical treatment for sports shoulder injuries has evolved to be arthroscopic in nature, mostly to avoid large scars and reduce recovery time,” explains Dr Saleh. “Quick and early discharge with a minimal stay in the hospital has been made possible with the advances in the field of sports surgery.”
Since surgery is becoming less invasive, it can be easy for patients to be tempted to get straight back to their favourite sport. However, caution and a little patience are required.
“Sports-related shoulder injuries can be healed, but the complete healing depends on the case,” says Dr Fayyad. “There are risks of retear in case of rotator cuff tears, or re-dislocation of the shoulder if proper care and rehabilitation are not applied.
“At Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital, we also provide rehabilitation with excellent physiotherapists and physical therapists to ensure that athletes can return to their life of professional sports. Medcare houses a multidisciplinary team and state-of-the-art technology that helps athletes get back to their pre-injury selves in no time.”
Thanks to the expert team at Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital, and the advanced treatments on offer, a sporting injury needn’t hold anyone back. With a little medical intervention, patients can soon return to their sports field and return to living their best lives.
