Dr. Peter Chua, Retired Medical Practitioner
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Sports Injuries Division
In the broadest sense, the term sports injury refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or exercise. Some sports injuries result from accidents; others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm-up and stretching.
However, there are also those that suffer from “golf or tennis elbow” but neither plays golf or tennis. In those cases, the root of the problem is repetitive strain rather injuries due to sports training.
Although virtually any part of your body can be injured during sports or exercise, the term is usually reserved for injuries that involve the musculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, bones, and associated tissues like cartilage.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries are among the most common and complex orthopaedic injuries because the shoulder has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the human body. The difficultly arise from the “ball and socket joint” design which allows the arm to move in a multi-planar direction and the fine control over a large set of individual muscles to stabilise the joint. Ask anyone who has dislocated this major joint, and he or she may also argue that shoulder injuries are also the most painful. For many years, people who severely injured their shoulders and needed surgery had long hospital stays and considerable postoperative pain and stiffness. And for many athletes, amateur or professional, the limited range of motion they experienced after surgery slowed or even ended their careers.
Some of the more common shoulder injuries are:
- Rotator Cuff tears
- Shoulder Subluxation
- SLAP Tears or Bankart Lesions
- Acromio-Clavicular(AC) Joint / Sterno-Clavicular(SC) Joint Strain
Knee Injuries
Some of the more common knee injuries are:
- Patello femoral pain syndrome (PFPS)
- Anterior cruciate ligament tears/strains
- Iliotibial band syndrome
- Meniscus tears
Achilles Tendon
The achilles tendon, the tough band extending from the calf muscles to the heel. The calf muscles and tendon work together to lower the front of your foot when your heel touches the ground and to raise the heel when your toes push off the ground.
Achilles tendinitis is where this tendon becomes inflamed or swollen. This usually happens then the tendon is placed under great stress such when running downhill or uphill. Other various functional and structural abnormalities may also predispose the Achilles tendon to injury. These include rolling the feet onto the outside (pronation) excessively, the habit of landing too far back on the heel (checking the sole of the running shoe can show where the heel is most worn), bowed legs, tight hamstring and calf muscles, high arches, tight Achilles tendons, and heel deformities. Achilles tendonitis can lead to small tears within the tendon, and make it susceptible to rupture.
Plantar Fasciitis or Heel Pain
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of ligament connecting your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. When strained, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated causing your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk. It can happen in one foot or both feet.
People with plantar fasciitis usually have pain when they take their first steps after they get out of bed or sit for a long time. You may have less stiffness and pain after you take a few steps, but your foot may hurt more as the day goes on. It may hurt the most when you climb stairs or after you stand for a long time.
Though more common in older adults, it also occurs in younger people who are on their feet a lot like athletes.
Repeated strain on the plantar fascia ligament can cause tiny tears leading to pain and swelling. Some common causes are:
- Your feet roll inward too much when you walk (excessive pronation).
- You have high arches or flat feet.
- You walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces.
- You wear shoes that don’t fit well or are worn out.
- You have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles.
In addition to the treatment of the sports injuries, Core Concepts also provides the following specialised services
The rehabilitation specialists under this division are:
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