Sports Injuries And Surgery

Sports and exercise are indispensable for a healthy life. Many discomforts caused by sedentary life can be prevented by doing regular sports and exercise. Doing sports not only enables us to have a physically healthy body but it also helps us to feel much better mentally and spiritually. For this reason, the number of people who make regular exercise and sports a part of their daily lives is increasing day by day.
Although the increasing interest in active life is a positive development, injuries and even serious traumas that require surgical intervention can be experienced due to various reasons during sports.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF SPORTS INJURIES?

The most common sports injuries are listed as follows:

• Soft tissue traumas,
• Meniscus tears and ligament injuries,
• Problems in cartilage,
• Muscle-tendon injuries,
• Bone fractures, bone pain,
• Joint traumas and dislocations,
• Sprains,
• Head injuries.

WHY DO SPORTS INJURIES OCCUR?

Sports injuries can develop due to many reasons. Acute injuries usually occur due to situations such as falling, hitting or receiving a blow to any part of the body during sports. These are injuries such as sprains, fractures, dislocations.
Chronic injuries, on the other hand, mostly occur due to repetitive movements.
In cases where sports injuries are not treated properly and completely, the problem may recur.
In heavy training such as weight lifting and crossfit, too much load on the body causes various injuries.
Wrong, reverse or sudden movements bring along various injuries, especially depending on muscle groups.
Doing sports in an unconscious manner is also a cause of injury. For example, warming up before doing sports is a very important step. Injuries may occur if this step is not done properly and if you start sports before the body warms up.

HOW ARE SPORTS INJURIES TREATED?

Depending on the type and severity of sports injuries, different treatment methods can be considered.
These treatments are divided into three groups as conservative treatment, physical therapy and surgical treatment. In many mild and moderate sports injuries, surgery is usually considered as a last resort.
In treatment options other than surgery, the discomfort is followed closely.
Conservative treatment; includes fixing the damaged area with methods such as bandages, plasters, splints and the patient’s resting. In addition, drug therapy, food supplements, intra-articular injections such as PRP and stem cells are the treatment methods that can be counted in this group.
Another known method is physical therapy. In this context, controlled exercise programs are applied to strengthen the musculoskeletal system of the patient after conservative treatment or surgical treatment. Methods such as cold application, superficial or deep heat applications, electrotherapy, hydrotherapy are also included in physical therapy.
Finally, in all sports injuries where conservative treatment is not sufficient, general surgery methods and arthroscopic surgeries are used.

SPORTS SURGERY AND ARTHROSCOPY

Thanks to the new surgical techniques, both the operation process and the recovery period after the operation are much faster and minimally painful compared to the past.
Apart from bone fractures and dislocations, the most common area of injury in sports injuries is the knee joint. For this reason, when sports surgery is mentioned, arthroscopic surgeries come to mind first. Arthroscopic surgeries are applied in the diagnosis and treatment of all joint-related diseases. Arthroscopic surgeries, which include minimally invasive methods, are preferred for treating damaged tissues when compared to traditional surgical techniques.
Arthroscopy means “looking (scopy) at the joint (arthro)”. Thanks to the tool called arthroscope, surgeons can see inside the joint, so they can diagnose and treat diseases.
In the surgery, incisions smaller than one centimeter are opened and the inside of the joint is viewed with the arthroscope tool and a camera. A clear image is obtained by enlarging the inside of the joint approximately 6 times. These images help make a diagnosis. According to the diagnosis, treatment is carried out during the procedure. Since the joint is not opened thanks to arthroscopy, the healing process is also much easier and faster. Patients can start physical therapy in a short time.