Oblique muscle injuries are common in sports, especially those that involve significant twisting and rotation. Most sports fans hear about oblique muscle injuries in baseball due to the significant contraction of those muscles during the baseball swing. Here is a deeper look at the oblique injury and approach to management in sports.

Injury to the tendon can be problematic for athletes in a variety of sports. Due to significant stresses with sprinting sports as well as with lower body exercises such as squats, the patella tendon is susceptible to several injuries such as tendonitis, tendon strain or tendon rupture. If the injury is acute and sudden, such as during a slide or jumping movement, the tendon can be strained or even completely torn. Typically te...

Every patient is different, so we are just going to look at the most common options for young, active patients with closed growth plates. Typically there are 3 main options of tissues that can be used. The hamstring tendon from the posterior knee, the patella tendon from the front of the knee or a portion of the quadriceps tendon. There are pros, cons and expert rationale for each of these choice which we will explore in the p...

As in most things in medicine, there are patterns to watch for when suspecting a stress fracture of the lumbar spine. The first piece of important information is the type of athlete you are dealing with and the volume of activity they are performing. High-risk athletes that do a significant amount of back extension (leaning back), would include gymnasts, dancers, soccer athletes and football lineman. Typically athletes will co...

Basically, the treatment involves supportive care to allow the fracture to heal on its own. Athletes might use a protective padding or brace to protect against impact while playing. Once the athlete can manage the pain and be appropriately protected they can be returned back to play. Typical recovery time is approximately 4-6 weeks depending on the extent of the injury.

Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tear (TFCC) injuries typically occur from direct trauma or repetitive impact to the wrist. Most individuals will have pain on the back side of the wrist just beyond the tip of the ulna. Typically athletes will have pain with deviating the wrist towards the ulna, which can be performed by the examiner to compress the TFCC and replicate the pain.

The most difficult part of the whole situation is that there is not much that can be done to expedite the healing process. If a nerve is stretched then the function usually will return to baseline shortly, minutes to hours. To make matters worse, Mariota will be at high risk for re-injury and will likely have to wear a elbow sleeve or pad on his throwing arm. I think his training staff will find a way to get him back sooner r...

Osgood-Schlatter's Disease (Tibial Tuberosity Apophysitis) is specific to pediatric athletes, usually in the age range of 8 to 15 years, with females presenting younger than males. Athletes will usually complain of pain over the front of the knee at the end of a practice or end of a school day. The pain will specifically be at the tibial tuberosity, a growth plate on the lower portion of the knee that appears as a small bu...

A PCL injury typically occurs as a direct contact to the front of the lower leg, when the knee is in a 90 degree bent position. The classic non-sports scenario is when the knee strikes the dashboard in a car accident.  However, sports related injuries usually occur with a direct fall on the knee or a direct impact to the front of the lower leg. n general, the recommendation for a partial or complete PCL tear is to non-surgical...

ACL return to play is based on two key factors: time and evidence based functional assessments.  Although protocols typically end around 6 months it is believed the healing process of the surgically repaired ligament requires around 9 months to significantly reduce the risk of a re-tear.