A sports injury hits hard — an earthquake crushing an athlete’s dream. Or even if something just cracks (that shouldn’t) on the pickleball court, it’s a real pain.
dBut whether your kid took the hit while competing to win or you hit the dirt while just playing for fun, an injury isn’t really any fun at all. Let’s face it, there are as many ways of getting hurt as there are games to play. (Can you get injured playing bocce? Yes. Yes, you can.) So now, you’re sidelined, nursing a messed-up shoulder, facing knee surgery or maybe months of rehab. In any case, your new top priority is getting better so you can get back in the game.
At Cleveland Clinic, our providers can help — whether that means following professional dreams, a high school state championship or even just a 5K fun run. Our sports medicine team provides the highest level of diagnosis, treatment and return to play for all types of sports injuries. We use the most advanced tools and tests to diagnose your injury and customize your treatment to your specific injury and goals for recovery. No matter what level of athlete you are, and whether you have a strain, sprain, dislocation or fracture, you deserve the highest level of professional care.
If you’ve already had an X-ray, you can book your own appointment by using our self-scheduling tool for yourself or a child, if they’re younger than 18. We also provide care at many locations where you can visit by appointment or walk in, Mondays through Fridays.
At Cleveland Clinic, we offer complete care to both recreational and professional athletes. Our providers are trained in sports medicine and board-certified in other fields, such as orthopaedic surgery, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Meet our team.
Your skill level may not be pro (yet), but you’ll get the same level of care, therapies and services we provide to professional sports teams in Cleveland. This includes the latest sports and rehabilitation techniques to help you recover faster.
Our expert team also works with sports medicine nutritionists, sports psychologists, dedicated physical therapists and other specialists to meet your physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.
Sports injuries can knock you out or just knock you down a bit. But no matter how you hurt yourself —or what you hurt — we can help get you back in the game.
Getting the right diagnosis is the first step. You’ve already been feeling pain or stiffness. And maybe you’ve noticed some swelling. Now, it’s time to find out what’s wrong and what we can do to make it right again. Whether you have a torn ligament, ankle sprain or tendonitis, we have the care you need.
Many sports injuries happen in areas where you have joints and soft tissues, like:
Many things can go wrong with your shoulder during sports. You may have:
Some common sports-related injuries affecting your elbow joint are:
An injured hip joint can keep you sidelined. Your provider may discover you have:
Your knee joints and ligaments can take a beating during physical activity with injuries like:
One wrong step or the smallest little twist, and you may have a foot or ankle injury like:
To get a clear idea of what’s going on and how it started, we’ll want to hear from you first. To make an accurate diagnosis, our providers will ask how the injury happened and what symptoms you have. And they’ll do a physical examination to look for signs of injury, like:
We may use imaging tests to look at your joints, ligaments, muscles or tendons. These tests may include:
Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Northeast Ohio and Florida.
Treatment for sports injuries depends on what type of injury you have and how severe it is. If you have a mild injury, you may begin treatment before your appointment. We often suggest the RICE method:
We may also recommend over-the-counter or prescription medications to help your recovery by reducing inflammation, pain and swelling.
At your appointment, we’ll talk about treatments like:
We may suggest keeping the injured part of your body still to give it time to heal. This can help take some stress off your joints and reduce pain.
Bracing or immobilization may be the best choice if you have a broken bone or an injury that causes instability. We may recommend:
Immobilization can also help lessen muscle spasms, pain or swelling.
We may prescribe anti-inflammatory or pain medication if you have moderate to severe swelling or pain.
We may recommend physical therapy to help improve your range of motion and strength in the injured part of your body.
Many sports injuries get better with rest, physical therapy or other treatments without surgery. But sometimes, that just isn’t enough, and we may recommend interventional treatments to help you get back on track. These treatments can more precisely target your injury. Your provider will work with you to decide if your injury could respond well to treatments like:
Remember, we’re here to help you follow the best path that gets you moving again.
Many sports injuries don’t need surgery. But if it’s a severe injury or other treatments haven’t been effective, it may be the best option. We may recommend surgery for:
There are several different types of surgery, and your provider will work with you to figure out the best option for your specific injury. Types of surgery we offer for sports injuries include:
We may also support your body’s natural healing process by using relaxation and pain-relieving techniques such as:
Sometimes, recovery takes a while. How long can depend on several things, including:
If you have a minor sports injury, you may be able to recover in days or weeks with proper rest. If it’s a more serious injury or if you’ve had surgery, you may need several months or more to heal. In all cases, we’ll give you a personalized plan to help you recover and safely return to the activities you love.
Getting injured while playing sports can make you feel helpless. But an injury doesn’t always mean game over. Our sports medicine experts will work with you to diagnose your injury and create a plan to help you recover and get back to your activity as quickly, and safely, as possible. You’ll be back on your feet shortly, staying ahead of the game and avoiding setbacks — because scoring points is better than scoring injuries.
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