Sports Medicine

According to the CDC, approximately 3.8 million people sustain a concussion each year. If you're an athlete participating in contact sports, you're particularly at risk. Trauma occurs when a blow to the head causes your brain to hit the inside of your skull. This produces bruising and can lead to concussion symptoms like headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. 

If you think you have a concussion, see one of our head injury specialists to assess the severity of your injury. Concussion treatment typically involves rest and over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen. While healing, you should limit activities that require mental concentration.

Symptoms of a concussion headache usually improve within 5-7 days. You can resume nonstrenuous activities once you start feeling better. However, overexerting yourself could slow your recovery.

Sports Concussion Treatment

Sprains and strains happen when you stretch or tear tissues. A sprain occurs to ligaments (which connect bone to bone) while strains involve muscles or tendons (which connect muscle to bone). Sprains and strains can happen in various parts of your body including your knee, elbow, hand/wrist, shoulder, hip and back. 

Symptoms of both strains and sprains include soreness, swelling, discoloration, weakness and pain with movement in the injured area. The injury can range in severity depending on whether the tissue tears partially or completely and the number of tissues involved in the injury. 

Overuse injuries occur from repetitively using the same parts of the body and typically occur in the elbow, wrist, knee, ankle or rotator cuff in the shoulder. Overuse injuries include tendonitis, bursitis and stress fractures. 

Find Sports Medicine Care

Fractures are among the most common sports injuries. Issues range from stress fractures caused by overuse to severe compound fractures. Your orthopedic surgeon at Novant Health will determine the severity of the fracture and discuss your treatment options. They may take X-rays or do an MRI to assess the damage.

If you have a stress fracture, meaning there's a crack in the bone, you may be able to avoid surgery through rest and pain medication. But if the injury is more serious, like a bone separation, you'll most likely need surgery to repair the damage.

Our orthopedic specialists are specifically trained to handle all types of bone injuries and will set you up with a rehabilitation plan to get you back to your life.

Find Orthopedic Injury Care

An injury to your shoulder, hip, knee or elbow joint can occur during intense exercise or from an unexpected twist or fall. If you have persistent pain, this could be a sign you're overusing the joint.

Treating mild joint injuries usually involves the RICE method — rest, ice, compression and elevation. A support brace or cast can also stabilize the affected area. If the damage is more severe, your provider may recommend surgery. A Novant Health sports medicine physician or specialist will evaluate your condition and work with you to develop a treatment plan that's right for you.   

Find Joint Care