A Complete Guide to the Sports Injuries Our Doctors Treat

Sports injuries can happen suddenly during a collision, fall, awkward landing, or forceful movement, but many develop gradually without a single identifiable event. Repeated training can place substantial demands on muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones, especially when the body does not have adequate strength, mobility, or recovery capacity for the activity being performed.

Sports injuries are generally described as traumatic or non-traumatic injuries. Traumatic injuries occur suddenly and may include sprains, strains, fractures, and dislocations. Non-traumatic injuries develop over time and may be associated with repetitive loading, training volume, muscle weakness or imbalance, limited joint mobility, or inefficient movement patterns. Understanding how symptoms began and which structures are involved helps determine the appropriate approach to care.

Effective sports injury treatment involves more than reducing pain. Mobility, strength, stability, coordination, and physical capacity may need to be restored before an athlete is ready for unrestricted activity. A thorough evaluation can identify these limitations, determine whether imaging or specialist evaluation is needed, and guide rehabilitation toward the specific demands of the patient’s sport, exercise routine, or recreational activity.

Woman demonstrating a clamshell exercise by lying on her side with bent knees and lifting the top knee while keeping her feet together.

What are non-traumatic sports injuries?

Non-traumatic sports injuries develop gradually from repeated physical stress rather than a single accident or impact. Examples include tendinitis, tennis elbow, iliotibial band syndrome, jumper’s knee, bursitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and stress fractures. These conditions are often associated with repetitive loading and may be influenced by training demands, recovery, strength, mobility, biomechanics, and previous injuries.

What are traumatic sports injuries?

Traumatic sports injuries occur suddenly when a force, collision, fall, twist, or awkward movement damages a muscle, ligament, joint, bone, or surrounding tissue. Common examples include muscle strains, ligament sprains, fractures, and joint dislocations. The severity can vary considerably, so evaluation is important for determining the structures involved and whether conservative treatment, diagnostic imaging, or specialist care is appropriate.

How are sports injuries diagnosed?

Sports injury diagnosis usually begins with the history of the injury and a physical examination of the affected area. The evaluation may assess tenderness, range of motion, strength, joint stability, neurological findings, and movements that reproduce symptoms. When necessary, diagnostic imaging such as X-rays, MRI, or CT may be used or referred for to investigate suspected fractures, joint damage, or soft-tissue injuries.

How are sports injuries treated?

Sports injury treatment depends on the diagnosis, severity, stage of healing, and physical demands of the athlete’s activity. Conservative treatment may include chiropractic care, therapeutic exercise, manual or massage therapy, appropriate use of ice or heat, and progressive rehabilitation. As recovery advances, treatment can shift toward rebuilding strength, mobility, stability, and activity-specific capacity, while injuries requiring additional medical management may be referred to an orthopedic or other appropriate specialist.

At Cole Pain Therapy Group, our doctors treat sports injuries in competitive athletes, recreational athletes, and active individuals by evaluating the injured area along with the movement and physical demands involved in the activity. Depending on your diagnosis and recovery needs, care may include chiropractic treatment, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and progressive rehabilitation to restore function and prepare you for a gradual return to training, competition, or recreation. When diagnostic imaging or specialist evaluation is necessary, our doctors can also help coordinate the appropriate next step.

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2845 Summer Oaks Dr, Memphis, TN 38134
(901) 377-2340

Life Shouldn't Hurt!

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cole pain therapy group

Richard L. Cole, DC, DACNB, DAIPM, FIACN, FICC
Jeffrey D. Luebbe, DC, CCRD, CCSP
W. Steven Vollmer, DC, DAAPM
Bradford J. Cole, DC, MS, CSCS
J. Colby Poston, DC
Daniel H. Smith, DC
2845 Summer Oaks Dr., Memphis, TN 38134
(901) 377-2340

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Saturday :
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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