Like most sports, golf is a fun activity that people like to indulge in. It may involve fewer activities, but the injuries are inevitable. Majority of people think that golf is a soft sport, but it has both negative and positive impacts on your body. Many golf injuries are a result of long hours swinging the ball while standing in a particular position. It causes several injuries such as lower back pain, wrist or elbow pain to mention a few. Even though the orthopedic clinic in Jacksonville, FL, offers the best treatment, you should learn the various ways of preventing golf injuries. Outlined are five tips to consider while playing golf to avoid injuries. (more…)

How you treat your body every day affects your long-term health. Eating right and exercising can prolong your lifespan and prevent health complications in the future. Nearly everyone knows this to be true. But did you know that making a habit of certain healthy behaviors can prevent injuries today? Orthopedic surgeons, the experts in caring for muscles, bones, and connective tissue that you use to put your body into motion, recommend that you stretch after engaging in any active sports.

So, what do you like to play? Are you an avid amateur player of team sports like basketball or touch football? Are you a fan of outdoor sports, like mountain biking and hiking? What about extreme sports like surfing or skateboarding? Whatever your preferred sport may be, stretching keeps you healthy and prevents injuries.

Here are the top stretches that every orthopedic doctor in Jacksonville, FL, would recommend. These stretches may prevent cramps, torn muscles, and other sports-related injuries.

Standing Forward Fold

A basic stretch for your lower back and hamstrings, which can be overworked during athletic play, start this stretch by standing up straight with your feet together. Bend at the hips and try to touch your calves, ankles, or toes. As with any stretch, don’t force yourself to go past where you feel comfortable. You can actually injure yourself. Hold this stretch for up to a minute.

Runner’s Lunge

Orthopedic surgeons frequently treat knee injuries that could have been prevented with regular leg stretches. Start in a plank or push-up position. Bend one knee and bring your leg forward, placing your foot outside the hand. Straighten your arms and look forward. You should feel the extended leg stretch. Hold for a minute, then switch legs.

Hurdler’s Stretch

A great hip and leg stretch, this is a classic move that many people are taught as children. Sit on the ground with your legs in a “V” position. Bring the foot of one leg in toward your groin, or place the foot flush against the inner the of the other leg. Reach out your hands and bend at the hips toward the extended foot. If you can’t touch your toes, rest on your shin or ankle. Hold this position for a minute, making sure to take deep breaths, then switch legs and stretch the other side.

Child’s Pose

This resting position offers a gentle full-body stretch, while also calming your muscles. It’s the perfect stretch for finishing your exercise. Kneel on the floor and put your toes together so your legs make an open “V” shape. Open your knees wide enough for your torso to fit between them. Lower your torso forward to the ground, then walk your fingers straight out in front of you as far as you can. Drop your head to the floor if possible. You should feel a light stretch in your thighs, back, and shoulders.

You can prevent the need for orthopedic therapy or an orthopedic surgeon’s treatment if you perform these stretches regularly. While stretching releases lactic acid and calms the muscles, it cannot prevent all injuries. However, you should still make stretching after sports a regular practice. For more advice or to discuss any soreness or injury you may have, visit an orthopedic doctor in Jacksonville, FL. 

Recently, Major League Baseball revealed plans to put a ban on home plate collisions. According to the results of recent research, banning these collisions may help protect players from serious injuries, some of which require orthopedic surgery.

About the Study

The study was published by two researchers from Wake Forest University in the International Journal of Sports Medicine. This study compared the number of injuries per play for different types of plays. The researchers discovered that an average of seven injuries occurred for every 1,000 tag outs on home plate. For plays involving throws from the outfield to second or third base, the average number of injuries was only 1.5 per 1,000 plays.
Based on this data, researchers determined that plays at home plate raised the risk of injury by more than four times. In these incidents, injuries were slightly more likely for runners than catchers. In all types of plays, the typical injuries sustained were similar in severity. However, the type of injury sustained differed by location. For outfield throws, the most common injury was a fracture. For double play attempts and plays at home plate, dislocations and sprains were most common.

Dangers of Home Plate Collisions

Home plate collisions are more dangerous than other baseball injuries for several reasons. In most cases, these collisions occur with one highly-motivated individual running at full speed toward home plate. This runner collides with a catcher who is fully outfitted in protective armor. This combination creates the ideal circumstances for injuries to occur.

How the Ban Will Help

The proposed ban would require the catcher to stay out of the baseline and touch the runner only with the ball in his glove. If this ban is enacted, it could help to prevent some injuries during baseball games.

Even with the ban in place, injuries are still likely to occur. If you have suffered an injury while playing baseball, getting the right treatment is essential. Please contact Southeast Orthopedic Specialists to make an appointment today.

The anterior cruciate ligament is commonly abbreviated to ACL. This ligament is located within the knee joint, between the thigh bone and the shin bone. This ligament is primarily responsible for stabilizing the knee. in an ACL injury, the ligament most often is torn. This condition can cause the knees to buckle unexpectedly, or even prevent standing or walking altogether.

Who Gets ACL Injuries?

Although anyone can tear an ACL, this type of injury most often occurs during sports involving certain kinds of movement. The movements most likely to lead to a torn ACL include stopping suddenly, and/or suddenly reversing direction. As such sports most likely to lead to a torn ACL are soccer, football, tennis, basketball and even golf.

What is an ACL Reconstruction?

In an ACL reconstruction, done by orthopedic specialists, the ligament is reconstructed using tissue from your body or a donor. The torn tissue will be removed, then the surgeon will use the autograph tissue to reconstruct the ligament. This tissue is grafted onto the bone with screws where it will eventually become part of the new ligament. ACL reconstruction is widely accepted to be an effective treatment for a torn knee ligament, and most patients recover fully.

How to Prepare For an ACL Reconstruction?

When your orthopedic specialist has recommended ACL reconstruction, you’ll need to prepare for the procedure. You’ll need to do some physical therapy in order to reduce the internal swelling and inflammation as much as possible before surgery. Although you will likely be fully anesthetized for your ACL reconstruction surgery, the process can be painful when you wake up. You’ll need to prepare yourself for discomfort, since pain medication can only be taken on a limited basis.

You’ll also need help getting home from the hospital as well as when you’re at home recovering from the surgery. Be prepared to stay off the knee according to your doctor’s post-surgery instructions. Time off work will also be a necessity so plan ahead for that.

Although ACL reconstruction is major surgery, your chances for a complete recovery are very high. For a free consultation about your knee issues or ACL reconstruction, contact us today.

Running is generally considered to be one of the healthiest forms of exercise available. But it is not without its hazards. As orthopedic specialists in northern Florida, we see a variety of preventable injuries that may be avoided by following these training tips.

Keep Warm

Avid runners don’t stop running just because the weather gets chilly. Even in northern Florida, temperatures can dip low enough in winter to warrant extra precaution when training. In addition to doing warm ups before going out in cold weather, keep muscles and joints warm by wearing adequate clothing with insulating properties.

Run on Good Surfaces

Shin splints and runner’s knee can occur when a runner is training on inferior surfaces that offer no “give.” To help avoid this painful condition, confine training to surfaces that are inherently shock absorbent, such as a running track.

Wear Proper Footwear

The specific movement of the feet during training requires proper footwear in order to prevent common issues such as spurs. This bone outgrowth can be prevented with a proper fitting of appropriate running footwear. Your investment in proper footwear can help prevent injuries like spurs that may prevent you from continuing your training.

Run on Even Surfaces

To avoid falls, missteps and alignment issues, be sure to run on even surfaces. This doesn’t mean you can’t run uphill or downhill. It means you should avoid prolonged running on slanted surfaces where one side is higher than the other. Doing so could cause problems with the bones in the feet, as well as spinal issues that can lead to painful misalignment problems.

Avoid Running on Roadways

For enthusiastic runners, every stretch of road may be an enticing running opportunity. However, running injuries often occur from incidents related to stationary and moving objects. Hazards include motor vehicles and distracted drivers, cyclists, skateboarders, delivery vans and even telephone poles, fences and roadway construction. Unless you’re wearing very strong bumpers, it’s best to avoid roadways when training.

Contact the north Florida orthopedic specialists if you’re experiencing any kind of knee pain or other signs of runner injuries. Call or email to speak to one of our friendly representatives today.

Runner Injuries

Running is no doubt a healthy form of exercise and a great hobby. While running may be extremely beneficial for your heart and weight-loss efforts, it can sometimes take its toll on your legs, feet and ankles. Listed below are three common injuries that runners often have to deal with.

Shin Splints

Shin splints are the result of micro tears in the bone and muscle at the front of the leg. In most cases, shin splints are caused by prolonged running on hard surfaces as the bone and muscles in the shin must continuously absorb the shock. Shin splints are often quite painful and need to be corrected before a runner can continue their exercise routine.

Heel Spurs

Heel spurs are a small point of outward growing bone on the heel. They form in areas of inflammation such as when the Achilles tendon becomes inflamed. Since runners may often end up aggravating and inflaming their Achilles tendon, heel spurs are a common problem for them. Symptoms of heel spurs are pain, numbness and tenderness if they are irritating adjacent areas, though if they are not irritating the adjacent tissue they may go unnoticed.

Ankle Sprains and Fractures

Unlike heel spurs and shin splints which form over time due to prolonged exercise, ankle sprains and fractures can happen in an instant. Twist your ankle too far in the wrong direction and you may even end up with a broken ankle. Fractures, sprains, and breaks in the ankle are all quite painful and, in some cases, require surgery to fully repair.

Correcting Runner Injuries

There’s no reason you should let the fear of injury keep you from a beneficial hobby such as running. However, if you do incur one of the injuries common to runners, it’s important to correct it as soon as possible.

At Southeast Orthopedic Specialists, we specialize in helping people fully recover from injuries such as those listed above. If you are suffering from foot, ankle, or leg pain and are ready to correct the problem, we invite you to contact us today.