Sports Injury

Joint pain from sports injuries can affect how you participate in your sport now and in the future. There are many reasons for joint pain: a past injury, a mechanical stress worsening over time, a sport-specific posture, over-training and even nutritional deficiencies. It is important to know which yours is. Is it a combination of one or more?

Concussions: Head injuries are a common part of every sport but especially contact sports that do not wear protective head gear. As Fort Collins chiropractor I do not directly treat head injuries. It is very important that head injuries are monitored by medical doctors. But but we as parents have to know how to monitor our children after a minor head injury.

The two classification systems that I will mention are the Colorado Classification and Cantu's Classification. Study this information so you know how to care for your son or daughter's injury. You can also Click here to download a copy for you refrigerator. (PDF)

Colorado Classification

Grade 1 Confusion without amnesia
No loss of consciousness

Grade 2 Confusion with amnesia
No loss of consciousness

Grade 3 Loss of consciousness

Cantu's Classification

LOC=Loss of consciousness
PTA=Posttraumatic amnesia

No LOC, PTA<30min

LOC<5min or PTA>30min

LOC>5min or,PTA>24 hrs

On the PDF file there are recommended timetables for return to play and or practice after successive concussions. This is very important because of a condition called second impact syndrome. The second impact syndrome can be described as a second head injury that is superimposed on an unresolved preexisting concussion. This second impact syndrome can cause cerebral edema and possible death.

Please call the office with questions or concerns.

Shoulder Injury: Shoulder pain can be the Sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, glenohumeral, scapulothoracic, rib joints or joints of the spine. Muscles that could be affected and cause shoulder pain are the pectoralis, latissimus dosi, the muscles of the rotator cuff, the biceps, triceps, traps, and sometimes referred pain from other muscles. We find out the cause of your shoulder pain and steer you in the right direction for a long lasting remedy.

Office care: Office care for the shoulder varies depending on what joints and what muscles are affected in your injury.

Home care: Home care will depend on the type of injury but almost always consist of some icing and some stabilization exercises.

We go through similar investigative processes with your knees, wrists and ankles. This is all to properly determine the correct care of your pain, instability or damaged tissue. You want to get out of pain as fast as possible and make this injury a distant memory. That's my goal for you as well.


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