Sports Rehabilitation
Sports rehabilitation focuses on the recovery and rehabilitation of athletes following sports-related injuries, surgeries, or performance-related issues. The goals of sports rehabilitation are to facilitate optimal recovery, restore function, prevent re-injury, and promote safe return to sports activities. You don’t have to be a professional athlete to receive sports rehab. Most of our patients are active adults who participate in Houston Community leagues.
Below are the most common injuries we see with each sport.
Baseball
SLAP: (Superior Labrum Anterior Posterior tear) generally occurs as a result of overuse injury to the shoulder by acute trauma or repetitive overhead or throwing motions. The tear happens in the labrum which is the ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the shoulder joint.
UCL Injury: (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) is the most commonly injured ligament in throwers. Injuries of the UCL can range from minor damage and inflammation to a complete tear of the ligament. Athletes will have pain on the inside of the elbow and frequently notice decreased throwing velocity.
Catcher’s Thumb: This is a hyperextension of the thumb caused by an incorrect form when catching, where the thumb receives more force than it should.
Basketball
Patellar tendinitis: pain is located in the front of the knee and below the kneecap usually due to overuse stress and loading with actions of repetitive jumping.
Jammed Fingers: A jammed finger occurs when the tip of the finger is compressed towards the hand. As the finger is compressed, the ligaments supporting the joints are stretched or “sprained.”
Achilles Tendon Rupture: Achilles tendon rupture is an injury that affects the back of the lower leg. The tendon can tear or rupture completely when overstretched past the tendons capacity.
Football
Knee Injuries: Football players are prone to knee injuries such as meniscus tears, patellar tendonitis, or ligament tears (ACL, MCL) due to cutting, pivoting, and sudden deceleration movements.
Shoulder Injuries: Dislocations, separations, or rotator cuff injuries can occur from tackles, falls, or collisions during football.
Ankle Injuries: Ankle sprains, fractures, or Achilles tendonitis can result from twisting, turning, or landing awkwardly during football play.
Overuse Injuries: Repetitive stress on muscles, tendons, or joints can lead to overuse injuries such as tendonitis, stress fractures, or muscle strains in football players.
ACL Strain
Volleyball
Ankle Sprains: Due to quick changes in direction, jumping, and landing, volleyball players are prone to ankle sprains, which occur when the ligaments supporting the ankle stretch or tear.
Knee Injuries: Volleyball players may experience knee injuries such as patellar tendinitis (inflammation of the patellar tendon), ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears, or meniscus tears due to repetitive jumping, landing, and sudden movements.
Shoulder Injuries: The overhead nature of serving, spiking, and blocking in volleyball can lead to shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff tears, labral tears, shoulder impingement, or tendonitis.
Elbow Injuries: Overuse of the elbow joint during spiking, blocking, and serving can cause conditions like tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) or golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis).
Wrist Injuries: Volleyball players may experience wrist injuries such as sprains, strains, or tendonitis due to repetitive hitting, setting, and blocking.
Back Injuries: Excessive jumping, twisting, and landing can contribute to back injuries such as muscle strains, disc herniation, or vertebral fractures.
Finger Injuries: Jammed fingers or fractures can occur from blocking, setting, or hitting the volleyball.
Foot Injuries: Plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, or Achilles tendonitis can occur from repetitive jumping, landing, and running on hard surfaces.
Muscle Strains: Overuse or sudden movements can lead to muscle strains in various areas such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, or hip flexors.
BJJ
Joint Sprains and Strains: Due to the grappling and submission techniques in BJJ, practitioners may experience sprains or strains in joints such as the shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles.
Neck Injuries: Neck strains, muscle spasms, or cervical disc injuries can occur from takedowns, submissions, or positional pressure during BJJ training and sparring.
Back Injuries: Spinal injuries such as muscle strains, herniated discs, or vertebral fractures can result from twisting, grappling, or being stacked by an opponent in BJJ.
Knee Injuries: BJJ practitioners are susceptible to knee injuries such as ligament tears (ACL, MCL, PCL), meniscus tears, or patellar tendonitis from takedowns, sweeps, or guard passing maneuvers.
Elbow and Wrist Injuries: Hyperextension of the elbows, wrist sprains, or tendonitis can occur from armlocks, joint manipulation, or defending against submissions.
Finger Injuries: Jammed fingers, dislocations, or fractures can result from gripping, controlling, or escaping from submissions during BJJ training.
Rib Injuries: Rib fractures, strains, or contusions can occur from pressure, compression, or impact during grappling, escapes, or submissions.
Get Relief Now
If you or a family member are dealing with any of the above and the symptoms have not improved in more than three weeks, chances are you would greatly benefit from at least one formal visit with a licensed physical therapist. While most aches and pains do improve on their own, persistent issues often require formal evaluation from a musculoskeletal expert.