You trip on a curb and injure your ankle, or you’re hobbled by degenerative arthritis in your knees — whatever the problem, you’re limited in your ability to move without pain.
At Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine, our team of orthopedic specialists has seen most every type of musculoskeletal injury or condition, and we know what it takes to restore function.
While it would be impossible to list the many ways your body can be damaged in this short article, we want to outline a few of the more common ones and review why orthopedic care is so important.
Sprains and strains
Some of the most common injuries are strains and sprains in your soft tissues, namely your muscles and ligaments. Whether you lift something heavy and strain muscles in your lower back or you over rotate your knee, there are myriad ways in which you can incur a strain or sprain.
While strains and sprains are often lumped together, they are, in fact, slightly different. A sprain, by definition, is when you wrench the ligaments in your joint, which are the soft tissues that connect bone to bone. To give you an idea about how often this occurs, a whopping 23,000 people sprain an ankle each day in the United States.
A strain, on the other hand, is usually used to describe a problem with stressing your muscles, such as the example we gave above about lifting something heavy, which over stretches or tears the muscles in your lower back.
When it comes to resolving these issues, orthopedic care is paramount for many reasons, starting with getting the right diagnosis so that you receive the right treatment. All too often, we see injuries that didn’t heal properly, which can lead to future problems with arthritis or instability. Under our guidance, we can help your sprain or strain to heal both correctly and quickly.
Tendon issues
Another common problem we see are tendon issues. The tendons in your body attach muscle to your bone, and there are several problems that can develop in these soft tissues, such as tendinitis, tendon tears, and tendon ruptures
To give you an idea of the many ways in which tendon issues can affect you, consider that the following conditions are tendon-related:
Like sprains and strains, it’s important that you seek our orthopedic care so you can avoid worsening an injury, like a minor tendon tear turning into a full rupture.
Ligament issues
While sprains typically involve your ligaments, when there’s tearing, either partial or complete, the problem becomes even bigger. For example, your knees contain several ligaments that provide stability, such as your anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. When you incur a tear in one of these supportive tissues, it can affect the overall function of your knee and requires specialized care as these tissues have trouble healing and reattaching themselves.
Another common problem is carpal tunnel syndrome, which stems from ligaments or other tissues in your wrist pressing up against your median nerve.
Some ligament issues are more disruptive and painful than others, but they all can benefit from professional oversight to ensure proper healing and to prevent bigger problems from developing.
Arthritis
One of the most common conditions that can benefit from orthopedic care is arthritis, which is a catchall term for issues with joint pain and inflammation. Our understanding of the many different forms of arthritis and how to address each will help you regain pain-free movement in your joints.
Whatever your musculoskeletal issue, seeking our help sooner rather than later ensures that you’re properly diagnosed and that you get the expert care you need. We specialize in several treatments, including regenerative medicine, which can help your body heal more quickly and more strongly.
If you have any questions about whether to see an orthopedic specialist, please contact our office in Westfield, New Jersey, to learn more.
