Sports Injuries

Sports Injuries

Growing up playing baseball, I was always intrigued by sports injuries. Aside from the cirriculum in chiropractic school, I got certified by Dr. Mitch Mally of Davenport, Iowa.  A football player himself (drafted by the Detroit Lions), Dr. Mally began a specialty in the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries.  He then started a certification course to teach his sports injury diagnosis and treatment protocol.  Here are some of the sports injuries that we treat in the office.

Disorders of the TMJ:  The Temporomandibular Joint is a complex joint which can become misaligned for various reasons.  There is a direct correlation of TMJ misalignment and the second cervical vertebrae (axis).  TMJ can cause pain with opening or closing the jaw and can cause a compensatory spasm of the masseter muscle (muscle of mastication or chewing).  An adjustment of the TMJ, second cervical vertebrae, laser therapy and massage has helped many patients heal from a TMJ disorder.

Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Separation:  The most common injury to the rotator cuff is an injury to the supraspinatus muscle (this muscle allows your arm to move outward).  This can caused by repetitive motion disorders, trauma, falls and other injuries.  Part of the injury includes misalignments of the humerus (arm bone), clavicle (collar bone) and scapula (wing bone).  Treatment of this injury includes electrical stimulation, heat or ice depending on the severity of injury, adjustments to the shoulder, clavicle and scapula, laser, stretches and active rehabilitation.  


Golfers Elbow and Tennis ElbowTennis elbow is an injury to the wrist extensor muscles and associated ligaments.  Golfers elbow is an injury to the wrist flexor muscles and related ligaments.  This is usually due to repetitive trauma and poor ergonomics.  The treatment of choice for these injuries is electrical stimulation, adjustments to the 2 forearm bones (radius and ulna) and laser therapy.  I also recommend an elbow support pad to take some of the stress off of the injured muscles.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:  This is a compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the wrist.  Usually patients feel tingling and numbness in the thumb, 2nd digit and ½ of the third digit.  I have a mechanical traction machine which pulls the wrist bones, relieving the pressure on the nerve.  I also recommend using a wrist support with various exercises.

Hip Injuries.  These can include injuries to the femur, pelvis, iliotibial band and the leg flexor and extensors (quadriceps and hamstrings).  People often come in the office with minor to moderate strains of the quads and hamstrings.  Usually in weekend athletes who don't stretch before the exercise or play various sports.  Since these are injuries to the muscle, they heal relatively quickly (depending on the severity of the injury) and people are feeling good in a relatively short amount of time.  Heat, electrical stimulation, laser and hip adjustments make this area feel really good.

Knee Injuries:  Ahh the knee.  ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) and Medial Meniscus.  These make up the "unhappy triad of the knee"  Yes, we can treat these injuries as well as Lateral Collateral Ligament injuries (LCL) and injuries to the Posterior Collateral Ligament (PCL).  Depending on the severity of the injury we have many treatment options.  Laser, knee alignments, heat, stimulation, stretching and active rehabilitation, and a knee brace for support are the key to getting the knee healthy again.

Ankle Sprains: Most ankle injuries are to the outer ligament that connects the leg to the foot.  This occurs when one "rolls" their ankle past the tension of the ligament and the ligament stretches and tears.  We have had a lot of success treatment first and second degree ankle tears with a protocol of heat (after swelling is reduced), laser, electrical stimulation and foot/ankle adjustments along with either a soft brace or a harder ankle brace.  We also have active rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles and prevent further ankle sprains and injuries.

Heal spurs:  Heal spurs are caused after a chronic instability in the foot that then calicifies the plantar fascia (the covering over the muscles of the foot).  It looks like a small-large dagger coming out of the heal bone.  Treatment protocol for this is custom fitted orthotics to support the foot with a grove for the spur so one does not walk on it, a night time splint, laser, massage and adjustments to the foot.  We have treated a large amount of patients with this and the results we get are outstanding.

Sports injuries, while not fun for the patient, are both fun and challenging to treat.  The biggest thing is to understand the mechanism of injury and treat the cause.  We have all of the rehabilitation equipment in the office, the knowledge and expertise to get you back to marathon running, gymnastics, sports and weekend play.  

Don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions.



Dr. Burak also has a specialization and certification in treating a variety of sports injuries. He has treated many local high school and college athletes, an Olympic gymnast, weekend warriors and even a few Professional Athletes!  Many sports related conditions are treated in the office.  These include but are not limited to rotator cuff injuries, separated shoulders, tennis and golfers elbow, iliotibial band syndrome, knee injuries to the medical and lateral ligaments as well as the Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL,PCL), ankle sprains, calf strains, foot injuries and more. Don't hesitate to ask how we can help YOUR sports injury.

Location

Office Hours

Huntingdon Valley Family Chiropractic Centre

Monday:

8:30 am-12:30 pm

Tuesday:

2:00 pm-7:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:30 am-12:30 pm

2:30 pm-7:00 pm

Thursday:

2:00 pm-7:00 pm

Friday:

8:30 am-12:30 pm

Saturday:

8:00 am-12:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed