Sports injury management: quick fire questions

Written by: Mr Muhammad Adeel Akhtar
Published:
Edited by: Aoife Maguire

Many of us engage in sports, not just for exercise but as a way of connecting with others and improving ourselves both physically and mentally. However, participating in sports can result in some injuries, which must be properly managed to prevent worsening. Renowned consultant orthopaedic surgeon Mr Muhammad Adeel Akhtar provides an overview of how to manage sports-related injuries.

 

 

Can you name some ways to manage a sports injury?

During the first 24 to 72 hours after accumulating a sports-related injury, the following pneumonic should be followed:

 

P - Protect

R - Rest

I - Ice

C - Compression

E - Elevation

 

How important is sports injury management?

It is extremely important to identify and then treat any sports injury because if left untreated, it can result in a chronic problem which is difficult to manage. In some cases, untreated problems may require major interventions, including surgery.

 

What are the consequences of not treating a sports-related injury?

Leaving a sports-related injury untreated can result in permanent damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone, which can result in damage to joints with persistent and debilitating symptoms.

 

What are the most common procedures to treat sports injuries?

Most sports injuries settle with Rest, Elevation, Ice and Compression (RICE) treatment. However, if symptoms are not improving with the above first aid treatment, careful rehabilitation is recommended to improve healing and limit any further damage.

 

Occasionally after talking to patients and examining the injured part of the body, it is important to arrange further tests such as an ultrasound, X-ray or MRI scan to determine the exact nature of the injuries.

 

These tests can also help to determine the appropriate treatment, which can be focused on rehabilitation or further support with different types of injections such as local anaesthetic, steroids, hyaluronic acid (artificial joint/tendon fluid) or special blood products like platelet-rich plasma.

 

Finally, surgery can be performed in order to reconstruct or repair damaged structures around the joints. Examples of these surgeries include meniscus (knee cushion) and ACL Reconstruction.

 

 

 

 

If you are suffering from a sports-related injury and would like to book a consultation with Mr Akhtar, do not hesitate to do so by visiting his Top Doctors profile today.

By Mr Muhammad Adeel Akhtar
Orthopaedic surgery

Mr Muhammad Adeel Akhtar is a leading Edinburgh-based consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon. Mr Akhtar is highly experienced in a wide range of orthopaedic procedures, such as knee replacement surgery, knee meniscal tear surgery, knee arthritis treatmentsports injuries management, hip arthritis treatment and hip replacement surgery.
 
Mr Akhtar has shown his dedication to lifelong education throughout his career, continuously training and improving his skills. He first received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of the Punjab in Pakistan, before going on to complete extensive training in the UK. He received his MRCSEd from the Royal College of Surgeons in 2006, and an MD from the University of Edinburgh in 2015. He completed his basic surgical training in Yorkshire and his specialty training in trauma and orthopaedics at the Northern Deanery. Mr Akhtar has also completed several prestigious fellowships, for example, his fellowship on “Lower Limb Arthroscopy, Arthroplasty and Osseointegration” in Sydney. He has been trained in biological therapies from the Academy of Regenerative Medicine, and has received a postgraduate diploma in Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery from the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Glasgow.
 
Currently, Mr Akhtar practices at the Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh, and Kings Park Hospital in Stirling. He is also a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon for the NHS. At his practice, Mr Akhtar treats all types of knee and hip injuries and conditions, with a focus on knee and hip replacement surgery. He also specialises in sports medicine, having successfully completed the Diploma in Sports and Exercise Medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland and is a member of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine UK
 
In addition to his clinical work, Mr Akhtar is a dedicated medical educator. He is an honorary senior lecturer at the School of Medicine of the University of St Andrews, University of Edinburgh and a tutor at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He has also extensively published in medical literature, in different peer-reviewed scientific journals and is currently undertaking a prestigious research fellowship funded by the Chief Scientist Office Scotland on the role of digital health in managing patients with end stage lower limb arthritis.  

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