When to See the Doctor About Sports Injuries

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out, sports injuries are an inevitable part of the game. From sprained shoulders to torn hamstrings, these setbacks can sideline any player. Understanding causes, symptoms and where to go for care can make all the difference in a speedy recovery.

Sprained Ankles: When to See a Doctor

A sprained ankle is one of the most common sports injuries. About two million ankle sprains happen every year in the U.S. A sprain happens when the foot rolls or turns beyond its normal range of motion. About 15% of these injuries happen in high school or college sports — but also occur simply by losing your footing on an uneven surface. Sprained ankle symptoms include:

• Bruising
• Limited range of motion
• Pain
• Swelling
• Tenderness

Sprained ankles that don’t receive proper care can lead to chronic pain, swelling and trouble stabilizing. Here’s when to see a doctor, visit urgent care or go to the emergency room for an ankle sprain:

• Make an appointment with your primary care provider: There’s pain and swelling in the ankle, but you can walk.
• Go to urgent/express care: You have significant pain and swelling. It’s difficult to walk without help.
• Go to the ER: There’s immediate bruising on the foot, significant deformity or you can’t put pressure on the affected ankle – indicating it could be a fracture or broken bone.

Concussion: When to See a Doctor

Concussions are common in contact sports like football, soccer, lacrosse and rugby. A concussion is more than a bump on the head. It’s a brain injury that alters the way the brain functions and can be traumatic. While most concussions are mild, improper treatment for a head trauma is dangerous and leads further injury and disability. Concussion symptoms include:

• Blurred vision
• Difficulty sleeping
• Headache
• Light/sound sensitivity
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rapid or intense mood swings
• Trouble balancing or walking
• Trouble concentrating and/or remembering things

It can take months to recover from a concussion. Here’s what type of care to seek if you have signs of a concussion:

• Make an appointment with your primary care provider: You have a head injury and mild concussion symptoms — such as a headache, some nausea and dizziness. Make the appointment within one to two days of the occurrence.
• Go to urgent/express care: You’ve suffered a head injury and have moderate but stable symptoms of a concussion, such as a headache or trouble with balance.
• Go to the ER: Concussion symptoms, such as losing consciousness for longer than 30 seconds, repeated vomiting, changes in behavior or disorientation or a headache that gets worse.

Hamstring Injury: When to See a Doctor

Injuries to the hamstring — a group of three muscles in the back of the thigh — happen when one of the muscles is strained or pulled. Athletes who play sports that require sprinting or sudden stops like soccer, tennis or basketball are more likely injure to their hamstring. There are three different levels of hamstring muscle injuries:

• Mild muscle strain or pull: A mild hamstring strain or pull is a grade one injury. You'll likely feel sudden pain in the back of your thigh and find it difficult to move your leg. However, a pulled hamstring doesn't have an affect on leg strength or stability and can heal within a few days.
• Partial muscle tear: A partial muscle tear is a grade two hamstring injury. You'll probably have some bruising or swelling with this type of injury. A partial hamstring tear is more painful than a pulled hamstring and you lose strength in your leg. Partially torn hamstrings can take several weeks to heal.
• Complete muscle tear: A torn hamstring is the most painful and rated a grade three injury. With a completely torn hamstring, you may hear or feel a pop before the pain. Symptoms such as bruising, swelling, muscle weakness and tenderness are also expected. Completely torn hamstrings can take months to completely heal. 

Here’s how to determine what type of care you need:

• Make an appointment with your primary care provider: You have heavy bruising or discoloration on the back of your leg, swelling or tenderness.
• Go to urgent/express care: You can’t walk several steps without significant pain.
• Go to the ER: You can’t put weight on the injured leg or bend your knee without significant pain and weakness.

Knee Injuries: When to See a Doctor

Knee injuries are another common reason for a trip to the doctor’s office. In fact, there are about 400,000 anterior cruciate tissue (ACL) surgeries every year in the U.S. Outside of a torn ACL, types of knee injuries range from fractures, dislocation and muscle tears. A knee injury diagnosis doesn’t always require surgery. Some get better with rehabilitation. Knee injury symptoms include swelling and the knee locking up or feeling like it’s about to give out.

• Make an appointment with your primary care provider: You have minor knee pain, and it’s interfering with your day-to-day activities.
• Go to urgent/express care: The pain or swelling is severe and you have trouble walking without assistance.
• Go to the ER: You feel severe pain, the knee is immobile, appears deformed or you have significant instability.

Shoulder Injuries: When to See a Doctor

The shoulder has three different bones: the clavicle, scapula and humerus. Injuries to this area happen easily, because the shoulder is unstable. A shoulder injury includes dislocations, strains and sprains, torn rotator cuffs and fractures. Most injuries in the shoulder happen to muscles, tendons and ligaments. People who play tennis, softball or baseball, swimming and volleyball often experience shoulder injuries because of repeated overhead movements. Warning signs of a shoulder injury include:

• Movement in and out of the socket
• Pain
• Popping and clicking sensations
• Stiffness
• Weakness

When is it Time to Go to the ER or Urgent Care for a Shoulder Injury?

• Make an appointment with your primary care provider: Your shoulder feels stiff and painful, and it’s difficult to lift or perform daily activities.
• Go to urgent/express care: Your shoulder is swollen and there’s redness indicating it’s inflamed around the joint or infected.
• Go to the ER: The upper part of your arm is swollen or misshapen. The shoulder may be fractured or dislocated.

Your doctor may recommend the RICE method to help heal common sports injuries. RICE stands for:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

UnityPoint Health Can Help

Whether scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician through MyUnityPoint, visiting a walk-in care location, a sports medicine clinic or emergency room for medical attention, don’t let a sports injury take you out of the game.

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