Sports Injury Clinic

The term Sports Injury is used to define injuries which occur while playing sports or exercising and can affect any part of the body. Osteopathic treatment in conjunction with Exercise Rebilitation is particularly effective when treating Sports Injuries and rehabilitating the body after injury has occured.

About Sports Injuries

What is a Sports Injury?

Sports injuries can affect both amateur and professional sportsmen or sportswomen. The term Sports Injury is used to define injuries which occur while playing sports or carrying out exercise and can affect any part of the body, including the muscles, bones, joints and connective tissues (tendons and ligaments) with the ankles and knees being some of the most commonly affected areas.

While sprains and strains tend to be the most frequently occuring sports injury; other sports injuries can include back pain, bone injury such as fractures or breaks, hamstring pulls and strains and head injuries.

Causes of Sports Injuries

There are a variety of ways in which Sports Injuries occur but some of the most common causes of sports injury are an accident such as a fall or heavy blow which are known as traumatic sports injuries. Sports Injuries which are caused by not warming up properly before beginning to exercise, overtraining or using a inappropriate training or a poor technique are known as overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinopath. 

Why is Osteopathy Effective In Treating Sports Injuries?

Osteopathy can be particularly effective when used to treat Sports Injuries, or to aid in the rehabilitation of the body after a sports injury has occured. Osteopathy is also extremely successful in treating functional complaints such as reduced joint flexibility and mechanical limitations which affect the ability to engage in sports.

The holistic approach to osteopathic treatment at the How Osteopathic Clinic ensures that each patient is viewed as an individual and as such there is no one-size fits all approach to the treatment of sports injuries. Instead your osteopath Helen How will use a variety of osteopathic techniques; ranging from traditional osteopathy and cranial osteopathy to more modern osteopathic treatments such as electrotherapy , Magnetolith EMTT and vibrotherapy.

Types of Sports Injuries

Sports Injuries are broadly classfied into two main groups: acute & chronic sports injuries.

Acute Sports Injuries

Acute Sports Injuries occur suddenly when playing or exercising and are characterised by one or more of the following symptoms;
 

  • Sudden severe pain or swelling
  • Inability to place weight on a limb
  • Swelling or tenderness in the affected area.
  • Limited mobility in the affected area
  • Weakness in the leg or arm
  • A bone or joint that is visibly out of place

Chronic Sports Injuries

Chronic Sports Injuries are on-going or permanent injuries which cause pain while engaging in sport or prevent you from playing or exercising as normal. Often dismissed as a niggling inconvenience, signs of a chronic sports injury include;
 

  • Pain or discomfort which has been occurring for over a month
  • Constant or intermittent pain or discomfort which prevents you from exercising
  • Dull aches and pains after exercise or sports.
  • Inability to place weight on a limb
  • Swelling or tenderness in the affected area.

Treating Sports Injuries with Shockwave Therapy

As participation in sports has greatly increased in the last few years it is important that osteopaths maintain and develop a continual professional learning pathway of knowledge skills and experience in the treatment of complaiints affecting the muscular-skeletal body.

Osteopath Helen How regularly attends seminars and courses which detail the latest innovations in the treatment of Sports Injury and Rehabilitation Techniques and The How Osteopathic Clinic in Edinburgh is one of the only osteopathic clinics in Scotland qualified to provide Storz Medical Shockwave Therapy to treat sports injuries. This treatment is widely utilised by professional sportsmen and women and has proven effectiveness in minimizing the recovery time after incurring a sports injury.

Commonly treated Sports Injuries at the How Clinic Edinburgh include:

Patient Feedback

To read more independent reviews of the How Osteopathic Clinic please visit our testimonials page

"I have been a patient of Helen’s for some years now & have always been extremely pleased with the wide range of treatments on offer. Helen has never failed to to bring immediate relief from painful symptoms & to provide a long-term sustainable management of issues related to my neck, shoulder, hands & most recently my leg...I sustained a ripped hamstring which resulted in extreme pain, horrendous bruising from the buttock to the mid calf, & an inability to stand, walk, sit or sleep with any degree of comfort. Despite hospital treatment, a visit to the GP, and a visit to a local physio... I was in a pretty wretched state. Virtually crawling into Helen’s she exclaimed "I know what you need" & introduced me to her new shock wave machine which blasts away dispelling the blood from the torn muscle & encouraging rapid healing of tissue whilst, at the same time, promoting the production of collagen. I walked out like a new woman!! After just two treatments my symptoms had vanished including the horrendous bruise. I am vey grateful to Helen not only for her excellent treatment but also for staying abreast of new technology on behalf of her patients. She’s a ‘wonder woman’ in my eyes! "

Elaine Morris, Edinburgh