Ice pack, which is a form of cold therapy - is absolutely wonderful for relieving the pain of injured knees. However, there are some safety precautions that anyone using cold therapy should know and be aware of.

There are four stages to cold therapy:
1- A cooling sensation that lasts for several minutes
2- The cooling sensation will turn into a dull ache that lasts a few minutes
3- A burning sensation is the next phase and will usually last less than a minute
4- Numbness will set in.

When practicing cold therapy on an injury, the stages should be followed through to numbness because the ease of movement will return briefly and it will help reduce inflammation.

Reasons for a cold pack will vary but they can be used for injuries, when tendonitis flairs up, relief after surgery, sprains and soreness.

Never wear a cold pack when sleeping and if you are alone, have someone check on you after 15 minutes via phone or stop by if you’re using a cold pack. Prolonged exposure to extreme cold can damage tissues and slow down your healing if the treatment is overused. Also, if you suffer from any problems with circulation or are diabetic; consult your physician to make sure that cold therapy is okay for you.

Under the right circumstances, cold therapy is an easy way to get pain relief and help your body heal itself, just make sure that cold therapy is the right way to treat your injury and you’ll be back in the game in no time.

You know for 100% certain when you have a dislocated joint. In a nutshell, dislocations are joint injuries that force the ends of your bones out of their normal position. The cause of most dislocations is equally divided between falls or impacts to the body. When a dislocation occurs the joint is rigid and immobile. Areas of the body that are commonly dislocated include ankles, knees, shoulders, hips, elbows, finger and toe joints. A dislocated joint is swollen, painful and usually visibly out of place.

If you have dislocated a joint, get medical help. The treatment that you will be given will depend on the specific joint you have dislocated. For smaller dislocations such as finger, shoulder or toes bones, a manual manipulation (using the hands to move the bone back into position) will usually be done.

After repositioning, the joint will usually be in a splint or sling to keep it fully in place until the joint is healed. Most dislocations will function normally again in a few weeks. However, you need to be on the lookout for those areas of your body that have been previously dislocated as once you have a dislocation of the shoulder or knee, you are more likely to suffer a repeat of the same injury if an impact occurs on those joints. Wearing wraps, pads or other protective gear during participation in physical activities will help keep the odds in your favor that you won’t be repeating this adventure.

Sometimes sports injuries seem cruel. Last year’s MVP Jimmy Rollins was put on the disabled list for the first time in his career with a sprained ankle. It’s a bad blow for the Phillies and Jimmy as well. Jimmy’s game is boosted by his sheer ability to run so fast and a sprained ankle as put a definite damper on his game.

Jimmy Rollins himself was quoted as saying,”My game is speed and I don’t have much of that now”. For someone as fast as this player, a sprained ankle is akin to having an anchor tied to his leg.

Fortunately, immediate attention after the injury is the reason that Rollins will have a fast recover and get back in the game as soon as possible.

As far as regaining speed, in all probability, Rollins will regain his speed and strength if he follows a good regiment that includes regular strength training and practices stretching and warm-up before games or practice games so those muscles around the ankle area are good and warmed up before heavy game use.

I just read a great article in the HealthDay News, it read in short that if you’re an athlete or just a person that loves to exercise every day, in many cases you don’t have to completely stop exercising if you have a strained muscle, sprained ankle or foot injury.

In fact, “Exercise can definitely be beneficial for a person dealing with an injury. Depending on its type, the injured area should be moved and not left in place for a long period of time,” Colleen Greene, wellness coordinator with MFit, the University of Michigan Health System’s health promotion division, said in a prepared statement.

“Some people think they should just rest and not move at all with an injury. Doing that can actually be worse because — depending on the amount of time one does not move the appendage — the muscle might begin to atrophy,” Greene said.

As you know, if you are injured, the general rule of thumb for initial treatment is Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE). Once you’ve done that, consult a doctor as soon as possible. If the injury is severe enough, you may be referred to a physical therapist or specialist trainer. They’ll help guide your recovery and offer tips on how to maintain strength while you heal.

The goal is always maintain strength, not to gain while you are in a recovery mode. The key is to rebuild what you’ve lost and don’t push it. Pay attention to any pain and if you experience it, slow down.

Remember that pain is always the indicator that you’re pushing too much. A little discomfort is to be expected when you’re recovering, but pain means stop and try something else. You want to recover not re-injur.

There are an average of 2 million sports-related concussions every year and according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of those injuries occurred playing football.

Bicycling is another cause of concussions in kids and the most common cause is having an impact without the benefit of wearing a helmet. As more and more kids are participating in sports at younger ages, parents need to be alert to the signs of a concussion.

For the curious, a concussion is an injury to the brain typically caused by a blow or strike to the head that can cause a range of symptoms. It is an injury that temporarily interferes with brain function.

The symptoms of a concussion can be impairments to memory, judgment, speech, balance and coordination. There may or may not be a loss of consciousness accompanying the injury. The injured person could have a headache, visual problems and more. If you suspect your child (or anyone) has suffered a blow to the head and is exhibiting any of the above symptoms or irritability, headache, sometimes nausea or vomiting, ringing in the ears, poor concentration or really just seems “off” - get them to a medical professional as quickly as possible for an evaluation. Remember although someone can seem fine immediately after injury, the symptoms of a concussion may not rear its ugly head until a couple of days are the initial injury.

If your child receives multiple concussions, it many be time to pull them from the sports activity as there is preliminary evidence in current studies that indicates that repeated concussions can lead to a predisposition for Alzheimer’s.

Second-impact syndrome is a very dangerous possibility after a concussion. Simply put, if there is a concussion and the brain hasn’t healed from it and a second impact occurs, serious injury or even death can occur as serious brain swelling can occur.

Concussions are treated pretty much that same way intially. Treatment depends on the signs and symptoms the patient is showing. Quiet, bed rest, little to no stimulation or excitement and a cold compress if there’s a bump on the head in very short intervals to help with exterior pain.

You can’t really stop concussions from happening but you can minimize the risk by making sure the coaches your kids train with has appropriate coaching training and make sure your kids are always wearing the proper gear that fits for the sport they are participating in.

It’s a call no parent wants to get. You’re at work, engrossed in the crisis of the moment that’s yours to solve and your phone rings, it’s your child’s coach and he’s hurt his knee at football practice, and right now it looks pretty bad.

Sports injuries are going to happen as long as there are kids and sports. However, there are some things you can do to help keep yourself from getting a phone call like the just mentioned.

First of all, make sure that the sports your child is enrolled in are overseen by adults that are certified athletic trainers (ATC). An ATC is also trained in the prevention, recognition and immediate care of athletic injuries.

Next, make sure your child understands that protective gear necessary for playing his or her chosen sport as well as wearing that equipment at all times during play. That, “Just this once” time your child doesn’t wear pads or a helmet can be the time he or she suffers an injury.

The importance of warming up and stretching muscles can’t be said enough. Muscles must be warmed up or they run the risk of tearing or strain. Light stretching, jogging and other light warm up exercises will greatly increase your child’s chances of not being on the injured list.

Talk to your child about “R.I.C.E.”. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation is one of the best early treatments for an injury. Talking to your child about what RICE is as well as why it’s done will help your child not only understand what to do in case of an injury, he or she won’t panic or get upset when these procedures are done in case of an injury.

With warmer weather approaching, it’s also important to talk to your child about heat related illness. Children perspire less than adults and require a higher core body temperature to trigger sweating. Heat-related illnesses include:
*dehydration (deficit in body fluids)

*heat exhaustion (nausea, dizziness, weakness, headache, pale and moist skin, heavy perspiration, normal or low body temperature, weak pulse, dilated pupils, disorientation, fainting spells)

*heat stroke (headache, dizziness, confusion, and hot dry skin, possibly leading to vascular collapse, coma, and death). All of these are dangerous conditions and can even be fatal, but they can be easily prevented by staying hydrated and resting if they experience any of the above symptoms while playing in hot weather.

Sports are important, they help kids stay fit and develop valuable social skills. Knowledge about how injuries happen and what to do when they do is some of the most powerful information you can give you child. Talk to your child and go over the easy tips outlined here and you’ll have taken a great first step to avoiding that phone call!

Within your knee join there is a very smooth fibrous connective tissue, known as articular cartilage. This covers the areas where each bone comes into contact with one another, the $20 phrase would be articular surfaces.

Under normal circumstances, a normal joint this articular cartilage allows for smooth movement within the joint as well as acting as a shock absorber. However, there is a very common disease called Osteoarthritis (also called degenerative joint disease)and that is the degradation of this much needed cartilage. As the disease progresses, the cartilage itself becomes thinner and in some cases may wear away altogether. Along with decreased mobility, there is also pain associated. In addition, the bones themselves become thicker and may form bony “spurs”. Associated with these changes is the inflammation of the synovial membrane or thin lining which surrounds the knee joint to keep the synovial fluid or lubrication in place. Osteoarthritis can form in any joint but is more common in weight bearing joints such as the knee and hip.

Causes of Osteoarthritis

What exactly causes of osteoarthritis are unknown and the reason some people get it and others do not is still being researched. However there are a number of factors that are commonly associated with the onset of the disease that show a direct link to increasing your chances of Osteoarthritis:

Previous Injuries - Previous trauma to a particular joint increases the risk osteoarthritis forming there.
Heredity - Some individuals have a defective gene responsible for cartilage production which increases their susceptibility to osteoarthritis.
Weight - As osteoarthritis commonly occurs in the weight bearing joints, like the knee and hip, excessive body weight can hasten the progression of the disease.
Repetitive overuse - This may be as a result of excessive exercising or repeated strain on a joint over a number long period of time.
Crystal Deposits - Some crystal deposits such as uric acid crystals in gout may accumulate in joints and cause cartilage degeneration and wearing.

Common Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Deeply aching pain in the joint and pain will often be increased with movement.
Inflammation that is in the joint more often than not.
Stiffness in the joint, most often in the morning. Movement or gentle stretching will decrease the stiffness. A “grinding” feeling or actual sounds coming from the joint upon movement.

If you’re over 50 years of age, osteoarthritis is common in your age group and in particular, women seem more prone to have this condition in one or both knees. Additionally, individuals that play sports such as football and have had a previous injury should be on alert for the symptoms of this condition.

Treatments for Osteoarthritis

While there’s still no cure for this condition, there are a number of things you can do to help alleviate the pain. Wearing a knee support or brace will help by compressing the area around the joint and giving it support. Some people get relief through the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. Losing weight and lightening the burden of the knees is another positive step you can take and significantly slow down the progression of the disease. Hot and cold treatments as needed can offer a good measure of relief from the pain and inflammation, particularly after exercise or activities that used those joints. For extreme cases, knee replacement is also an option.

Bursitis is also known around the world as “Student’s Elbow” and it is a common complaint of both old and young and it centers in, yes the elbow.


The elbow pain of bursitis will originate from just below the tip of the elbow where there is a little sack of fluid that is called the bursa. The bursa has the all important job of lubricating the tissues in the joints and letting you move your elbow with ease.

However if you fall on your bursa or otherwise receive a direct impact, the bursa can become inflammed or even bleeding can occur. The result will be a lot of pain and some swelling on the bony area at the back of your elbow.

Common Symptoms of Bursitis Include:
* Elbow pain whether at rest or moving.
* A painful swelling on the back of the elbow.
* Limited mobility in the elbow.

Avoiding Bursitis
*Wear elbow pads if playing sports or riding a bike, skateboard or other activity where you can risk an impact on your elbow.
* Do not spend long periods of time leaning on the elbows.

If Bursitis Happens
* Rest and apply ice is about all you can do.
* See a sports injury professional if it becomes a chronic problem.

A groin strain is a tear or rupture to any one of the five adductor muscles. The most common muscle to be injured is the adductor longus muscle which connects from the pubic ramus to the medial (inner) surface of the femur (thigh bone)and it can really sideline a person from their activities if it suffers a strain.

The main function of this set of muscles is simply to pull the legs back towards the midline, a movement termed adduction. When walking normally, the muscles pull and help swing the lower limbs and maintain the balance of the body. A rupture or tear in the muscle usually occurs when sprinting, changing direction or in rapid movements of the leg against resistance such as kicking a ball.

What are the symptoms of groin strain?

* Tightening of the groin muscles and this may not appear for up to 24-hours after the initial injury.
* A sudden sharp pain in the groin area or adductor muscles during exercise.
* Bruising or swelling is common a 1-2 days after the injury.
* Inability to contract the muscles by squeezing the legs together or possibly lifting the leg out in front.
* Pain on stretching the muscles.
* A lump or gap in the adductor muscles themselves may be felt.

There are three grades of muscle strain:
Grade 1 is the mildest with only mild discomfort and a little tenderness.
Grade 2 is more severe and is painful with movement or touch and often there is marked swelling of the area.
Grade 3 is the most severe muscle strain and will be extremely painful with a complete loss of the ability to run and sometimes even walk.

Groin strain treatment

* Apply R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) immediately.
* Rest and use crutches for support if you must move and need assistance.
* See a sports injury professional and get an exercise program to slowly rehab those strained muscles and get yourself back into activities a lot sooner.

Common exercises for rehab of the strain include stretching exercises that are very gradually increased as the healing occurs to build up strength and endurance in the groin muscle.

If you’re curious about the condition Golfer’s Elbow, it’s the polar opposite of Tennis Elbow. Whereas Tennis Elbow is a condition of the outside of the elbow, Golfer’s Elbow attacks the inside of the elbow. The $20 term is flexor / pronator tendinopathy is also seen in tennis players (yes, tennis players can actually get Golfer’s Elbow) that use a lot of top spin and power their forehand shots.

Symptoms of golfer elbow include:
* Pain on the bony bit on the inside of the elbow.
* Weakness in the wrist.
* Pain on the inside of the elbow when you grip something hard.
* Pain when wrist flexion (bending the wrist palm downwards) is resisted.
* Pain on resisted wrist pronation - rotating inwards (thumb downwards).

Common Treatments for Golfer’s Elbow

* Ice the injury for two days (20 min’s on up to six times a day)
* Rest the affected area.
* After 2 days apply heat and use a wrap to hold it in place.
* Use a brace or support to reduce the load on the elbow enabling it to heal.

If You Choose to See a Sports Injury Specialist

* Apply ultrasound or laser treatment.
* Prescribe anti-inflammatory medication.
* Use sports massage techniques.
* Give a steroid injection.

Rest of the elbow is paramount to healing this injury completely. Under proper rest, cold and heat treatments, you can be back in the swing as quickly as two weeks when your Golfer’s Elbow is minor.