Are you a multi-sport athlete? Due to the immediate jumps from season to season, you’re likely going to experience an injury every so often. Thankfully, a key component of physical therapy is that it’s able to provide athletes with increased levels of injury prevention. In addition, other unique benefits of undergoing physical therapy in Huntington, NY can also be accommodated. At Island Sports Physical Therapy, we offer several services for various different athletes who require assistance getting back on the field or court, including Sports Medicine Long Island. Contact us today to make an appointment to improve your health and strengthen your body, preparing you for the grueling stretch run.
Benefits of Sports Medicine Long Island
If you’re an athlete that is always playing in long games and or constantly moving, it is important to make sure that everything in your musculoskeletal system is working properly. When it comes to sports, injuries are an unfortunate inevitability. Making sure you take care of your body and muscles through maintenance is crucial for any athlete. Fortunately, there are many benefits of visiting a physical therapist that is personally trained in sports medicine. Some of these benefits can include the following:
- Pain reduction and the ability to protect the body from discomfort.
- Promoting endurance through the use of building muscle.
- Alternative to surgery (depending on the injury).
- Enhanced mobility and movements skills (essential for any athlete).
With the help of physical therapy, patients can be provided with a concise plan of attack for their specific injury. Physical therapists specialize in many different techniques, allowing them to target areas of the body that have been experiencing discomfort. Athletes who endure symptoms related to chronic pain may find relief with the help of a physical therapist. Naturally, attempting to participate in any sport-related activity can be made an arduous task if you’re consistently feeling uncomfortable and in pain.
Services
For physical therapy in Huntington, NY, ISPT offers a multitude of services for patients of all sports and most age groups. Sports medicine has become an essential aspect of our practice, allowing us to make sure that each patient’s health is the top priority. Some of the services that are offered at Island Sports Therapy include:
- Orthopedics.
- Spinal Rehabilitation.
- Sports Specific Therapy.
- Geriatric Rehabilitation.
- Children’s Injuries.
- Fitness Programming.
- Sports Medicine Long Island
Our practice prides itself on our ability to help athletes maintain a strong foundation and enhance their ability to prevent injuries. Sports injuries are quite common for the average athlete. With the help of our therapy program, we can factor in what sport you play and what areas of the body undergo the most stress as a result of the muscle groups that are used. In other words, we can develop an entirely customized routine for whatever athletes walk through our doors.
Sports Injuries Treated With Sports Medicine Long Island
The unfortunate truth is that the competitor within ourselves can force us to play through, and experience, an injury. While playing sports, or even engaging in any physical activity, you need to make sure that you are aware of what you are doing to your body. External factors such as the environment in which you’re playing also need to be taken into consideration. For a list of some of the most common sports injuries, please consider the following:
- Sprained Ankle.
- Strained Hamstring.
- Pulled Groin.
- Shin Splints.
- Knee Injuries.
A common theme with these lower-body injuries is that they can be experienced after engaging in sharp turns or a sudden change of motion. Think of a running back in football making an awkward cut to avoid a defender. For some athletes, this can feel as though it’s an unnatural movement. With the help of sports medicine, we can provide you with stretching techniques that allow your knees and other joints to be more flexible, thus promoting injury prevention.
Sports Medicine Long Island
If you are experiencing any of these injuries, it is important to make sure you receive quality physical therapy in Huntington, NY here at Island Sports Physical Therapy. Getting back into the game, pain-free is our primary goal as a practice.
The Most Common Basketball Injuries
Basketball is a fun, competitive, and very popular sport for people of all ages. It is also a sport that carries with it many injuries that players constantly suffer from. Whether it may be youth league, to high school, college, or even the pros, basketball injuries linger anywhere the game is played. If you’re searching for physical therapy in Nesconset to help treat your basketball related injury, then Island Sports Physical Therapy is here to help you get back on the court.
Physical Therapy in East Meadow
As the summer months are winding down, the fall sports season is right around the corner. Unfortunately, along with fall sports comes injuries. When participating in various sports, an injury is not always avoidable; however, there are a few steps you could take to help prevent yourself from undergoing injury. At Island Sports Physical Therapy, we offer fitness programs that will evaluate your current fitness level as well as teach you various exercises or techniques that may help prevent you from undergoing injury. If you are seeking physical therapy in East Meadow, be sure to contact us today.
Most common sports-related injuries:
- Ankle sprain
- Groin pull
- Knee injuries
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Dislocations
- Shin splints
- Fractures
Four ways to prepare for the fall sports season:
- Get in shape: a specific workout plan can help you get into the proper physical shape in order to prevent muscle strains or pulls. It is important to begin working out or training weeks before you know your sport will start.
- Check your gear: If you are a returning player, make sure all of your gear fits correctly. If you are new to the sport, make sure to buy any necessary equipment or gear in advance so that you have time to break it in.
- Consider a sports camp: sports camps could help players brush up or learn new skills before the season starts.
- Set realistic goals: before your season starts, set realistic goals in order to not overwork yourself.
How can we help?
At Island Sports Physical Therapy in East Meadow, we offer various tools that will aid in evaluating your physical capabilities. If you are seeking physical therapy in East Meadow, our physical therapists will be able to tailor an exercise program that fits your individual needs and goals. Don’t let an injury keep you from playing the sport that you love, contact us today to learn the benefits we have to offer you!
Strained Hamstring
Hamstring injuries are some of the most common but dreaded injuries by athletes. This type of injury can be quite debilitating, sometimes lingering for weeks at a time. At Island Sports Physical Therapy in East Northport, we understand the nature of hamstring injuries in order to diagnose, treat, and prevent them from reoccurring. With locations in East Northport, Huntington, Nesconset, Glen Cove, East Meadow, and Coram, we are conveniently located to meet your needs.
What Are The Hamstrings?
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles that run along the back of the upper leg. These muscles work in concert with the quadriceps, which are the muscles in the front upper leg. Motion to lift the upper leg is created by the relaxation and expansion of these two major muscle groups.
How Does Hamstring Straining Happen?
Muscle strain occurs when an extraordinary load is placed on the muscle, forcing it to work harder than usual. In the case of hamstrings, the following can cause straining:
- Muscle imbalance – The quads are naturally stronger than the hamstrings. Motion that demands more work can strain these muscles. A good example is fast backpedaling.
- Inadequate warming up – Sudden and violent expansion of muscle can cause injury. This is what happens, for example, an athlete puts on a burst of speed without warming up.
- Fatigue – Muscle expansion and contraction occur as a result of electrochemical reactions in the muscles. In fatigued muscles, this happens at a lower level. Working fatigued muscles puts a load that they cannot efficiently handle, which causes strain.
Straining and injuring the hamstrings can be avoided in a number of ways:
Dynamic Warm-ups
It is crucial to warm-up before any game or runs. This makes the hamstrings more flexible and pliable to sudden and explosive movements. At Island Sports Physical Therapy in East Northport, we can show you proper warm-up exercises in order to prevent hamstring strains. Below are some examples:
- Back muscles warm-ups – Back muscles and hamstrings share the load in the lower body. Warming up the back muscles benefits the hamstrings as well. These exercises include lumbar rotation, flexion, and side flexion stretches.
- Glute muscles – The muscles in the buttocks help anchor the hamstrings. These can be warmed up by basic glute stretches and foam roller stretch exercises.
- Nerve warm-up – This involves warming up the nervous system that causes the correct firing of the hamstrings. Slump leg stretches and swings are ideal for nerve warm up.
Correct training
This involves training the hamstrings to be more active in concert with the quads, making them stronger. Exercises that can help with this include body bridges and drinking bird exercises.
Adequate rest and recovery
This allows the hamstring muscle cells to repair and rebuild. A good recovery program involves adequate hydration, nutrition, and sleep. Ice compresses can be used on fatigued and strained muscles. Strained hamstrings should be left to rest using a crutch if possible, to avoid further injury.
At Island Sports Physical Therapy in East Northport, we can help you improve your overall condition. To make an appointment, contact us today!
Physical Therapy in East Northport
A sprained ankle is something that countless athletes suffer from, with 25,000 Americans getting the injury each day. To make matters worse, athletes with ankle sprain injuries were five times more likely to sustain an ankle related injury again. Looking at these statistics should serve as a reminder that no one is prone to sustaining injuries, and we must look at steps to avoid incidents that lead to ankle sprains. Physical therapy in East Northport, Huntington, Nesconset, Coram, East Meadow, and Glen Cove has the staff and resources available to help you recover from any sports or non-sports-related ankle sprain.
A sprained ankle occurs when the ligament holding the ankle bone together either stretches, tears or ruptures. The most common type of sprain is a lateral sprained ankle, in which you roll over the outside of the ankle and damage its range of motion. These types of injuries are especially prevalent in basketball, due to the constant pressure put on athletes lower extremities from repeatedly jumping.
Recovery
There are many steps one should take when recovering from an ankle sprain. However, one of the best to follow is the RICE treatment:
- Rest your ankle by not walking on it.
- Ice your injury to keep swelling down. Ice should be applied 20-30 minutes a day, three to four times daily.
- Compression dressings, ace wraps, and bandaging will help support an injured ankle and keep you immobilized.
- Elevate your ankle above the level of the heart as much as possible for the first couple of days following the time of the injury.
The benefits of physical therapy in Northport can also offer some remedies to treat a sprained ankle:
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- Strength exercises – these workouts will be used to slowly build back strength after an injury. Once pain is no longer felt from weight exercises, physical therapists will focus on other ligaments to help strengthen.
- Proprioception training – also known as balance training, these exercises are used to help prevent future falls and improve your chances of avoiding sprains in the future.
- Endurance/agility – agility drills, such as small running exercises, are a great way to build back range of motion and movement in sprained ankles or other injuries.
Because of the amount of stress on their body, athletes constantly put themselves at risk of getting injured. It’s important to take the necessary precautions to avoid ankle sprains or other injuries. Island Sports Physical Therapy in East Northport will be able to assist athletes and people of all ages on their road to recovery. Contact us today!
COMING BACK FROM A MENISCUS TEAR
A meniscus tear is a common knee injury. The meniscus is a rubbery, C-shaped disc that cushions your knee. Each knee has two menisci (plural for meniscus) which helps keep your knees steady by balancing your weight across the knee.
In most cases, a meniscus tear is caused by twisting or turning quickly, while your foot is planted and your knee is bent. Lifting something heavy and playing sports can also lead to a torn meniscus. The healing process depends on the severity of your injury and physical therapy is usually needed. Island Sports Physical Therapy can provide you more information on a meniscus tear and can help guide you on your way to a successful recovery.
Treatment:
Usually a physical exam and an X-ray is needed in order to help your doctor find out if a torn meniscus is causing your pain. Treatment for a torn meniscus depends on the type of tear, where it is, and how serious the injury is. Some treatment options you can consider:
- -Physical Therapy
- -Rest
- -Ice and wrapping the knee with an elastic bandage
- -Propping up the leg on pillows
- -Surgery to repair the meniscus
- -Surgery to remove part of the meniscus
- -Support tape
Blood flow is essential for healing and will help your knee injury heal quickly and completely.
Recovery from a meniscus tear can vary significantly, especially if surgery was required. The heavier and older you are, the longer your recovery will be.
Contact us!
Island Sports Physical Therapy has a solid understanding on how to treat your meniscus tear. With years of experience and with the help of our professionals you will be on your way to recovery! At Island Sports Physical Therapy we want the best for our patients. We guarantee that after each visit you will be one step further towards your recovery! Don’t wait and give us a call today!
How to Deal with Tennis Elbow
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis Elbow, also known as Lateral Epicondylitis, is a form of tendinitis. Tendinitis is the swelling of the tendons, which in this form, causes pain in the arm and elbow. Despite its name, there is a small group of people diagnosed with Tennis Elbow that actually play Tennis. If you are straining the muscles around the elbow over and over again during any activity, it could happen. If you are looking for physical therapy in Nesconset, Island Sports Physical Therapy will help you not only feel better, but we will educate you on the injury in hopes to prevent future re-injury of Tennis Elbow.
Symptoms:
1. Upper Forearm Pain
This is a very common symptom of Tennis Elbow. On the outer arm, right below the elbow is where this “burning pain” commonly occurs.
2. Is Rest Bringing You Relief?
If you are looking for physical therapy in Nesconset, rest is not bringing you relief and you cannot move your elbow or are even losing feeling in it, contact us for quality care.
3. Pain Variations Throughout Your Day
The morning is usually the time where you will experience the most pain. The stiffness and aching lessen throughout the day but will still continue at some level.
4. Too Much Activity Hurts!
If you have Tennis Elbow, common activities and tasks such as lifting your fork or holding a pen may hurt. Moving your wrist forcefully such as twisting your arm to open a heavy door or repetitive computer mouse use will also cause you pain.
Treatment at our Physical Therapy Practice in Nesconset
- Reducing Inflammation
- Rest
- Reducing Pain
- We will give you pain reducing remedies to do at home, such as icing.
- Ongoing Rehabilitation
- Exercise and other physical therapy treatments to increase your range-of-motion and decrease pain at the same time.
- Bracing/Compression by wearing a counterforce brace for Tennis Elbow. The strap used will spread pressure throughout your arm, instead of putting it all on your tendon causing your pain.
- Working with an expert here at Island Sports Physical Therapy to fit your individual needs.
How Physical Therapy Could Help
DON’T WAIT! The longer you wait to see a physical therapist and perform strenuous activities, the longer rehabilitation will take. Ongoing activity to the tendon can cause damage and could someday require surgery.
How Physical Therapy in Nesconset Could Help
- We will correctly diagnose you
- We will give you “hands-on” care
- We will educate you
- We will give you home remedies that fit your individual need
- We will maximize your performance
Working with one of our experts here at Island Sports Physical Therapy will help specify your injury to know the exact treatments that need to be done. We promise to educate you and give you the best care possible while giving you the information you need about Tennis Elbow and give you ways to prevent this injury from happening again in the future.
Knee Injury
The knee is a complex, large and major joint in the human body. It is composed of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. The knee has a great responsibility for us as it is required to support the full body’s weight when standing, walking, and running, therefore it is to no surprise that many athletes experience knee injuries while playing sports.
Knee injuries vary in type as well as severity. Some common knee injuries that athletes can face include:
- Patellar fracture
- Patellar dislocation
- ACL tear
- PCL tear
- Meniscal tear
- Tendon tear
- Ligament injuries
While these injuries may not be life-threatening, they can very well be life-altering if not treated properly or cared for immediately. When first injured, it is imperative that the athlete ceases activity and follows the RICE method immediately:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
If symptoms persist or worsen, it is suggested that the injured athlete visits a medical professional immediately. Depending on the severity of the injury, the doctor will suggest one of the following treatments:
- Immobilization
- Physical Therapy in East Meadow
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Surgery
In order to treat knee injuries, physical therapists induce a variety of techniques, including, but not limited to, heat and ice therapy, stretches and exercises, ultrasound therapy, and electrical nerve or muscle stimulation. The goal of physical therapy in East Meadow for a knee injury is to strengthen the knee and the affected area and restore full mobility to the knee. Treatment duration depends on the severity of the case, but it is likely that the patient will be required to undergo a couple of sessions per week for about two months. The end goal is to restore the knee to full health, all the while avoiding the complications of surgical intervention.
At Island Sports Physical Therapy in East Meadow, our therapists have the skills and knowledge necessary to fully heal your injured knee. If you’re looking for an experienced PT that will give you a personalized treatment plan and be with you every step of the way, look no further. Call us to schedule an appointment today and relieve your pain!