Sports Medicine


 

The field of sports medicine deals with the treatment of athletic injuries in a safe and effective manner. Dr. Rieber is fellowship-trained in sports medicine, which him an outstanding physician to treat athletic injuries in New Jersey.

Dr. Rieber’s experience treating professional and amateur athletes, including the Newark High School football team, Newark Bears, Redbulls and the NJ Devils it has earned him a reputation for delivering world-class orthopedic care.

Sports Medicine: Shoulder Injuries

Sports Medicine is branch of orthopedics that is concerned with the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of injuries related to athletic activities. Such injuries can occur through the overuse, overexertion or hyperextension of ligaments and cartilage in joints. They may also occur due to traumatic impact or collisions. Though sports injuries can occur to any joint in the body, most of them tend to occur at the hips, knees and ankles.

Common sports injuries of the shoulder include:

 • Rotator cuff tears • Labral tears • Shoulder dislocation

Shoulder Pain & Injuries

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of the humerus and the glenoid. The humeral head acts at the "ball" and fits snuggly within the glenoid – a cavity located in the scapula. The shoulder joint is strengthened and supported by a network of tissue, cartilage, and muscle, which allows the arm to extend and rotate freely. The labrum, the rotator cuff, and the bursae make up the support structures. Pain and inflammation occur when these structures are damaged, and patients may also suffer stiffness and loss of range of motion.

Shoulder Injury: Rotator Cuff Tear & Treatment

The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles – the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subcapularis. It attaches to the glenoid and helps maintain shoulder stability. The rotator cuff also allows the shoulder joint to raise the arm and rotate it through a wide range of motion. Damage to the rotator cuff is one of the most common shoulder injuries, and it is typically damaged through repetitive overhead motions over a long period of time. Though damage to the rotator cuff is usually associated with sports such as baseball or tennis, it is possible to damage the rotator cuff during routine activities such as grabbing an object overhead.

Rotator cuff injuries are ideally treated through conservative, noninvasive means such as medication, physical therapy, and RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). If surgery is required, orthopedists generally opt for arthroscopic shoulder repair, because it provides numerous minimally invasive benefits.

Tips for Preventing sports related Injuries

Whether you’ve never had a sports injury and you’re trying to keep it that way or you’ve had an injury and don’t want another, the following tips can help.

• Avoid bending knees past 90 degrees when doing half knee bends.

• Avoid twisting knees by keeping feet flat during stretches.

• When jumping, land with your knees bent.

• Warm-up exercises not just before vigorous activities like running, but also before less vigorous ones such as golf.

• Warm-up stretches before activity. Stretch the Achilles tendon, hamstring, and quadriceps areas and hold the positions. Don’t bounce.

• Cool down following vigorous sports. For example, after a race, walk or walk/jog for 5 minutes so your pulse comes down gradually.

• Wear properly fitting shoes that provide shock absorption and stability.

• Use the softest exercise surface available, and avoid running on hard surfaces like asphalt and concrete. Run on flat surfaces. Running uphill may increase the stress on the Achilles tendon and the leg itself.

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