Sports Medicine

ACL Knee injury
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most commonly injured ligaments of the knee. The incidence of ACL injuries is currently estimated at approximately 200,000 annually, with 100,000 ACL reconstructions performed each year. In general, the incidence of ACL injury is higher in people who participate in high-risk sports, such as basketball, football, skiing, and soccer.

Meniscus Tears
One of the most commonly injured parts of the knee, the meniscus, is a wedge-like rubbery cushion located where the major bones of the leg connect. Meniscal cartilage curves like the letter C at the inside and outside of each knee. A strong stabilizing tissue, the meniscus helps the knee joint carry weight, glide, and turn in many directions. It also keeps your femur (thighbone) and tibia (shinbone) from grinding against each other.

Athletes in contact and noncontact sports may tear the meniscus by twisting the knee, pivoting, cutting, or decelerating. In athletes, meniscal tears often happen in combination with other injuries such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament. People can injure the meniscus without any trauma as the cartilage weakens and wears thin over time, setting the stage for a degenerative tear.

Rotator Cuff Tears
The rotator cuff is the network of four muscles and several tendons that form a covering around the top of the upper arm bone (humerus). These muscles form a cover around the head of the humerus. The rotator cuff holds the humerus in place in the shoulder joint and enables the arm to rotate.

Rotator cuff tear is a common cause of pain and disability among adults. Most tears occur in the supraspinatus muscle, but other parts of the cuff may be involved.

Sprains and Strains and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries
When you participate in sports and physical fitness activities, you can injure the soft tissues of your body. Even simple everyday activities can damage these ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

Some of the soft-tissue injuries you are most likely to experience include:

•     sprains
•     strains
•     contusions
•     tendonitis
•     bursitis
•     stress injuries

Any of these can be the result of a single episode, such as a fall, a sudden twist, or a blow to the body. You might also sustain one or more of these injuries because of repeated overuse, such as in ongoing athletic activities. In this case, small amounts of body stress accumulate slowly but steadily. The result can be damage and pain.

Stress Fractures
A stress fracture is an overuse injury. It occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. Eventually, the fatigued muscle transfers the overload of stress to the bone causing a tiny crack called a stress fracture.

Female Athletic Triad
Sports and exercise are healthy activities for girls and women of all ages. But a female athlete who focuses on being thin or lightweight may eat too little and/or exercise too much. Doing this can cause long-term damage to health, or even death. It can also hurt athletic performance and/or make it necessary to limit or stop exercise.

Three interrelated illnesses may develop when a girl or young woman goes to extremes in dieting or exercise. Together, these conditions are known as the "female athletic triad."

The three conditions are:

1. Disordered eating
2. Abnormal eating habits (i.e., crash diets, binge eating) or excessive exercise keeps the body from getting enough nutrition.
3. Menstrual dysfunction
4. Poor nutrition, low calorie intake, high-energy demands, physical and emotional stress, or low percentage of body fat can lead to hormonal changes that stop menstrual periods (amenorrhea).
5. Osteoporosis
6. Lack of periods disrupts the body's bone-building processes and weakens the skeleton, making bones more likely to break.

Pomerado Orthopedic Specialists accepts most major insurance plans.

Call for an appointment: (858) 487-6440

Pomerado Orthopedic Specialists
12630 Monte Vista Rd. #105, Poway CA 92064
Fax (858) 487-7281
email: info(at)pomeradoortho.com