Sports medicine goes beyond treating injuries. The team at Beaufort Memorial helps athletes and active adults maintain healthy lifestyles.

Symptoms and Causes of Sports Injuries

One of the main symptoms of sports injuries is pain, a reason athletes turn to sports medicine for help.

Common types of pains that active adults experience include:


• • Arm and hand pain
  • Back and spine pain
  • Hip pain
  • Knee pain
  • Neck pain
  • Shoulder pain


Additionally, you may notice swelling or bruising at the site of the injury. You may have difficulty using or putting weight on the affected limb. The affected limb or joint may be abnormally weak. These symptoms may be constant or come and go when you perform certain activities.

While sports injuries can affect any athlete, certain risk factors can cause you to be more likely to experience them:


• • Having a personal history of previous injuries
  • Increasing the intensity of your exercise by extreme amounts in a short amount of time
  • Participating in a single sport all year long
  • Playing a sport that involves running or jumping on hard surfaces
  • Training too often or for too long and not giving your body time to recover
  • Using poor technique when exercising
  • Wearing the wrong or improperly fitting shoes and other equipment
  • Sustaining injuries due to overuse from repetitive motions
  • Experiencing acute trauma as a result of sudden impacts or collisions

Common Sports Injuries

At Beaufort Memorial, our sports medicine specialists help you recover, rehabilitate and build strength to achieve peak performance, no matter the sport. We understand that sports injuries can affect any part of the body, from head to toe. Our comprehensive approach provides you with the care you need to get back in the game safely and effectively.

Common sports injuries can occur in various areas of the body, including:

• • Ankle — Sprain, fracture and Achilles tendinitis
  • Back — Lumbar strain, sciatica, herniated disc, spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis
  • Elbow — Tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow and ulnar collateral ligament tear
  • Hip — Hip flexor strain, labral tear, impingement, bursitis and bone fractures
  • Knee — Fracture, dislocation, runner’s knee, ACL tear, MCL sprain, meniscal tear, tendon tear or knee bursitis
  • Leg — Hamstring strain, shin splints and stress fractures
  • Shoulder — Rotator cuff injury, dislocation, labral tear, bursitis, fracture, frozen shoulder, impingement and instability
  • Other — Wrist injuries (sprain, fracture and tendinitis), foot injuries (plantar fasciitis, stress fracture) and tendon injuries (Achilles tendon rupture)

Treating Orthopedic Sports Medicine Injuries

For top-notch sports medicine care, choose Beaufort Memorial. Our team of knowledgeable and compassionate experts uses advanced imaging technology to pinpoint the source of your pain and symptoms.

We create personalized treatment plans to help you regain full function and range of motion, which may include:

• • At-home care — Many minor injuries heal with rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE). Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can also reduce pain and swelling.
  • Injections and prescription medications — Injections and medications, both topical and oral, can be used to manage pain, reduce inflammation and potentially accelerate healing from various sports injuries.
  • Bracing/casting — A cast, brace or splint protects your injured limb or joint from further harm. It also reduces pain while your injury heals.
  • Physical therapy — Special exercises strengthen muscles around the injured area and help relieve pain. This may be part of a larger treatment plan or the only procedure you may need.
  • Surgery — Beaufort Memorial orthopedic surgeons repair or reconstruct damaged bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons.

As you recover, our rehab therapists and LifeFit wellness coaches walk alongside you. Their goal is to help you increase strength and flexibility and prevent future injuries.