Sports Medicine

If you've suffered an injury while exercising, participating in a physical activity or running after your toddler on the playground—you may benefit from seeing our sports medicine team at Hilton Head Regional Healthcare in the Lowcountry region for treatment.

Exceptional Orthopedic Care Close to Home

You don't have to be a professional athlete to seek help from a sports medicine doctor. If you're an active person, constant physical activity can take a toll on your body and can put you at risk for injury.

At Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, we specialize in treating sports injuries so you can restore mobility and agility and don't miss out on the activities you enjoy. We have provided quality healthcare to the people of Hilton Head Island, Okatie and Hardeeville for decades, which means we treat our patients like family.

Our team of sports medicine doctors, nurses, physical therapists and rehabilitation staff can help you navigate your journey every step of the way. We provide personalized orthopedic care, helping you explore surgical and nonsurgical treatment options specific to your needs and condition.

We offer a wide range of sports medicine treatments combined with advanced technology and techniques so you can get the exceptional care that you deserve, including:

Physical therapy
Home exercises
Medications
Splints
Orthotics
Therapeutic injections

If medication or physical therapy fails, we offer minimally invasive orthopedic procedures, including robotic surgery, to help you heal faster with less scarring, less pain and faster recovery.

Common Sports Injuries We Treat at Hilton Head Regional Healthcare are:

Stress fractures
Shoulder dislocations
Rotator cuff injuries
Tendinitis
Anterior cruciate ligament repair
Elbow injuries

What Is Sports Medicine?

Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that assesses and manages musculoskeletal conditions and injuries from participating in a sport or physical activity, and disease and injury prevention associated with physical activity. Other areas of sports medicine include enhancing physical function and rehabilitation of injuries.

The following medical specialties play an important role in comprehensive sports medicine:

Orthopedic surgery
Rheumatology
Rehabilitation medicine
Emergency medicine
Occupational medicine
Primary care
Public health medicine
Cardiology
Neurology

What Do Sports Medicine Doctors Do?

Sports medicine doctors train in general medicine, orthopedics and rehabilitation and allied sports sciences, including:

Nutrition
Biomechanics
Exercise physiology
Sports psychology

They address the medical needs of particular population groups, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities and children. Sports medicine doctors also play an essential role in sporting events and training individuals in extreme environments, which involve:

Diagnosing injuries or disorders
Treating with medication, exercise, casting, surgery or other options
Rehabilitating through exercise or physical therapy to restore movement, strength and function
Preventing injuries through information and treatment plans to slow down the progression of a disease

Sports medicine doctors may specialize in certain areas, such as the foot and ankle, spine, shoulder, hand, hip or knee.

Common Sports Injuries

Sports injuries most commonly occur during exercise or while participating in a sport.

There are two kinds of sports injuries:

Acute Traumatic Injuries - are injuries that happen after a blow or force like fractures, sprains, strains, concussions and cuts.
Overuse Injuries – also referred to as chronic injuries. These injuries happen over time and from repetitive training like running, throwing or swinging a bat or tennis racquet. If left untreated, these injuries, such as stress fractures and tendinitis, worsen.

Some of the most common sports injuries include:

Sprain – a sprain refers to a stretched or torn ligament. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones at a joint. Sprains usually occur in the ankles and wrists. Falling, twisting or getting hit can cause a sprain.
Strain – a stretched or torn muscle or tendon is called a strain. Tendons are tissue that connects muscle to bone. When these tissues are twisted or pulled, it can cause pain, muscle spasms, swelling and difficulty moving the affected muscles. Strains are most common in the back and hamstring muscles.
Knee injuries – injury or wearing away of bone, cartilage, ligaments, fluid, muscles or tendons in the knee can cause pain and difficulty walking. The most common knee injury occurs in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) caused by a sudden twisting motion.
Rotator cuff injuries - the rotator cuff stabilizes and enables the shoulders to move. The most common rotator cuff injuries are tendonitis, bursitis and tears. Jobs requiring repeated overhead motion, aging, and overuse can tear and eventually damage the rotator cuff.
Fractures - a fracture refers to a break or tiny cracks in a bone. Aside from sports injuries, other causes of fractures include low bone density, osteoporosis or accidents. An open or compound fracture occurs if the broken bone punctures the skin.

Exercising is good for you, but an accident, improper gear or skipping warm-up exercises can cause sports injuries.

Sports Injury Treatment

Treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) method to relieve pain and swelling. Other treatments include:

Pain relievers
Rehabilitation
Surgery, if conventional treatments do not work

If you get hurt while participating in a sport or while exercising, seek medical attention right away. Playing or exercising further can cause more harm. Call a doctor when you have the following symptoms:

Pain that gets worse when doing activities
Swelling in the injured area
Limping
Limited range of motion
Pain that continues even with rest then gets worse at times or lasts for a week or more following an injury
Loss of consciousness

Insurance Accepted

Have you been putting off surgery? Making decisions about healthcare can be challenging, so we provide information you need upfront, including financial obligations. Our dedicated staff is ready to address your questions and help you make financial arrangements so you can get the care you need at Hilton Head Regional Healthcare. We accept various insurance plans and offer options for payment plan flexibility. For questions about your coverage, contact your insurance provider directly or click on this link for your billing and insurance questions.

Find an Orthopedic Doctor in the Lowcountry

Ignoring your pain can only make an injury or condition worse. The experienced rehabilitation team at Hilton Head Regional Healthcare is here to help with compassionate service combined with advanced technologies and procedures. To schedule an appointment, please fill out this form or call 833-341-0488.

We are ready to help you overcome challenges after orthopedic surgery, neck and back injuries, stroke, difficulty with mobility or falls. If it is an emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Please don't delay care.