The Importance of Treating an Orthopedic Injury

Your musculoskeletal system forms the framework for your posture, movement, and other physical abilities and comprises your bones, ligaments, joints, tendons, and muscles. 

Any type of injury to your musculoskeletal system is an orthopedic injury. 

Orthopedic injuries can occur suddenly, like a broken bone, or develop over time, like bursitis. Whatever orthopedic injury you face, it’s essential to treat it so you don’t endure unnecessary pain or risk it healing improperly. 

At Genesis Pain and Regenerative Medicine in Colleyville, Texas, our orthopedic injury specialist, Don Enty, MD, and our team understand that these types of injuries and the pain they cause can be debilitating. 

That’s why this blog reviews some common orthopedic injuries and what we can do to treat them.

What are some common orthopedic injuries?

Because orthopedic injuries cover such a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, we’re reviewing some of the significant injury groups we treat:

Bone fractures

Bone fractures typically result from some type of trauma, such as a fall, a car accident, or a sports injury. However, certain medical conditions, like osteoporosis, or repetitive motions, like running, can also cause bone fractures.

If you don’t seek treatment for a bone fracture, you can experience severe pain. Plus, your bone may never heal correctly, and you may even develop a severe infection known as osteomyelitis.

Joint injuries

Bursitis is an overuse injury that results from repetitive stress on your joints that inflames the cushioning tissues around your joints. Untreated bursitis can lead to more severe inflammation and, in some cases, even infection. 

Dislocation is another common joint injury that happens when a bone in one of your joints pops out of place, usually due to trauma such as a fall or sports injury. A joint dislocation is severely painful and can lead to repeated dislocations.

Muscle or tendon strains

Muscle or tendon strains occur when you overstretch the muscle or tendon to the point where it wholly or partially tears. Strains are often called pulled muscles and can result from a single event or repetitive overuse. 

Not all muscle strains require treatment, but severe ones may require physical therapy or surgery to restore mobility and reduce pain.

Ligament sprains

Ligaments can become sprained when overstretched with quick movements or repetitive strain, leading to severe pain and an unstable joint. Severe sprains partially or wholly separate the ligaments from your bone. 

Untreated sprains can lead to permanent instability in the affected joint.

Treatment options for orthopedic injuries

If you promptly seek treatment for your orthopedic injury, your prognosis should be good, and your healing time will be much shorter. 

We immobilize the limb or joint for most orthopedic injuries, as movement could aggravate the injury and prevent it from healing efficiently. 

You may require physical therapy to regain mobility, flexibility, stability, and strength and prevent re-injury. We may also recommend platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, which accelerates the healing process through cell regeneration.

For expert orthopedic injury treatment, look no further than our Genesis Pain and Regenerative Medicine team. To schedule an appointment, call us at 817-482-0188 or book online today.