Sports Surgery - Medical Experts

Sports surgery encompasses all surgical procedures used to treat sports injuries. It primarily involves patients who participate in high-performance sports, such as professional athletes.

However, recreational athletes can also sustain injuries while participating in sports—usually as a result of accidents, overtraining, or competitions.

The following tissues and organs can be affected by sports injuries and sports-related conditions:

• Bones and joints
• Tendons
• Muscles
• Blood vessels
• Heart
• Lungs

The musculoskeletal system is certainly the most commonly affected by sports injuries.

This is where bone injuries (fractures or tears of muscle and tendon attachments) occur.

Muscle fiber tears or impingement of joint structures (for example, in the knee joint, such as the meniscus) are also common. These injuries usually occur suddenly and as a result of an accident.

A torn cruciate ligament is a typical sports injury @ Henrie /AdobeStock

Therefore, the first point of contact is generally a trauma surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, or—in acute cases—a hospital emergency room.

Trauma surgeons are specialists in trauma-related conditions. As such, they often have additional training in sports medicine. When necessary, they also perform surgeries that fall under the umbrella term “sports surgery.”

However, other specialists also treat sports-related conditions. These include, for example, heart specialists (cardiologists)—specifically sports cardiologists—who treat conditions such as sports-related heart enlargement or heart failure.

Furthermore, vascular surgeons are called upon to treat conditions affecting arteries and veins in order to prevent and alleviate circulatory problems.

In some cases, this requires major surgery, such as the removal of blockages in blood vessels or the creation of bypasses.

In addition to sports-related injuries of the musculoskeletal system resulting from accidents, there are also sports-associated conditions of the cardiovascular system.

These are caused by exceptional physical strain resulting from training-related overexertion of the heart and blood vessels. Sudden illnesses are also possible in this context, though they are rare.

Finally, lung diseases should also be mentioned, although they are rare in the context of sports.

Diving athletes are a high-risk group, as they subject their pulmonary system to particular stress during training and competition.

Can athletes also develop vascular diseases?

Yes, vascular diseases also occur in young, athletic patients who are active in sports. However, most vascular diseases occur in older patients with high blood pressure, elevated blood lipid levels, obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking.

Most vascular diseases are therefore caused by our lifestyle and the resulting hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).

Vascular diseases in athletes result from accidents that cause a tear or rupture of blood vessels.

Chronic stress from sports can also affect the arteries in certain areas.

For example, there are vascular diseases among competitive cyclists that occur in the pelvic region.

The condition develops because the athlete constantly leans forward and bends and extends the hip joint at a high frequency.

Over time, this can lead to a narrowing or blockage of the iliac artery. The athlete then experiences muscle pain in the buttocks and hip during physical activity, which completely disappears at rest. This condition is called iliac endofibrosis.

In addition to surgical procedures, sports surgery encompasses many other treatment methods that, ideally, can help prevent injuries.

In addition to diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating existing injuries and damage, sports surgeons also focus on preventive measures.

These include:

• a thorough warm-up
• appropriate gear, such as clothing and footwear, as well as
• practicing the respective sport in a way that is gentle on the joints

The message to active people is therefore to be particularly thorough during their warm-up. The effort is worth it, as this significantly reduces the risk of injury.

The shoulder, knee, and ankle are particularly prone to injuries @ rh2010 /AdobeStock

• Do you experience pain after physical activity?
• Or do you experience swelling, redness, or warmth in specific areas?
• Can you identify a specific cause for your symptoms?
• For example, did you fall, collide with someone or something, or land awkwardly after a jump?
• Do you have pain in your thigh and buttocks that occurs while cycling and goes away when you rest?

If you can answer “yes” to one or more of these questions, it is very likely a sports-related injury. Bruises, fractures, and tears are not uncommon in this category.

Ultimately, the diagnosis determines whether surgery is necessary or if an alternative form of therapy is appropriate.

Alternative treatment options include:

• Rest
• Treatment with pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory ointments

Depending on the sport, certain parts of the body are particularly at risk.

In older adults, elbow fractures are often caused by falls during everyday activities. However, in these cases, age-related bone weakness (osteoporosis) is already present.

In children and adolescents, on the other hand, they usually result from more serious accidents while horseback riding, biking, and skiing.

Like the foot, the knee is already subjected to high daily stress even without specific athletic activity. Both signs of wear and tear and accidents—such as twisting the knee—can lead to a meniscus tear or a cruciate ligament tear, among other injuries.

There are different types of meniscus tears @ bilderzwerg /AdobeStock

Whether on uneven ground or during sports: if your foot twists in an awkward way, the ankle joint is often affected. The diagnosis and treatment of associated ankle fractures are also the responsibility of the sports surgeon.

Experts also consider the shoulders and hips to be body parts that are at particular risk of injury in certain sports. In addition to bone fractures, injuries such as a shoulder dislocation or a rotator cuff tear are also possible.

The diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries often involve the use of medical, social, and scientific methods.

The sports medicine physician gains initial insights into the nature and extent of the symptoms through a detailed discussion with the patient. By asking specific questions, the doctor clarifies the symptoms and possible causes of the injury.

This is followed by a thorough examination using imaging techniques. If a bone fracture is suspected, an X-ray is recommended to initiate targeted therapeutic measures.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is also frequently used to visualize tissue damage.

The choice of treatment and rehabilitation measures varies depending on the patient’s symptoms and their severity.

Generally, the sports medicine specialist chooses between conservative measures and surgical intervention. The latter is usually performed only when conservative methods have proven unsuccessful or are not appropriate in specific cases.

The continuous advancement of procedures and treatment techniques, in turn, offers gentler alternatives for sports surgery as well. Arthroscopic joint surgery, for example, is already widely accepted today due to its minimally invasive, gentle, and low-risk nature.

In addition to treating acute injuries, sports medicine specialists also initiate appropriate physical therapy promptly following surgery. The goal here is to ensure the patient’s recovery as quickly as possible through optimal functional follow-up care.

Are you looking for a sports surgeon? Generally, specialists in sports surgery can be found in private practices, hospitals, or rehabilitation clinics, among other places.

The combination of orthopedics, trauma surgery, and sports medicine is particularly common. However, vascular surgery, angiology, and cardiology are also frequently involved.

Many medical practices specializing in sports medicine are also licensed to treat patients with public health insurance following work- or school-related accidents. In such cases, patients are thus spared a trip to the hospital for the time being.

Another area of practice is public-sector work in institutions, organizations, and clubs. In addition to primarily clinical careers, a sports medicine physician can also choose an academic career with a focus on research and teaching. This usually takes place as part of a position at a university hospital.

Although sports surgery usually involves surgical procedures, the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries are equally important.

In practice, sports surgeons collaborate with rehabilitation clinics to offer their patients optimal and promising treatment.

Techniques are constantly evolving to ensure that the success rates of surgical procedures continue to improve in the future.