Sports surgery is a special field of sports medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sports injuries. The focus here is on bone fractures and torn ligaments and tendons that require surgical intervention.
Important information on forms of therapy and more as well as specialists in sports surgery can be found below.
Sports surgery includes all surgical procedures for the treatment of sports injuries. Of course, it primarily affects patients who play sport at a high level, for example professional athletes.
However, amateur athletes can also suffer injuries in the course of sporting activities. In this case, it is usually due to accidents, overtraining or competitions.
The following tissues and organs can be affected by sports injuries and sports-related illnesses:
The musculoskeletal system is certainly the area most frequently affected by sports injuries .
This is where bony injuries(broken bones or torn muscle and tendon attachments) occur.
Torn muscle fibers or trapped parts of joints (for example in the area of the knee joint, the meniscus) are also common. These injuries usually occur suddenly and as the result of an accident.
A cruciate ligament rupture is a typical sports injury @ Henrie /AdobeStock
Therefore, the first port of call is usually a trauma surgeon, orthopaedist and, in acute cases, the emergency room of a hospital.
Trauma surgeons are specialists in accident-related illnesses. They therefore often have an additional qualification in sports medicine. If necessary, they also perform operations that fall under the umbrella term of sports surgery.
However, other specialists also deal with sports-related illnesses. These include, for example, heart specialists (cardiologists), especially sports cardiologists, who deal with sports-related heart enlargement or weakness, among other things.
Vascular surgeons are also required for diseases of the arteries and veins in order to prevent and reduce circulatory problems.
In some cases, this also requires major operations, such as the removal of blocked vessels or the creation of bypasses.
In addition to sports-related musculoskeletal disorders caused by an accident, there are also sports-related diseases of the cardiovascular system.
The reasons for this are the extraordinary physical strain with training-related overloading of the heart and blood vessels. Sudden illnesses are also possible here, although they are rare.
Finally, lung diseases should also be mentioned, although they are rare in association with sport.
Risk groups include diving athletes who expose themselves to particular stresses on the lung structure during training and competition.
Yes, there are also vascular diseases in sporty, young and very athletic patients. Even though most vascular diseases occur in older patients with high blood pressure, high blood values, obesity, lack of exercise and smoking.
Most vascular diseases are therefore caused by our lifestyle and the resulting vascular calcification (atherosclerosis).
Vascular diseases in athletes are caused by accidents in which vessels are torn or severed.
Chronic stress caused by sport can also affect the arteries at certain points.
For example, there are vascular diseases in cyclists that occur in the pelvis.
The disease develops because the athlete constantly bends and stretches the hip joint at a high frequency while leaning forward.
Over time, this can lead to a narrowing or occlusion of the iliac artery. The athlete then experiences muscle pain in the buttocks and hips during exercise, which disappears completely when resting. This condition is called iliac endofibrosis.
In addition to surgical interventions, many other treatment procedures are part of sports surgery, which can ideally prevent injuries.
In addition to diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating damage and injuries that have already occurred, sports surgeons also take care of preventative measures.
These include
The basic message to active people is therefore to be particularly conscientious in their preparation. It's worth the effort, as this significantly reduces the risk of injury.
Shoulder, knee and ankle joints are particularly frequently affected by injuries @ rh2010 /AdobeStock
If you can answer one or more of these questions in the affirmative, it is most likely a sports accident. Bruises, fractures and tears are not uncommon in this category.
Ultimately, the diagnosis will determine whether surgery is required or an alternative form of therapy.
Alternative forms of therapy include
Depending on the type of sport, certain parts of the human body are particularly at risk.
Fractures of the elbow are often caused by falls in everyday life, especially at an advanced age. In this case, however, age-related bone weakness (osteoporosis) is already present.
In children and adolescents, on the other hand, they usually occur as a result of serious accidents while riding, cycling and skiing.
The knee, like the foot, is already exposed to high levels of stress on a daily basis without specific sporting activity. Both signs of wear and tear and accidents that twist the knee, for example, can lead to a meniscus tear or cruciate ligament rupture, among other things.
There are different forms of meniscus tear @ bilderzwerg /AdobeStock
Whether it's uneven ground or sport: if your foot twists in an unfavorable way, the ankle joint is often affected. The diagnosis and treatment of associated ankle fractures are also the responsibility of a sports surgeon.
Experts also consider the shoulders and hips to be areas of the body that are at particular risk of injury in certain sports. In addition to bone fractures, shoulder joint fractures and rotator cuff tears are also conceivable.
Sports injuries are oftendiagnosed and treated using medical, social and scientific methods.
The sports physician obtains initial information about the type and extent of the symptoms through a detailed discussion with the patient. With the help of 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 useful in order to initiate targeted therapeutic measures.
An MRI scan is also frequently used to visualize tissue damage.
The choice of therapy and rehabilitation measures varies depending on the symptoms and intensity of the symptoms.
In general, sports physicians choose between conservative measures and surgery. The latter is usually only performed if conservative procedures have not been successful or make little sense in individual cases.
The continuous development of procedures and treatment techniques, on the other hand, also offers gentler alternatives for sports surgery. Arthroscopic joint surgery, for example, is already convincing due to its minimally invasive, gentle and low-risk procedure.
In addition to treating acute injuries, sports physicians also initiate appropriate physiotherapy promptly after an operation. The aim here is for the patient to recover as quickly as possible through optimal functional follow-up treatment.
Are you looking for a sports surgeon? Generally speaking, sports surgery specialists can be found in private practices, hospitals or rehabilitation clinics.
The trio of orthopaedics, 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 health insurance following accidents at work or school. In this case, patients are spared a trip to hospital.
Another field of activity is public work in institutions, organizations and associations. In addition to primarily clinical professions, a sports physician can also choose an academic career with a focus on research and teaching. This usually takes the form of a position at a university hospital.
Although sports surgery mostly involves surgical procedures, the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries are just as important.
In practice, sports surgeons work together with rehabilitation clinics to provide their patients with optimal and promising treatment.
Procedures are constantly evolving to increase the success of surgical interventions in the future.
Holger HW Gabriel: Einführung in die Sportmedizin: Themen, Inhalte, Methoden und Stand der Forschung in: Bewegung, Training, Leistung und Gesundheit, herausgegeben von Arne Güllich und Michael Krüger, Seite 1-23. Abgerufen am 20. 10. 2021 von https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-662-53386-4_14-1.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sportmedizin und Prävention – DGSP. Homepage.https://www.dgsp.de. Abgerufen am 20. 10. 2021.
European Association of Sports Medicine Associations. Homepage. https://www.efsma.org/sports-medicine/main-goal.html. Abgerufen am 20.10. 2021.
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