Matthew Gargulinski, DO, board certified orthopedic surgeon and a member of the Medical Staff at Temecula Valley Hospital, is here to give information on how to prevent the most common sports injuries and the ways to keep your body healthy while getting fit and having fun.
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Common Sports Injuries and How You Can Prevent Them
Some very common soft tissues injuries involve muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These injuries can often occur during sports and exercise activities, but even sometimes simple everyday activities can cause an injury.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Gargulinski graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2002, and has been in practice for 14 years, specializing in arthroscopy, knee and shoulder repair, fracture care and joint replacement. A former team physician for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and USA Rugby Team, Dr. Gargulinski specializes in sports medicine.
Matthew J. Gargulinski, DO
Matthew J. Gargulinski, DO is a practicing Orthopedic Surgeon and a member of the medical staff of Temecula Valley Hospital.Dr. Gargulinski graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2002, and has been in practice for 14 years, specializing in arthroscopy, knee and shoulder repair, fracture care and joint replacement. A former team physician for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and USA Rugby Team, Dr. Gargulinski specializes in sports medicine.
Transcription:
Common Sports Injuries and How You Can Prevent Them
Melanie Cole (Host): Some of the most common injuries sports medicine professionals see are involving muscles, tendons and ligaments. These injuries often occur during sports and exercise activities but sometimes simple everyday activities can even cause an injury. My guest today is Dr. Matthew Gargulinski. He’s a sports certified orthopedic surgeon and a member of the medical staff at Temecula Valley Hospital. Welcome to the show, Dr. Gargulinski. Tell us a little bit about what you see every day. What are some of the most common sports injuries that you see?
Dr. Matthew Gargulinski (Guest): Well, thank you for having me on the show. To answer your question, I see various injuries to just about any joint in the body from ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and then various strains of muscles and ligaments and tendons. I would say the most common injury that I see as an orthopedic sports medicine specialist is a knee injury.
Melanie: So, Dr. Gargulinski, people are always wondering about the difference between a sprain and a strain, something acute and something chronic. Give us a little working definition for some of those terms.
Dr. Gargulinski: I don’t really get caught up in sprain versus strain. Think about those when referring to which anatomic structures whether it’s a ligament which is tissue that connects bone to bone or a tendon which connects muscle to bone. Either way, these are connective tissues that can get injured, and we like to grade those injuries. Generally it’s a three point grading system: 1, 2, or 3 with 3 being where the structures are actually torn, 1 where they are just stretched and 2 where it’s is in the middle where there’s micro tearing kind of tissue level. When we talk about the acute injuries from a one-time event versus a chronic injury from a repetitive or perhaps overuse situation.
Melanie: Then, let’s talk first about chronic injuries and overuse. What do you recommend to people to avoid these and/or prevent them in terms of cross training and/or footwear, things that they can do that can possibly prevent some of the chronic injuries that you see?
Dr. Gargulinski: Well, one of the major things is that you have to know what your body’s capable of and your limitations. Oftentimes, I see people who are not well-prepared to, say, undergo a training for something like a triathlon where they don’t do they basic training to get into shape and to know what their body’s limitations are and to get into a schedule where they gradually ramp up and increase their activity. Some people get very excited about starting a program and aren’t educated as to proper techniques or regimens and go too strong, too fast right out of the gate and end up with some injuries.
Melanie: When somebody experiences an acute injury, what might they experience? What should they look for when they are playing sports or exercising and then, what do you like them to do about it just right after?
Dr. Gargulinski: So, let me start with, specifically, for example, an ankle injury. The things we look for in an acute injury is swelling, pain, the location of the pain and then the ability to bear weight or to be able to stand on the ankle. Initially, we always look to ice and elevate the injury and to see if there is some immediate improvement. If not, then the next step would be going to get x-rays and evaluated by a professional.
Melanie: People have heard that term RICE for a long time. Rest, ice, compression and elevation. Is that still what you use? Do you want people not to move that joint whether it’s a knee or they feel like they’ve pulled something in their ankle? Do you want them not to move it or are we adding an “M” in there now and you want to see if they can move it around?
Dr. Gargulinski: That’s a good question. Still, the old standby RICE is very much applicable today and a very important way of initially treating an injury. Every joint likes to move and it’s healthier for it to move so it does not stiffen up, even after an injury. However, depending on the severity of the injury, we may not want to move it. So, mild or moderate injuries, we often do want the motion involved to help the healing process and help eliminate the swelling. However, if it’s a more severe injury, we might need to put a cast or some sort of immobilizing device so we don’t cause any further damage.
Melanie: So, that was going to be my next question. What do you think about bracing? If someone’s got an unstable knee or even their ankle but they still want to play tennis, they want to do the things that they’re doing, do you recommend bracing to help with the stability or are there certain exercises that you would prefer that they do to strengthen up that instability?
Dr. Gargulinski: That’s a good question and it really depends on the specific of the injury. For example, if you have a torn ligament in your knee, depending on which of the four ligaments are torn, bracing can be something we employ or it may just not be appropriate and surgery may be called for.
Melanie: What would you like people to know about prevention and what is your most important information about preventing some of these injuries that you see every day?
Dr. Gargulinski: A lot of times, injuries are not predictable and that’s part of playing sports and being active. The number one thing I would like to tell people is to know what your body is capable of and to be prepared with your workout and not go into a new activity without proper training and education ahead of time.
Melanie: What’s your best advice? What do you tell parents who have little athletes about preventing some of these sports injuries?
Dr. Gargulinski: For children, the number one thing we look out for is over training. Nowadays, sports seasons go on throughout the entire year and there can be issues with over training and chronic issues that can occur.
Melanie: So, you want parents to know that they just need to make sure their children are not doing one sport-specific type of training or kind of trying out some different sports? When you say overtraining, tell the parents what you mean.
Dr. Gargulinski: It’s usually the scenario where it’s a single sport going on all year long where it overloads or fatigues the tissues of a certain joint, perhaps a pitcher in Little League baseball or gymnastics and knee problems. So, a good thing to do is to make sure there isn’t an inordinate amount of hours training per day and often times cross training and switching sports during different seasons can help balance the forces on the joint.
Melanie: So, Dr. Gargulinski, in just the last few minutes, what should people that might have a sports injury, whether chronic or acute, think about and why should they come to Temecula Valley Hospital for their care?
Dr. Gargulinski: Oftentimes, it’s very hard to self-diagnose or to look on the internet to find answers to your questions. Sports medicine trained physicians like myself have spent countless hours following teams and training to be able to identify the injuries and to give information like what’s the best route to get a proper diagnosis and proper treatment.
Melanie: Thank you so much. It’s great information. You’re listening to TVH Doc Talk with Temecula Valley Hospital. For more information please visit temeculavalleyhospital.com. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of the Temecula Valley Hospital. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Common Sports Injuries and How You Can Prevent Them
Melanie Cole (Host): Some of the most common injuries sports medicine professionals see are involving muscles, tendons and ligaments. These injuries often occur during sports and exercise activities but sometimes simple everyday activities can even cause an injury. My guest today is Dr. Matthew Gargulinski. He’s a sports certified orthopedic surgeon and a member of the medical staff at Temecula Valley Hospital. Welcome to the show, Dr. Gargulinski. Tell us a little bit about what you see every day. What are some of the most common sports injuries that you see?
Dr. Matthew Gargulinski (Guest): Well, thank you for having me on the show. To answer your question, I see various injuries to just about any joint in the body from ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and then various strains of muscles and ligaments and tendons. I would say the most common injury that I see as an orthopedic sports medicine specialist is a knee injury.
Melanie: So, Dr. Gargulinski, people are always wondering about the difference between a sprain and a strain, something acute and something chronic. Give us a little working definition for some of those terms.
Dr. Gargulinski: I don’t really get caught up in sprain versus strain. Think about those when referring to which anatomic structures whether it’s a ligament which is tissue that connects bone to bone or a tendon which connects muscle to bone. Either way, these are connective tissues that can get injured, and we like to grade those injuries. Generally it’s a three point grading system: 1, 2, or 3 with 3 being where the structures are actually torn, 1 where they are just stretched and 2 where it’s is in the middle where there’s micro tearing kind of tissue level. When we talk about the acute injuries from a one-time event versus a chronic injury from a repetitive or perhaps overuse situation.
Melanie: Then, let’s talk first about chronic injuries and overuse. What do you recommend to people to avoid these and/or prevent them in terms of cross training and/or footwear, things that they can do that can possibly prevent some of the chronic injuries that you see?
Dr. Gargulinski: Well, one of the major things is that you have to know what your body’s capable of and your limitations. Oftentimes, I see people who are not well-prepared to, say, undergo a training for something like a triathlon where they don’t do they basic training to get into shape and to know what their body’s limitations are and to get into a schedule where they gradually ramp up and increase their activity. Some people get very excited about starting a program and aren’t educated as to proper techniques or regimens and go too strong, too fast right out of the gate and end up with some injuries.
Melanie: When somebody experiences an acute injury, what might they experience? What should they look for when they are playing sports or exercising and then, what do you like them to do about it just right after?
Dr. Gargulinski: So, let me start with, specifically, for example, an ankle injury. The things we look for in an acute injury is swelling, pain, the location of the pain and then the ability to bear weight or to be able to stand on the ankle. Initially, we always look to ice and elevate the injury and to see if there is some immediate improvement. If not, then the next step would be going to get x-rays and evaluated by a professional.
Melanie: People have heard that term RICE for a long time. Rest, ice, compression and elevation. Is that still what you use? Do you want people not to move that joint whether it’s a knee or they feel like they’ve pulled something in their ankle? Do you want them not to move it or are we adding an “M” in there now and you want to see if they can move it around?
Dr. Gargulinski: That’s a good question. Still, the old standby RICE is very much applicable today and a very important way of initially treating an injury. Every joint likes to move and it’s healthier for it to move so it does not stiffen up, even after an injury. However, depending on the severity of the injury, we may not want to move it. So, mild or moderate injuries, we often do want the motion involved to help the healing process and help eliminate the swelling. However, if it’s a more severe injury, we might need to put a cast or some sort of immobilizing device so we don’t cause any further damage.
Melanie: So, that was going to be my next question. What do you think about bracing? If someone’s got an unstable knee or even their ankle but they still want to play tennis, they want to do the things that they’re doing, do you recommend bracing to help with the stability or are there certain exercises that you would prefer that they do to strengthen up that instability?
Dr. Gargulinski: That’s a good question and it really depends on the specific of the injury. For example, if you have a torn ligament in your knee, depending on which of the four ligaments are torn, bracing can be something we employ or it may just not be appropriate and surgery may be called for.
Melanie: What would you like people to know about prevention and what is your most important information about preventing some of these injuries that you see every day?
Dr. Gargulinski: A lot of times, injuries are not predictable and that’s part of playing sports and being active. The number one thing I would like to tell people is to know what your body is capable of and to be prepared with your workout and not go into a new activity without proper training and education ahead of time.
Melanie: What’s your best advice? What do you tell parents who have little athletes about preventing some of these sports injuries?
Dr. Gargulinski: For children, the number one thing we look out for is over training. Nowadays, sports seasons go on throughout the entire year and there can be issues with over training and chronic issues that can occur.
Melanie: So, you want parents to know that they just need to make sure their children are not doing one sport-specific type of training or kind of trying out some different sports? When you say overtraining, tell the parents what you mean.
Dr. Gargulinski: It’s usually the scenario where it’s a single sport going on all year long where it overloads or fatigues the tissues of a certain joint, perhaps a pitcher in Little League baseball or gymnastics and knee problems. So, a good thing to do is to make sure there isn’t an inordinate amount of hours training per day and often times cross training and switching sports during different seasons can help balance the forces on the joint.
Melanie: So, Dr. Gargulinski, in just the last few minutes, what should people that might have a sports injury, whether chronic or acute, think about and why should they come to Temecula Valley Hospital for their care?
Dr. Gargulinski: Oftentimes, it’s very hard to self-diagnose or to look on the internet to find answers to your questions. Sports medicine trained physicians like myself have spent countless hours following teams and training to be able to identify the injuries and to give information like what’s the best route to get a proper diagnosis and proper treatment.
Melanie: Thank you so much. It’s great information. You’re listening to TVH Doc Talk with Temecula Valley Hospital. For more information please visit temeculavalleyhospital.com. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of the Temecula Valley Hospital. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.