HEALTHCARE

Summer is the perfect time to play more sport or take up something new. With so many tournaments, including Wimbledon, The Open, and The Ashes, taking place during the warmer months, there’s plenty to inspire and motivate us to get out and get moving.

However, without care and attention, and particularly if you’re a little out of practice, it’s easy to get injured.

We spoke to Mr Abbas Rashid, Consultant Shoulder & Elbow Surgeon at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital, who gave us some insider knowledge on injuries he commonly sees in his clinic, and shared his tips for avoiding an injury, so you can get the most out of the summer months.

What Are Some Common Injuries You See?

Broadly speaking, you can divide them into two groups. The first is people slipping and falling when they’re out and about. The other is repetitive overuse, which can result from playing sport.

So, on the one hand you have people cycling around the park when the sun comes out, coming off their bikes and sustaining fractures or dislocations of shoulders and elbows - things of that nature.

Then on the other hand you have people that increase their participation in sports like tennis, cricket, and squash during the summer months, who go on to develop conditions such as tennis elbow, SLAP tears and shoulder impingement. It’s a whole spectrum.

Common Conditions And Their Symptoms

TENNIS ELBOW

This is a condition that causes pain around the outside of the elbow, which can also radiate down the arm to the wrist. This can be mild and only felt when using the elbow, to a constant burning pain that interferes with everything from washing, dressing and sleeping. In some instances, people can even lose the ability to fully extend their arm.

It’s called tennis elbow because the prevalence is high in people that play tennis. In reality, it occurs in any number of sports, and even in people that don’t play any sports.

I’m on the national steering committee for tennis elbow, and so what’s important to me is ensuring treatments are data driven, and have a strong evidence base that they work. A treatment has to ultimately work and benefit a person.

If you do think you might have tennis elbow, it’s important to get a formal diagnosis. Without this, you won’t receive the targeted treatment needed to effectively resolve it.

SLAP (SUPERIOR LABRUM, ANTERIOR TO POSTERIOR) INJURY

This happens when cartilage in the inner part of your shoulder joint tears. Tears can happen over time in people who play sports or do exercise that requires lots of overhead motion.

Playing tennis, swimming and lifting weights are all common causes for SLAP tears.

A SLAP injury can make it painful or difficult for you to move your shoulder and arm; cause popping noises or a grinding feeling when you move your shoulder; and make it feel like your shoulder might pop out of your shoulder blade.

Left untreated, these tears can cause chronic pain, limit how much you can use your arm and shoulder, and lead to more serious shoulder problems. As such, it’s important not to grin, bear it and ignore your symptoms. Seeing a doctor and getting a formal diagnosis is the first step to getting your quality of life back.

Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder impingement happens when a tendon inside your shoulder rubs or catches on nearby tissue and bone as you lift your arm. It can come on gradually or you might feel it all of a sudden. It can cause pain, and a feeling of weakness when you lift or move your arm.

If your pain doesn’t go away, it’s worth seeing a specialist who can assess your condition and create a recovery plan for you. This could include working with a specialist physiotherapist, steroid injections in the shoulder, and rarely, surgery.

For Avoiding Injuries, What Would You Recommend?

Exercise is important for physical health, mental health, genuine enjoyment and engagement with other people. However, it does also increase your risk of injury.

In general, injuries are caused by repetitive overuse, the intensity of participation in a sport, and not giving the body enough time to recover. However, other factors such as biomechanics and overall musculoskeletal health, as well as sport-specific things like the weight of a tennis racket, its string tension, and what surface you’re playing on, also play a role.

Mix It Up

Varying your activity, rather than doing one type of activity intensely, can reduce your risk of injury. Try to combine some other workouts, like yoga, Pilates and strength training, alongside your preferred sport.

Build Up Gradually

To avoid an injury, it’s really important to warm up before and after exercising, stretch regularly, and build muscle gradually. When getting into, or re-starting any sport, enlist the support of a personal trainer who can show you the basics and create a tailored development plan. When it comes to weight training, starting with lighter loads is essential to avoid muscle strains and tears. Focus on perfecting your technique first, then work on your strength.

Listen To Your Body

Eat a varied and balanced diet, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and remember that rest is essential to integrating the benefits of exercise.

What To Do Following An Injury

The first thing to remember is that injuries happen. Stop your activity. If necessary, take painkillers and anti-inflammatories, ice the injury, and then get plenty of rest. If after a day or two, you don’t see any improvement, seek help.

Alternatively, if you feel intense pain straight away, book an appointment with a specialist so you can start your recovery journey without delay.

What to expect from a shoulder and elbow consultation

The first thing is to establish a diagnosis. Once we have this, we can treat in a very targeted way. And that’s much more effective.

Establishing a diagnosis involves taking a history and conducting an examination. This can involve scans, such as x-ray or MRI to find out the severity of the problem, as this will also determine how we treat someone.

Treatment can be non-operative, such as pain management and physiotherapy, or surgical. The majority of patients we see in upper limb orthopaedics can be treated non-operatively with lifestyle modifications, pain management, and by seeing a proper accredited upper limb physiotherapist.

Here To Help

If you’re struggling with shoulder or elbow pain, Mr Abbas Rashid practices at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital in North West London alongside a number of respected shoulder and elbow consultants. Find out more: www.hje.org.uk/summer-sports or call 0207 078 3891 to book an appointment.