When Athletes Should See a Shoulder Specialist near Midtown

See a Specialist for Your Shoulder Injury and Get Back in the Game!

When dedicated athletes are faced with pain or discomfort, they might be tempted to play through it. However, ignoring a sports injury may make that particular part of your body feel and function worse than before. Similarly, not receiving proper treatment can elongate your time spent recovering. In order to stay in the game, athletes must see a specialist at the first sign of a sports injury. Specifically, shoulder injuries require the expertise of someone who has trained extensively in the field.

Good news for New York City residents: you can now see a top-quality shoulder specialist near Midtown at our new Rothman Orthopaedic Institute office! Below, we provide information on types of shoulder injuries that commonly impact athletes and when to see a specialist for your pain and symptoms.

Injuries in Throwing and Swinging Athletes

Are you a baseball or softball pitcher? Football player? Tennis competitor? If you chiefly use your arms when engaged in your sport, even if you aren’t “throwing,” you are at a greater risk of developing a shoulder injury. Without using proper techniques and implementing preventative care, the repetitive motion of throwing a ball or swinging a racket may lead to one of the following injuries:

• Superior Labrum Anterior Posterior (SLAP) Lesion Tear

• Rotator Cuff Tear

• Bicep Tendon Irritation/Rupture

• Shoulder Impingement

• Shoulder Instability

An athlete should see a shoulder specialist if she or he feels any significant, long-term pain in that area. Overuse injuries such as the ones above are diagnosed after a physical examination from a specialist familiar with your injury and sport.

General conservative treatment methods for throwing injuries may include resting for a period of time, taking prescribed anti-inflammatory medication, attending physical therapy sessions to regain strength in the shoulders, or an injection into the shoulder. Sports-specific shoulder doctors will likely advise their athletic patients to scale back the intensity and rigor with which they exercise and ease back into playing their sports to avoid re-injuring the area.

Acute Shoulder Injuries

In some sports, there is a greater chance of colliding with other players or being pushed to the ground and landing on your shoulder. For these acute injuries, our advice is the same as above: do not play through pain.

If ice and rest do not alleviate your symptoms, make an appointment with a specialist to evaluate your injury. Report exactly what happened during the incident (or, if you were stunned from the collision or fall, ask a teammate or coach to report this information) so your doctor can make the most accurate diagnosis. From there, you and your doctor will create a treatment plan.

Choose Our Sports-Specific Shoulder Specialist Near Midtown

Rothman Orthopaedic Institute has been providing excellent orthopaedic care since our founding in 1970. We have offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and now New York, and we continue to expand our practice to serve as many patients and communities as possible. We know how important health is to our patients, particularly our athletes who depend on their bodies to do what they love. For this reason, our doctors utilize the most advanced medical techniques, superior communication skills, and overall best practices to get our patients back in the game.

For more information about shoulder injuries, or to make an appointment with a shoulder specialist near Midtown, please visit us here or contact us at 1-800-321-9999.