At Prime Choice Family Clinic & Urgent Care, the medical providers know the impact an acute injury might have on a patient’s life. An acute injury will affect how you walk and work, preventing you from actively doing what you used to enjoy doing. However, your physician will first need to understand the injury before devising treatment. The medical professional will know whether you have an acute or chronic injury by assessing your condition. Acute injuries are spontaneous. While a less urgent injury might need self-care to resolve the symptoms, a severe injury might require you to seek instant medical attention.   

What are the common acute injuries you are likely to have?

Sudden movements during exercise or sporting activities are usually the leading causes of acute injuries. They cause instability, hindering the affected body part from functioning effectively. Acute injuries will not significantly impact several parts of your body. Thus, they primarily occur on the body part getting the impact. Though not significant, they might be disabling. Examples of acute injuries you might incur include:

• Strains. These injuries affect your muscles or tendons. Strains cause spasm-like signs with pain and swelling on the injured body part. The back and hamstring are the most common strains you may encounter, most involving lifting heavy loads.
• Sprains. Unlike strains that happen when you overuse your muscles and tendons, sprains occur when you bend a joint at an odd angle, tearing a ligament. Sprains do not necessarily result from strenuous activities. You might even get a sprain while walking.
• Dislocations. You are likely to have a joint dislocation or any physical impact after a fall. Dislocations are most common in physically-demanding sports like football.

Sports requiring rapid movements and instant direction change increase your risks of having acute injuries. For instance, it is uncommon for basketball players to roll an ankle in dangerous maneuvers because the sport requires stopping short and instant change of direction.

How different are acute from chronic injuries?

The difference between acute and chronic injuries goes beyond their pain levels. The main difference is usually the time of occurrence. While acute injuries result instantly from severe impact, chronic injuries develop over time. Chronic injuries often result from acute injuries that fail to heal effectively. Thanks to the improper healing, you might experience muscle imbalance. Initial instances of chronic injuries might seem like mere discomfort you might ignore. However, the pain might persist eventually, turning into something serious without proper treatment. Examples of chronic injuries include shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, swimmer’s shoulder, and tennis elbow.

Prevention from acute injuries entails warm-ups, stretches, and cool offs. The simple guidelines allow your entire body to prepare for exercises.

Whether you are a constantly active person or thinking of becoming physically active, paying attention to how you move your body is crucial. While slight aches are part of being active, consistent pain affecting joint movement is not something you should suffer silently. Contact your physician for proper treatment to help alleviate your painful symptoms resulting from acute injuries.