Bone and Joint Care

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Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are common muscle, bone or soft tissue injuries that occur during physical activities. Exercise is important for your overall health and for maintaining strong bones and muscles, but it also raises the risk of sustaining injuries to your bones, muscles and other soft tissues through accidents, overtraining or contact sports.

Sports injuries can happen suddenly or develop over time. Acute injuries happen with sudden, excessive force while repetitive strain injuries happen with overuse of a body part. Especially when the proper gear or safety equipment is not worn, or the body is not properly warmed up or stretched prior to exercising. Any injury may become chronic if it does not heal well.

Which body parts are prone to sports injuries?

Certain body parts are more prone to sports injuries than others due to taking more stress from sports. This includes:

Achilles tendon: Strain on the Achilles tendon, which connects your calf muscles to your heel bone, may cause Achilles tendinitis or Achilles tendon rupture.
Ankle joint: Common ankle injuries include ankle sprains and ankle fractures.
Elbow joint: Elbow bursitis, tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are common injuries to the elbow you can sustain.
Knee joint: Common injuries to the knee joint include ACL tears, PCL tears, jumper’s knee or runner’s knee.
Shoulder joint: This includes injuries to the shoulder’s rotator cuff, including tears and tendinitis, as well as fractures and dislocations.

What are common symptoms of sports injuries?

Sports injuries are difficult to miss. You’ll notice it when what you are doing becomes painful, along with other signs of injury.

Some common symptoms include:

Musculoskeletal pain
Visible bruises or swelling
A joint or bone looking out of place
A hard time moving or putting pressure on the body part

How do you manage a sports injury?

When you get a sports injury, you can treat it with RICE methods for immediate relief. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation:

Rest: Stop the activity that caused the injury and avoid the injured area for the first day or two to prevent further damage.
Ice: Apply a cold pack wrapped in a towel for 15-20 minutes every two to three hours to reduce pain and swelling.
Compression: Wrap the injured area with an elastic bandage to help limit swelling and provide support. The compression should not be too tight that it causes numbness or increased pain.
Elevation: Keep the injured area raised above the level of your heart to help reduce swelling.

Staying in the Game: Overcoming Shoulder and Elbow Setbacks for Active Individuals

The shoulder and elbow joints are crucial for many sports activities, allowing various motions and movements. However, their complex structures also make them susceptible to various injuries, especially in athletes and active individuals. Learn more about common shoulder and elbow injuries, their causes, and the proper management with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ruben Manohara.

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Understanding Bone & Joint Care: Your Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Support

Move well. Feel well. Caring together for your bones and joints means taking care of your range of movements and the quality of life you want. From exercise and nutrition, to attending to injuries and long- and short-term conditions, moving well can influence your daily routines, work and play.

Empowering Yourself with Knowledge

This resource provides information about cancer, including:

Importance of Bone & Joint Care: Understand the importance of maintaining your bone and joint health.
Common Orthopedic Conditions: Learn about the different types of common orthopedic conditions and their characteristics.
Key Risk Factors: Explore various modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors that may leave you susceptible to orthopedic conditions.
Ways to Improve Bone & Joint Care: Learn about lifestyle factors and preventive measures to minimize your risk of orthopedic conditions.

What is Bone & Joint Care?

Bone and joint care focuses on maintaining the health and function of your musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. It involves preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions that affect these structures, such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, fractures, sprains, and strains. Good bone and joint health is essential for mobility, independence, and overall quality of life.

Importance of Bone & Joint Care

Mobility & independence: Healthy bones and joints allow you to move freely and perform daily activities without pain or limitations.
Pain prevention: Bone and joint problems can cause chronic pain that affects your ability to work, sleep, and enjoy life.

What Causes Orthopedic Conditions?

Heart disease is caused by a complex interplay of factors, including:

Non-Modifiable Factors: Age, gender, ethnicity family history, and inherited genetic mutations.
Modifiable Factors:
- Lifestyle: Diet, occupation, sports and physical activities, and poor posture.
- Health: Obesity, Prior injuries

Symptoms of Orthopedic Conditions

Symptoms of orthopedic conditions may vary depending on the type of orthopedic conditions. However, some general signs and symptoms include:

Pain in the affected segment of the bone or joint
Swelling and Redness
Joint stiffness
Limited range of movement
Numbness, tingling or weakness

Important Note: These symptoms may also be indicative of other health conditions. Speak to our Specialists today for proper evaluation and diagnosis.

Common Orthopedic Conditions in Singapore

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes the breakdown of cartilage, the smooth tissue that cushions the ends of bones in joints.
Fractures happen when there is a break in a bone, which can be caused by trauma or osteoporosis.
Sprains & Strains, are stretches or tears of a ligament (sprain) and stretches or tears of a muscle or tendon (strain).
Back Pain can be caused by various factors, including muscle strains, ligament sprains, disc herniation, and spinal stenosis.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome happen when the median nerve, which runs through the wrist, is compressed.
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that typically develops during adolescence.

Orthopedic Treatment Goals

Relieve pain to reduce discomfort and improve daily functioning
Restore and maintain function to help patients return to normal activities
Slow disease progression, especially in chronic conditions

Improving Bone & Joint Health

Here are some helpful ways to improve your bone & joint health:

Eat a heart-healthy diet with an emphasis on calcium-rich food such as dairy-products and leafy green vegetables.
Get enough vitamin D which is essential for calcium absorption. You can do so by getting sufficient sunlight or from fortified foods and supplements.
Engage in regular physical activities by doing weight-bearing exercises such as jogging or stair climbing, muscle-strengthening exercises which build muscle mass and flexibility exercises such as yoga and stretching.
Practice good posture, avoid slouching and maintain proper posture while sitting and standing.
Manage existing medical conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis through medication and lifestyle changes.

Mobility

Enjoy the right form of exercise at your preferred pace. Listen to your body and improve your everyday mobility with the movement solutions that suit you.

Learn about fall prevention in the elderly, hip and knee joint replacement, and nutrition information from our medical and allied health specialists.

Care

Get tips and takeaways for the benefit of your daily routines and activities from our orthopedic and allied health specialists for various conditions and treatment options.

Learn about conditions relating to shoulder and elbow, neck, back and spine, hand and wrist, foot and ankle, geriatric care, and sports injuries. Helping you with individualized care.