Sports injuries are considered to be those that occur during the practice of a sport. In today’s society, practicing sports is not something exclusive to elite athletes. Tennis, basketball, soccer, cycling and running are part of our daily lives and, in some way, we are all exposed to the risk of suffering a sports injury.
Injuries can occur for various reasons: from accidents to poor training practice, to improper use of material and equipment, poor physical condition, poor stretching or warm-up exercises, or even an excess of physical exercise.
When is ozone therapy used for sports injuries?
Ozone treatment of sports injuries is carried out with the injection of peri- or intra-articular ozone. This ozone injection helps to repair the injured tissues, as well as to reduce pain and inflammation. Any injury that can be treated with corticosteroids can also be treated with ozone, with the advantage of not exposing the athlete to the possible risks of corticosteroid infiltration.
Ozone therapy is indicated after conservative treatment, controlling pain with rest, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as rehabilitation. As indicated, it is a substitute for local cortisone injections and a very good alternative to the use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Due to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory action, periarticular or intrarticular ozone therapy can significantly relieve pain and reduce inflammation but without the side effect of corticosteroids, with the advantage that, unlike these, ozone therapy enhances the process of tissue repair.
In addition, with ozone infiltrations there is no possibility of necrosis and weakening of the tendon, so there is no risk for the athlete.
What does the treatment consist of, when are the results appreciated and what are the benefits?
The treatment is carried out once a week, on an outpatient basis after a correct diagnosis by the specialist in the Pain Unit. The ozone injection is not usually painful, so it is not necessary to administer any local anesthetic beforehand.
The reduction of pain is usually noticed from the first sessions and, normally, about five sessions are necessary to obtain improvement. After treatment, no rest is necessary and the person can resume daily activities immediately.
It is a treatment that produces no side effects or complications, so it can be performed in people with diabetes and / or hypertension without any risk of raising blood sugar levels or blood pressure figures.
In Sports Medicine, ozone infiltrations can be combined with other Regenerative Medicine techniques, such as growth factors (Platelet Rich Plasma). By means of an ozonization technique it has been seen that it increases the repairing capacity.
What sports injuries are usually treated with ozone therapy?
The injuries that we most commonly treat with ozone therapy are:
- Knee injuries. They are very common in athletes, especially in cyclists, soccer players and skiers. Ozone therapy is, above all, effective in four types of injuries. The first of these is patellar tendinitis and tendinitis anserina or goosefoot, which occurs when the tendons around the knee become inflamed after some overexertion or trauma. It is an injury, in turn, common in cycling, volleyball and basketball. The second is ligament injuries or knee sprains, as long as they do not require surgery, since ozone helps in the natural regeneration of the injured tissue, reducing inflammation. The third is meniscus injuries that do not require surgery and the fourth is the prevention of osteoarthritis of the knee due to overload.
- Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis. It is produced by an overload of the muscles of the forearm. The main symptom is a pain in the external face of the elbow, which is accompanied by pain and difficulty when making movements of extension of the wrist and supination of the forearm, that is to say, to turn the arm with the hand towards the ceiling. The pain also manifests itself when the epicondyle area is palpated or, simply, when trying to lift some weight or, at sports level, with the backhand technique in tennis or paddle.
- Golfer’s elbow or medial epicondylitis. Although it has that name it is not an exclusive pathology of the golf, since also they usually suffer it the players of basketball or baseball, or in the tennis players, when they make the serve with much effect. It is characterized because the patient suffers pain in the inner part of the forearm that may extend to the elbow when the patient flexes the wrist.
- Tendinitis of the shoulder. It is a typical ailment of swimmers and tennis players but also occurs in weight throwers and baseball players. The repetitive motion of raising the arm overhead can cause a tear and inflammation of the shoulder muscles.
- Plantar fasciitis
- Ankle impingement
- Injuries. Wounds that occur during sports can be treated with topical ozone therapy, which accelerates the healing and scarring process. It is a typical treatment that is also used to heal ulcers and delayed healing.