Sports & Exercise
When to See a Doctor (Care of the Young Athlete)
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A safe and speedy return to activity following a sports injury or an illness depends on early recognition and treatment. Knowing when to see your doctor is an important step in this process. With major injuries or illnesses, there is little doubt about the need to seek medical attention. However, it is much more difficult to know when to seek help if there is no obvious trauma or if the symptoms don't get in the way of playing. Many overuse injuries, such as tendonitis or stress fractures, happen over time and often have subtle symptoms. The result can be a delay in diagnosis and treatment, and delays can lead to a more serious or disabling injury.
General comments
Athletes should see a doctor for
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Symptoms that do not go away after rest and home treatment
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Any condition that affects training or performance that has not been given a diagnosis or has not been treated
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Any condition that may be a risk to other teammates or competitors
Types of conditions
There are 3 types of conditions in which an athlete may need to see a doctor: acute injuries, overuse injuries, and medical illnesses or conditions.
Also, any athlete with a chronic injury or medical condition should see a doctor and be approved to participate in sports. Even if a pre-sport physical is not required, it is a good idea for all athletes to have an annual medical checkup before the sports season begins. This is especially true if there is any history of medical problems, injury, or regular use of medicines, or if there are questions about training.
The following are examples of these 3 conditions, their typical symptoms, and when to check with the doctor.
Acute injuries
Examples | Symptoms | When to Check With Your Doctor |
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Sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, growth plate separation, torn cartilage, bruises, cuts, scrapes, pinched nerves, herniated disks | Pain |
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Overuse Injuries
Examples | Symptoms | When to Check With Your Doctor |
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Tendonitis; shin splints; stress fractures; growth plate problems like Osgood-Schlatter, Sever's disease, or Little League elbow; bursitis; fasciitis; compartment syndrome; nerve entrapment; spondylolysis |
Pain At first, symptoms are noticeable after vigorous activity. As the condition gets worse, symptoms occur with any activity and, eventually, the symptoms restrict activity. |
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Medical illness/conditions
Examples | Symptoms | When to Check With Your Doctor |
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Concussion |
Headache, disorientation, loss of consciousness*, blurry vision, nausea, memory loss, dizziness, lethargy, agitation, vomiting, fatigue, moodiness
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Check with a doctor |
Fever | Other symptoms depend on cause of fever. | Any fever =101°F for >4 hours. Playing with a fever may increase the risk of heat illness. |
Skin infection (impetigo, herpes, ringworm, measles) | Rashes that are raised, open, draining or with a discharge; have small blisters; or are cracked and bleeding | These types of rashes should be checked and treated before returning to sports, particularly for athletes in contact or collision sports. |
Abdominal (stomach) pain | Pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, appetite loss, decreased fluid intake |
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Cardiac (heart) disease (myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis, cardiac contusion, dysrhythmia) | Chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, feeling light-headed or passing out with exercise | See a doctor if any of these symptoms develop. |
Respiratory (breathing) disease (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia), laryngeal contusion/fracture, pneumothorax (collapsed lung), choking | Shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, chest pain, stridor (noisy breathing), absent breath sounds | See a doctor if |
Heat injury (heat exhaustion, heat stroke) | Exhaustion, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache; consider heat stroke if body temperature increases |
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