| <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { | | | | conservative methods of healing and physical therapy |
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| Sports injuries are inevitable when indulging in | | | | function. Based on the site and extent of injury and |
| physically demanding or contact sports. So much so | | | | evaluation by your doctor, the surgical approach used |
| that there is an altogether separate branch of | | | | could be traditional or laparoscopic (keyhole). |
| medicine dedicated to the treatment of sports | | | | The most common surgeries to treat sports-related |
| injuries and is called sports medicine. While minor | | | | injuries are: |
| wounds can heal in a few days or weeks, major | | | | - Knee replacement (total or partial) |
| ones may require surgical attention. However, just | | | | - ACL repair or reconstruction |
| like any other surgery, surgical treatment of sports | | | | - Meniscectomy |
| injuries may be expensive in the United States and | | | | - Arthroscopic surgery (knee arthroscopy, shoulder |
| other Western countries. But thanks to medical | | | | arthroscopy, spinal arthroscopy, wrist arthroscopy, |
| tourism, now these treatments can be obtained for | | | | ankle arthroscopy, hip arthroscopy) |
| cheap. | | | | - Tendon repair surgery |
| Injuries are an inevitable part of playing any sport, be | | | | - Laminectomy or laminotomy |
| it tennis, squash, football, baseball, hockey, cycling, | | | | - Discectomy or microdiscectomy |
| golf or any other. Just like defeats don't stop an | | | | - Bone fracture repair surgery |
| athlete from moving on, physical injuries should not | | | | - Hip replacement |
| prevent you from playing sports because there | | | | - Hip hemiarthroplasty |
| almost always is a way to treat the injury and even | | | | - Birmingham hip resurfacing |
| major injuries can now be treated affordably through | | | | - Spinal decompression surgery |
| medical tourism. | | | | MEDICAL TOURISM AND SURGERY |
| TYPES OF INJURIES | | | | If you are insured, your insurance may cover the |
| Sports injuries may range from bruises and muscle | | | | cost of surgery. But if you have to pay for the |
| strains, to fractures and head injuries. The most | | | | surgery out of pocket it may cost you a fortune to |
| common sports injuries are: | | | | have the surgery in the US. Therefore, Americans |
| - Ligament sprains and muscle strains | | | | are increasingly shopping for surgical care in other |
| - Swollen muscles | | | | countries - medical tourism - where the cost of |
| - Knee injuries (torn meniscus, runner's knee or | | | | surgery is much less while at the same time the |
| patellofemoral pain syndrome, jumper's knee, articular | | | | quality offered is superior to what is available in the |
| surface problems, problems with the kneecap) | | | | US. |
| - Knee ligament injuries (torn anterior cruciate | | | | When William Nilsson, an uninsured American, |
| ligament (ACL), torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), | | | | sustained knee injuries while playing football and tore |
| torn medial collateral ligament (MCL)) | | | | his knee ligaments while playing golf, he resorted to |
| - Shoulder injuries (rotator cuff tears, glenoid labrum | | | | an Indian hospital to get a total knee replacement |
| tear) | | | | surgery so he could return to his sports hobbies. |
| - Tendon injuries (Achilles tendon injuries, | | | | Assisted by Healthbase, a medical tourism facilitator |
| DeQuervain's syndrome or washerwoman's sprain or | | | | based in Boston, he managed to have his surgery for |
| mother's wrist) | | | | $6,500. The same surgery in the US would have cost |
| - Pain along the shin bone (shin splints) | | | | him between $30,000 and $40,000. |
| - Bone fractures (scaphoid fracture, hip fracture) | | | | Similarly, Daniel Biggs broke a tendon in his hand when |
| - Dislocations (shoulders, fingers, knees, wrists, | | | | playing golf. He had his tendon repair surgery |
| elbows) | | | | coordinated by Healthbase in Panama for which he |
| - Spine injuries (herniated disk, sciatica, lumbar spinal | | | | paid $5,500 - a price that was a mere 20% of what |
| stenosis) | | | | he was quoted in the United States. |
| TREATMENT OPTIONS | | | | These are just two examples of the hundreds and |
| To accelerate the overall healing process it's | | | | thousands of people traveling overseas to seek |
| important that the initial phase (inflammatory phase) | | | | affordable health care for sports-related injuries as |
| of the injury be minimized with the initial treatments. | | | | well as non-sports related conditions. Countries such |
| Treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, | | | | as Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and India are popular |
| Compression, and Elevation) regime to relieve pain, | | | | medical tourism destinations for such treatments. |
| reduce swelling and speed healing. Other possible | | | | Price differential is the leading factor for the |
| treatments include pain relievers, keeping the injured | | | | popularity of medical tourism. Other benefits of using |
| area from moving, rehabilitation and sometimes | | | | medical tourism are access to high quality and |
| surgery. | | | | immediate care. You may find more information |
| SURGICAL TREATMENT OF INJURIES | | | | about affordable medical tourism on the Healthbase |
| Surgery is recommended when the more | | | | website. |