Everything You Need to Know About a Sports Medicine Doctor and Why You Should See One
Professional athletes often engage in strenuous, competitive, and highly-intensive training activities to deliver maximum performance. While these activities are crucial for any successful athlete, they can put their bodies and life in jeopardy. Knee injuries, ankle sprains, and shoulder dislocation are common injuries athletes have to deal with every once in a while. Some can be acute, while others can become chronic. That’s why professional athletes have to work closely with a sports medicine doctor to help improve their performance and prevent future injuries.
Who is a Sports Medicine Doctor?
A sports medicine doctor is a licensed medical professional with expertise in diagnosing, treating, and preventing injuries related to athletic activities. They have training in sports participation, physical activities, and the injuries related to them. Sports medicine doctors ensure that you recover from an injury and guide you to improve performance and prevent future injuries. They understand the goal of any active lifestyle and help you recover faster without surgery or medicine. That means they can be physicians, nutritionists, physical therapists, or surgeons.
Why Should You See a Sports Medicine Doctor?
If you’ve suffered a sports-related injury, you may want to see a sports medicine doctor to help improve your performance, speed up your recovery and prevent a similar injury from happening. Here are some of the most common reasons to see a sports medicine doctor.
To Relieve Acute or Chronic Pain
Acute pain is pain that lasts less than a week, while sub-acute or chronic pain is pain that persists and lasts more than twelve weeks. Sports medicine doctors have advanced knowledge of the best treatments for sports-related pains. While ordinary doctors work on treating symptoms of a sports injury, sports medicine doctors focus on treating the main cause of the injury, such as eliminating internal scars, strengthening weak muscles, and aligning the spine to prevent the injury from returning or causing pain afterwards.
To Get Rehabilitation Care
Sports physicians often conduct medical rehabilitation with practical management to treat, diagnose and rehabilitate musculoskeletal injuries caused by physical activities such as sports. Sports medical doctors will provide you with a personalized rehabilitation program to help heal your injuries correctly.
To Get Specialized Alternative Treatment
When it comes to sports injuries, surgery is the last resort. Sports medicine doctors have to use the alternative forms of treatment available to treat acute and chronic pain. They might use alternative practices such as stem cell injections or physical therapy to speed up the recovery process and never recommend surgery unless it is the only option left.
Sports Medicine Doctors Offer Preventative Care
Whether you’re ill or not, the main reason you should see a sports medicine doctor is to get preventative care. Sports medicine doctors are there to treat and prevent injuries. They can identify issues like stiffness that could affect your performance and recommend specific exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles. Sports medicine doctors also conduct physical examinations to determine whether a specific treatment plan is safe for your body. They can also give nutritional advice for a healthy lifestyle and how to train safely.