Why You Should Only Trust a Sports Medicine Doctor With Your Injury Recovery
Sports medicine has developed as a specialized subset of healthcare that focuses on helping athletes reach their full performance potential and recover swiftly and fully after injury. performance. A sports medicine specialist can utilize a broad range of approaches to restore function and minimize pain.
At Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine in Ramsey, New Jersey, our expert physicians provide specialized sports medicine care to athletes who have suffered an injury.
Sports medicine professionals
A sports medicine doctor can be a specialist or generalist from any number of medical and other healthcare fields who has undergone specific training to serve patients with sports-related injuries. This includes:
- Chiropractors
- Family practice doctors
- Musculoskeletal radiologists
- Pediatricians
- Physical therapists
Sports injuries
Common sports injuries treated by sports medicine doctors include the following:
Tendon or ligament damage
Tendons are the fibrous tissues that connect bone to muscle. Bone-to-bone connectors are ligaments. Both can be stretched or torn when subjected to extreme force. Since many sports involve impact, joint rotation, and fast changes in direction, a tendon or ligament tear is a common injury.
Muscle tears
Muscle strains (which are actually microtears of the muscle tissue) are another common sports injury. If you “pull” a muscle, you’ll need expert treatment as soon as possible, followed by rehabilitation to get you back to playing your preferred sport.
Joint injuries
All your joints are vulnerable to injury, some more than others depending on your chosen sport. Consider your hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and wrists to be high-risk for being popped out of socket (known as a subluxation or dislocation) or for joint damage such as a rotator cuff injury or ACL tear.
Arthritis
Finally, many athletes experience arthritis from repetitive use and require attention at a younger age than most people. A sports medicine doctor can help you manage pain and continue doing what you love.
Sports medicine treatments
Our doctors will evaluate your condition and determine the appropriate treatment. Typically, this starts with the most conservative options possible, such as rest and rehab, and can progress from there through bracing or splinting, joint injections, or arthroscopic surgery all the way to joint replacement, if necessary.
To receive the correct treatment (not only for reducing pain and repairing damage, but for getting you back to playing your sport at the desired level), you need a qualified sports medicine specialist. That’s why, if you’re ever injured playing sports, you should seek a referral for professional treatment as soon as possible.
You can learn more about sports medicine by talking to the team at Progressive Spine and Sports Medicine. Get in touch by calling 201-273-9702 or requesting an appointment online.