Sports Medicine

Sports Medicine is a subspecialty of orthopedic surgery that deals with injuries in athletes and other athletic type of injuries. It generally deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injury with the goal to return to the optimal level of activity. The practice of sports medicine is not specific to any type of joint but often deals with acute injuries, chronic overuse injuries, and prevention of injury.

Sports-related injuries are often treatable with home treatments such as rest, ice, elevation, compression and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories. If these treatments fail, it may be beneficial to consult an orthopedic sports medicine specialist for further evaluation and treatment. The practice of Sports Medicine involves a large array of treatment options which may include physical therapy, activity modification, neuromuscular retraining, autologous blood product injections, steroid injections, advanced imaging, and as a last resort surgical treatment.

Today many more patients are seeking out treatment from a sports medicine specialist to continue to perform at the highest level. Orthopedic sports medicine specialists see an ever increasing population of overuse injuries secondary to over training and lack of cross-training with the competitive nature of year around sports.

Severe acute injuries and chronic injuries not amenable to home treatments often require the evaluation of a sports medicine specialist to have the optimal result. There are often many treatment options available and consultation with a sports medicine specialist may offer guidance to the best treatment for each individual athlete.