What Does A Sports Medicine Doctor Do

Sports injuries are common place and can be caused by many different factors including trauma, overuse or strain. They occur most often among those who participate in high-impact activities such as running, football, basketball, soccer, tennis and hockey for example. In fact, it’s estimated that about 80% of American adults play at least one sport and nearly half say their favorite pastime is something related to athletics. With these statistics alone you know there must be a lot of people out there suffering from sports injuries! However, what happens if your doctor isn’t familiar with treating these types of injuries? What if he/she doesn’t have experience working with patients whose occupations involve strenuous physical activity? Would this mean that they may not be able to help them effectively treat their condition? The answer to both questions is yes! That’s why it’s important to make sure you find a sports medicine doctor who has extensive training in the field of orthopedics (the branch of health care concerned with musculoskeletal disorders) which includes studying how muscles function, how joints move, how bones grow, etc.) If the person you’re looking at doesn’t have this kind of background, then chances are they won’t be able to provide you with the specialized care you need. This article will give you some insight into the work done by sports medicine doctors so you’ll better understand what they do and whether or not you should choose one for yourself.

Generally speaking, the role of a sports medicine physician is to aide athletes of all ages when they suffer an injury doing any type of physical activity. Their goal is to get the patient back in action as quickly and safely as possible without causing further harm. In order to accomplish this task properly, physicians use x-rays, scans, laboratory tests and even surgery depending on the severity of the injury. When necessary, they also refer their patients to other specialists like orthopaedic surgeons, physiatrists, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists and podiatrists.

It’s important to note that although sports medicine doctors receive special training to deal with sports injuries, they don’t actually practice within the profession themselves. Instead they rely heavily upon other medical professionals for assistance. For instance, a sports medicine doctor might examine an athlete who’s injured but unable to complete his normal daily routine. He would then determine if the athlete needs treatment or if they could return to play immediately. If the latter were true, he would probably recommend that the player see a physical therapist instead of himself due to the risk involved in returning to physical activity before proper rehabilitation takes place. It’s also very likely that he’d refer him to another specialist to perform certain procedures such as injections or surgeries.
The reason sports medicine doctors aren’t practicing regularly is because they want to avoid putting their own professional reputation at stake. After all, if a patient ends up needing surgery performed by them and it turns out that they did anything wrong, the physician’s career would certainly take a hit. Because of this, sports medicine doctors usually specialize in one area or subspecialty. There are several different fields in which a sports medicine doctor can concentrate such as foot & ankle, knee, shoulder, hand, elbow, hip, spine and sports concussion. One thing you should keep in mind though is that no matter where they focus their expertise, they still maintain general knowledge in all areas of sports medicine. Therefore, if you ever happen to wind up in their office with a sports injury, they shouldn’t hesitate to diagnose and treat you just because you participated in something else.
With everything said above, it’s clear that sports medicine doctors play an incredibly valuable role in helping athletes recover faster from their injuries while preventing future ones. Not only does this benefit the players themselves, but it also helps to improve athletic performance overall. Without these individuals around, many athletes would be forced to endure long bouts of pain and immobility. So next time you decide to sign up for a tough new workout program, consider finding someone who specializes in sports medicine along with a qualified trainer. You’ll definitely thank me later!

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