It’s true! You don’t have to be a superstar athlete to visit a sports medicine doctor. These medical professionals provide a wide array of treatment options and paths for patients from any background. Read more below to learn more about sports medicine doctors and decide whether you should visit one for your injury.
What Do Sports Medicine Doctors Do?
Sports medicine doctors are trained to treat athletes and active people! Dr. Meredith Warner and other sports medicine professionals focus on the medical, therapeutic, and nutritional aspect of sports participation and physical activity.
All sports medicine doctors work to help their patients achieve optimal health and reach performance training goals. Each specialist treats a wide range of conditions affecting the body’s ability to perform correctly. They develop treatment programs for acute traumatic injuries and overuse injuries, which is standard for many athletes.
The field of sports medicine combines ideologies and principles from orthopedics, sports science, exercise physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, and psychology. Many types of providers may be classified as a sports medicine doctor; from a family practice MD to an orthopedic surgeon.
Can I Go If I’m Not An Athlete?
Athletes aren’t the only people who can benefit from sports medicine. Doctors use sports medicine principles to support patients going through a rehabilitation program or recovering from surgery. The principles applied to high-level athletes may also be easily put to us to improve even the most sedentary officer worker’s health. Whether you’re an athlete, an active person or just dealing with an injury, a physical therapist in sports medicine programs can create a treatment plan designed to reduce pain and regain mobility. Many sports medicine programs focus on muscle strengthening and flexibility. These principles are an essential aspect of recovery for almost any acute or chronic injury.
What Does a Sports Medicine Doctor Treat?
Physical therapy is an integral component of any good sports medicine program. Sports medicine professionals build treatment solutions for patients facing a variety of conditions. Here’s a list of some of the injuries we regularly treat at Warner Orthopedics & Wellness:
- Overuse injuries, including stress fractures, tendonitis, and osteoarthritis
- Acute injuries including ankle sprains, dislocations, fractures and joint injuries
- Preventing future injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Hand, wrist and elbow injuries
- Knee and hip injuries
- Foot and ankle injuries
- Shoulder and rotator cuff problems
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