Why Choose a “Sports Specialist” as your Surgeon?
Sports Medicine is a specialized field focusing on improving athletic performance and helping athletes recover from injuries. Within the field of sports medicine are nutritionists, physical therapists, orthopaedists, and more. When it comes to choosing a doctor to perform your joint surgery an orthopaedic sports specialist may be your best choice.
Sports Injuries Span All Disciplines
Hockey, golf, football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, bowling, and all other sports can cause injury. Some injuries are acute – such as a broken bone, or torn muscle or tendon. Others occur over time and cause chronic pain and a decrease in performance due to repetitive use, arthritis, and repeated dislocations.
What do Sports Specialists do?
A sports specialist is focused on every aspect of an athlete’s health and performance, and their knowledge can include one or more of the following areas of knowledge: injury prevention, nutrition, performance enhancement, surgical and non-surgical procedures, alternative and complementary therapies, and more.
Surgical Sports Specialists
A surgeon with additional sports medicine training is always looking for ways to help an injured athlete not only return to the game, but to do so with even better health and capability, if possible. They will look at all angles, consider all possibilities, and work closely with patient and coach to find solutions that get the player as healthy as possible and as fit as possible to return to the sport they love.
Surgery and Recovery
If you need surgery, a sports specialist can help you plan your pre-surgical preparation, complete the surgery, and guide you through recovery and rehabilitation to get you back in top form. Many athletes with injuries that formerly would have ended their career or participation in a much-loved sport are now finding they can return to their hobby or even professional play with great results.
Alternatives to Surgery
Sports surgeons often have a wider range of options available for patients who may wish to attempt avoidance of a major joint replacement Alternative treatments, less invasive surgeries, and non-surgical options may be available. After surgery, following your sports surgeon’s planned regimen can yield the best results for a successful recovery.
Sports Medicine is a Well-Rounded Approach
Nutrition, rehabilitation, and careful planning to prevent subsequent injuries are all part of a good sports specialists’ toolkit. A comprehensive approach to sports medicine can yield impressive results for athletes—whether they play for the NFL, are participants in Little League, or just enjoy a game of golf twice a week.