When you think of a sports medicine doctor, you probably think of doctors that offer services to professional athletes. But, in fact, there is much more to a sports medicine doctor than serving professional or Olympic-level athletes.
Anyone – professional athletes, teens involved in sports, people of any age who enjoy being active, and factory workers who sustain sports injuries – can use a sports medicine doctor.
However, the question is when you should see a sports medicine doctor. Let’s talk about the top 5 reasons to book a sports medicine appointment with your doctor and where you can go to find the best sports medicine doctor in Northeast Ohio.
Reason #1 To Seek Treatment of Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are actually quite common and can happen at any time regardless of your athletic abilities and alertness during a physically demanding job. Joints like the knee, ankle, elbow, and shoulder can easily get injured during sports or a physically demanding job.
So, if you sustain a sports injury, you should make an appointment with a sports medicine doctor for the diagnosis and treatment of the injury. A sports medicine doctor can effectively diagnose and treat acute and chronic injuries like
- Fractures
- Tendonitis
- Sprains and strains
- Tennis elbows
- Golfers’ elbows
- Knee bursitis
- Achilles tendon tear
- Rotator cuff tear
- Arthritis
Reason #2 To Speed Up Your Recovery from Injury
Staying on the bed after an injury is the worst scenario one can imagine. So, if you’ve sustained a musculoskeletal injury, you may want to recover and return to your activities faster.
A sports medicine doctor can help kick-start your recovery after an injury by preventing muscle stiffness and weakness, as well as can shorten your recovery period after the injury. They can make a recovery schedule for you and help you with:
- Splints or braces to stabilize the injured area
- Medications to reduce pain and inflammation
- Range of motion exercise to help you extend or flex your injured joint
- Therapies to promote healing, such as heat and cold therapy, massage, sound wave stimulation, and electric stimulation
- Exercises such as stretching and strengthening exercises
Reason #3 To Prevent the Recurrence of Injury
Certain injuries can make the injury spot vulnerable to re-injury. For example, people with overuse injuries such as golfer’s elbow and rotator cuff tears often experience recurrence of the injury. So, if your injury returns, book an appointment with a sports medicine physician.
A sports medicine physician will oversee your rehab and preventive program to stop the vicious cycle of reinjury.
Reason #4 To Maximize your Performance
Besides injury, illness, and stress, many other reasons, such as a decrease in strength, endurance, and overall energy, can reduce your athletic performance.
Should you want to maximize your performance, a sports medicine doctor can help you.
A sports medicine doctor can thoroughly evaluate and determine whether an underlying illness or infection, overtraining, nutritional deficiency, or something else is the cause of your reduced performance. Then, they develop a plan and help you to get back to giving your 100 percent.
Reason #5 To Prevent Injuries
Whether you want to start sports, do a new exercise or gym, you can use the expertise of a sports medicine doctor to know if the particular sport or exercise is safe for you.
You can also get a conditioning and exercise program from your sports medicine doctor to stay fit. To prevent injuries during your sports or physical activity, your sports medicine doctor can give you warm-up, stretching, and cool-down routines, as well as advise you about safety training, equipment, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle.
Sports Medicine Doctor in Northeast Ohio
At Orthopaedic Associates, we have board-certified, fellowship-trained doctors and surgeons who are well-versed in sports injuries. We are committed to providing you with compassionate care and treatment to get back to your game or physical activity quickly and avoid future injuries.
To make an appointment with us, call today at (440) 892-1440 or fill out our appointment request form.