Sports Medicine: Why It’s Essential

A physically active lifestyle comes with its challenges, including frequent injuries. It’s essential to have a health professional with whom you can have access to treatments when needed. Sports medicine focuses on treating injuries from sports or physical exercise to improve performance and restore health. In addition to treatments, sports medicine providers offer prevention and safety measures to lower your risk of injuries. Princeton Sports And Family Medicine offers comprehensive services to better your health and athletic performance. Keep reading to learn more about sports medicine.

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine is a medical branch that focuses on maintaining your health during various physical activities. Unlike what you may presume, sports medicine does not only deal with sports injuries. It hopes to improve and improve your movement.

Sports medicine also focuses on prevention. It aims at finding the root cause of the problem to give customized treatments.

When should you see a sports medicine specialist?

The sports medicine specialists recommend you book your appointment when you experience pain related to physical activity. You may also want to schedule your consultation before beginning a new sport or exercise routine. Your provider may help identify any issues that may cause injuries.

What injuries does sports medicine treat?

Sports medicine diagnoses and treats different types of injuries, including the following.

Knee pain

The knee is a complex structure where bones, connective tissues, and muscles meet. It makes the knee susceptible to various injuries, causing knee pain. The pain varies from acute to chronic, and when not treated, it may lead to a degenerative condition.

Knee pain may result from sprains and strains, dislocation, osteoarthritis, torn meniscus, or ACL injuries. Your sports medicine specialist performs a comprehensive diagnosis to determine the exact cause of the pain and provide treatments.

Foot and ankle pain

Foot and ankle consist of several components that are key parts during physical activities. Any injuries to these foot and ankle parts may lead to foot pain. You may also experience other symptoms that may interfere with your physical activity.

Other common sports injuries include elbow pain, concussions, shoulder pain, sprains and strains, fractures, and dislocations.

What treatments does sports medicine offer?

Your sports medicine provider performs a comprehensive diagnosis, including medical history review and physical exam. They also evaluate your function, including your strength, flexibility, and movement. The diagnosis may also involve tests, such as X-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, and blood tests.

Your provider uses the diagnosis findings to create a customized treatment plan. They recommend conservative treatments, such as rest, compression, physical therapy, immobilization, and ice or heat therapy.

They may also prescribe anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid injections, and diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasounds. Sports injury treatments may also include alternative therapies such as massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture.

Your sports medicine specialist works with other professionals, such as nutritionists and therapists, to give you better results.

Sports medicine can improve your physical activity performance and lower your risk of injuries. Contact the specialists today to schedule your consultation.