Is it better to stretch before or after exercise? Should I be wearing an ankle brace? If I get injured, how long should I wait before I start playing sports again?
These are just some of the questions a sports medicine doctor will help answer. Whether you’ve been playing football since before you can remember, have just taken up tennis, or simply like to workout at the gym in your free time, a sports medicine specialist will help treat and prevent injuries, as well as give you a better understanding of how to optimize your sports performance.
Treatment
Sports medicine doctors are specially trained to evaluate, diagnose, and treat athletic injuries. For example, if you have just started a new training regimen and have developed knee pain as a result, your sports medicine doctor will ask you a variety of questions on your past and present workouts, history of injuries, and more. Once your doctor evaluates and is able to diagnose the injury, you will be given recommendations for the best treatment options to aid your recovery.
Prevention
How can a doctor prevent a future injury?
First of all, the fact that you are even seeing a sports medicine specialist in the first place – that instead of ignoring your pain or letting it worsen, you are getting it evaluated – is a critical step toward prevention of further injury. Secondly, a sports medicine specialist is vital to the future of your health because he or she can sometimes identify areas of weakness before they progress into pain. By assessing your weight-bearing, body mechanics, and the overall structural health of your orthopedic system, your doctor can determine your best treatment options.
OSC offers advanced surgical care for sports injuries. To learn more, call us at (714) 221-4236.