If you are actively participating in sports and become injured, visiting your general practitioner may not be the best course of treatment. A sports medicine orthopedic doctor not only treats sports-related injuries but provides education on prevention through exercises and other techniques.
What is a Sports Medicine Doctor?
A sports medicine specialist can assess and diagnose an array of injuries as well as implementing other methods to avoid surgery. Some physicians may see the injury and not be aware of other methods and suggest surgery too quickly before trying other healing techniques first.
While watching sporting events, you may see a person running on the field after a player has been injured to assess the injury. While there are sports medicine doctors on our playing fields, they are also located within our community. They specialize in injuries to the musculoskeletal system with the goal of providing treatment right away, allowing you to get back to what you love as quickly as possible.
Aside from treating the injury, our orthopedic doctors provide education on how to best manage your injury and what should be done to maximize your recovery. Sports medicine orthopedics doctors attempt a non-operative treatment and usually treat those affected by:
- Sprains and strains
- Fractures
- Knee, ankle, and foot injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Hand and wrist injuries
- Sports-induced asthma
- Eating disorders
- Concussions
- Tendonitis
Treating Medical Conditions
Sports medicine treats and manages chronic and acute conditions all while providing helpful tips on nutrition and ways to enhance performance. Once a diagnosis is made, our orthopedic doctors will also provide our patients with a timeline as to when they can return to their sport.
Their work consists primarily of injury management to ensure fast recovery and a safe return to the sport, including the following:
- Facilitating and monitoring injury prevention
- Diagnosing an injury accurately depending on location and pathology
- Identifying the root cause of an injury to prevent a recurrence
- Prescribing rehabilitation and prescriptions as necessary to help heal and restore functionality
- Minimizing time away from the sport
- Maximizing long-term performance
Collaboration is a key element for sports medicine doctors as they work hand in hand with orthopedic surgeons, therapists, and dieticians.
Sports Medicine in Atlanta
The Atlanta orthopedic doctors at AICA Orthopedics provide a wide variety of treatment options for our athletes who have suffered injury to their musculoskeletal system. Aside from treating injuries, we are available to help increase performance and help to optimize your health.
For more information, call us today at (404) 855-2141. Let’s get you back into shape and feeling great!
