If you play sports, you are probably not a stranger to injury. Accidents happen, especially while on the field. Injuries sustained while playing a sport may impact your muscles, tendons, joints, bones, and other soft tissue within the body – and any of these injuries should be seen by a professional.
When you’re injured, a sports orthopedic specialist, often referred to as a sports medicine doctor, is precisely the type of medical professional you’ll want to seek out. Let’s take a further look at what sports orthopedics is and how it can benefit you.
What Is Sports Orthopedics?
Sports orthopedics, commonly referred to as sports medicine, is a subspecialty in the field that focuses on orthopedic injuries a patient has suffered while playing a sport or performing a physical activity.
Orthopedic injuries are injuries to the musculoskeletal system, meaning the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other soft tissues within the body. Your sports orthopedic specialist will evaluate your condition and provide you with a treatment plan to help you get back to your pre-injury condition – getting you back to your sport as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Common Sports Injuries
There are a several conditions that sports orthopedic providers see more often than others. These common sports injuries include:
- ACL tear
- Ankle sprain
- Clavicle fracture
- Golfer’s elbow
- Labral tear
- Meniscus tear
- Shoulder dislocation
- Tendonitis
- Tennis elbow
If you believe you have one of the above injuries and have yet to see a specialist, we encourage you to see a sports orthopedic doctor as soon as possible. Leaving your injury untreated may cause permanent damage in the long run.
What Do Sports Orthopedic Doctors Do?
There are many different reasons you should seek out a sports orthopedic specialist if you have sufferedan injury while playing a sport. Not only do these specialists help restore your health, but they also help you return to your sport safely and as quickly as possible.
Restore Your Function &Range of Motion
After an injury, patients are often left with a limited range of motion in the injured areas. Sometimes, patients are no longer able to use the affected areas at all. The goal of providers like the ones at the Joint Replacement Institute in Naples, Florida, is to restore the full function of your injured area, while simultaneously restoring a healthy range of motion. This may be done with minimally invasive treatments like PRP therapy, with noninvasive treatments like physical therapy, or with the help of arthroscopic surgery.
Prevent Future Injury
After you’ve repaired your injury, the last thing you want to do is re-injure the treated area. Sports medicine specialists are experts in the musculoskeletal system, meaning they know exactly how the body works while you’re playing your sport. They’ll be able to provide you with tips to help prevent re-injury or injuring another part of your body in the future.
Not Just for Athletes
Sports orthopedic specialists aren’t just for professional athletes. Whether you’re a weekend warrior, play pick-up games of tennis with your friends occasionally, or simply sustained an injury while exercising at the gym or walking around the block, a sports orthopedic specialist is right for you. If you’re unsure whether your injury requires a sports orthopedic specialist, we encourage you to call the experts at the Joint Replacement Institute.
Sports Orthopedics in Naples, FL
The Joint Replacement Institute in Naples, Florida, is a state-of-the-art center for orthopedic medicine, including sports medicine. Our team of skilled providers are well-trained in addressing sports-related injuries and provide tailored treatment plans to each patient we see. If you have a sports injury or orthopedic-related concern, we encourage you to call our office.
Call the Joint Replacement Institute today at (239) 261-2663 to learn more about our surgical and nonsurgical services. You may also fill out our convenient online appointment request form to request a private consultation.
