Sports Injury Doctor: How Do You Heal An Injured Athlete?
A sports injury doctor is a medical professional who took specific training in treating an injured athlete or individual. Furthermore, they are the best fit to address exercise or sports-related injuries.
These sports medicine doctors can be in different fields. One specialized in non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, while the other also trained in the operative treatment of such conditions.
They not only focus on the injuries but also on how they should properly care for that injury. In this case, the injured athlete does not have to worry about staying in shape while still in that condition.
Reasons why you need to see this doctor
Sports doctors are not only for an injured athlete. Any individual who exercises or only plays sports as their pastime is prone to injury. Here are a few reasons why an individual should see and ask for care from these doctors.
- You have obtained an acute injury while you’re playing or exercising. A typical example of this injury is a sprain or strain.
- Moreover, you also need this doctor’s care if you have a chronic injury. These injuries often occur after an extended period of training.
- You will need an orthopedic surgeon if you have a broken bone or dislocation in your joints.
- Additionally, you would also need their assistance while you are recovering from an injury. These medical professionals are best to help you recover and return to your usual activities.
- Lastly, these medical professionals are the best to refer to if you want to prevent any injury.
Do you know now how a sports medicine doctor heal an injured athlete? Based on this, you will learn how important their roles are in sports and even to simple individuals who suffer injuries.
Later on, we will be providing you the simple ways to prevent an injury from doing exercise or sports. For now, let us first discover the types of injuries a sports medicine doctor looks after.
Injured athlete
Injuries can happen in any part of the body, such as muscles, bones, and joints. We have listed down typical examples of these injuries below.
Non-operative injuries
- Sprains or strains
- Fractures
- Injuries on your knees, feet, or ankles
- Shoulder injuries
- Damages in your hand and wrist
- Sports-induced asthma
- Tendon inflammation
- Eating disorders
- Concussions and other head injuries
These are the most common types of non-operative injuries a sports injury doctor can address. Aside from providing treatment to these injuries, they also talk about injury prevention. This way, the athletes will have a lower risk of developing injuries.
An injury usually doesn’t need to undergo surgery. You might only need surgery if the non-surgical treatments did not work out. Additionally, surgery is necessary if your injury symptoms hold you back from doing an active lifestyle.
Sports injury prevention
An individual or athlete can prevent the forthcoming of an injury. They only have to follow these simple tips to lower their risk of injury.
- Take time to rest. Have at least one day off or a total of 1 month per year to provide your body ample time to recover.
- It would be best to wear appropriate and properly fit protective gear such as mouthguards and so much more to keep you off from injury. Face injury, especially trauma to the eyes is dangerous.
- Doing exercises to strengthen your muscles will also help in your play.
- Increasing your flexibility through stretching is also beneficial. You should ensure to include this in your daily fitness plan.
- Furthermore, an athlete or individual should follow the proper techniques of doing an activity or sports.
- It is important to remember to play safe. Moreover, individuals should continue playing if they already have an injury and in pain.
- Heat illness is highly potential. It would be best to stay hydrated or wear light clothing. It is also preferable to decrease or not train during periods with high heat/humidity periods.
- For children, proper supervision should always be present.
Bottom line
A sports medicine doctor will not only serve you when you incurred an injury. It would be best to visit them to ask for preventive measures to avoid injuries.
Aside from that, a sports doctor shares the same goals with the athletes. They aim to make the athletes stay active in their chosen sports without getting an injury along the way. Remember to warm up and cool down even when you exercise at home. If you need medical attention, you can go to True Health Medical in Potts Point today.
