Athletes and non-athletes alike can benefit from the help of a sports medicine doctor. Discover how sports medicine can help you feel your best!
Sports medicine focuses on the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries to the muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues. As its name implies, sports medicine doctors deal primarily with professional athletes — but they don’t exclusively deal with athletes by any means. In fact, sports medicine can benefit anyone who lives an active lifestyle, raising your game and improving your quality of life.
So whether you play sports professionally or you are a weekend warrior, read on to learn why you should make a sports medicine doctor a valued member of your healthcare team.
How sports medicine can improve your quality of life
Sports medicine doctors are medical professionals who treat athletics-related injuries without surgery. That means that for the approximately 90 percent of all sports-related injuries that don’t require surgery, a sports medicine doctor is usually the best person to see. Even if you do require surgery for your injury, a sports medicine doctor is a great person to see first since they’ll be in a great position to recommend the perfect surgeon for your condition.
No matter how athletic you are, a sports medicine doctor can help you get back to the activities you love and greatly enhance your overall quality of life following an injury. Here are some of the reasons you should see a sports medicine doctor:
You’ll avoid future injuries. No one likes to spend time off the playing field with an injury. It’s disruptive and painful. While some injuries are fairly unavoidable, many are due to issues like overuse or use of the wrong technique. Fortunately, a sports medicine doctor can not only treat your injuries, they can also analyze your biomechanics and pinpoint the problem behind the injury. If you’re experiencing pain in one area, your sports medicine doctor can determine why it’s happening and suggest ways to avoid long-term muscle and joint issues, teaching you the right approaches to avoid re-injury.
You’ll recover faster. Unsurprisingly, working with a professional sports medicine doctor will help you recover from an injury faster than working with a doctor without those specific expertise. By accurately diagnosing the injury or musculoskeletal condition, your sports medicine doctor can recommend treatments and exercises to overcome the injury in record time. They will also monitor your progress to make sure you’re on the right track to recovery throughout the treatment process.
You’ll perform better. Every athlete strives to perform at their best. A sports medicine doctor can help you achieve peak performance even without an injury by increasing your strength, endurance, and flexibility.
You’ll play longer. At any age, you want to enjoy your sport as long as you can. By preventing injuries and perfecting your form, your sports medicine doctor can keep you on the playing field for many years to come.
You’ll be healthier. While sports medicine specializes in sports-related injuries and conditions, it can boost your overall well-being, too. You’ll feel much stronger and healthier physically, and your mental health will benefit as well when you work with a sports medicine doctor. That’s because your doctor will work with a team of professionals including nutritionists, orthopedists, and physical therapists to help you reach your athletic and personal goals beyond simply injury-recovery.
Ready to see a sports medicine doctor?
No matter your level of athletic activity,, you can improve your sporting performance and quality of life with the help of one of the sports medicine doctors, physical therapists, and orthopedists at New York Bone & Joint Specialists. Contact us today for a consultation.