Did you know that orthopedic medicine isn’t just for athletes or people who play sports on the weekend? Orthopedic – or Sports Medicine is actually for any muscle or ligament issue regardless of how an injury or illness occurred. Sports Medicine focuses on rehabilitation methods for patients geared toward fast, and full recovery.
Who Needs Orthopedic Sports Medicine?
Anyone that needs to focus on improving their athletic performance, those who want to avoid future injury, and people that simply want to maintain or improve their quality of life as it pertains to activity. Sports Medicine includes doctors and therapists dedicated to helping those that have suffered injury and those that want better results.
The Doctors at Orthopedic Associates of Denver focus on musculoskeletal medicine and the treatment of injuries. Our doctors also focus on methods to improve patients’ lifestyles – including exercise, training and those that want to get back to their sport of choice following injury, illness or overuse. When beginning a diagnosis and treatment of a condition, the OA team may ask questions such as:
- What are the risks of treating this condition?
- What are the risks of NOT treating this condition?
- What are the goals of the patient – both lifestyle and sports goals?
- What are the long and short term risks involved?
What Do Orthopedic Sports Doctors Treat?
Injury and overuse of the body are the primary reasons to see a Sports Medicine Doctor. When a patient’s body repeats the same motion over and over – for instance serving a tennis ball, swinging a golf club, or running – they can develop chronic pain in their tendons and muscles.
Some common injuries the Doctors at OA treat include:
ACL tear: This knee injury commonly occurs during sports that involve jumping, sudden stops, or changes in direction like skiing, basketball, and soccer. Ligaments on the inside of the knee are often torn with an ACL injury. Most people may feel a popping inside the knee when this injury occurs. Your knee may swell, feel unstable, or become too painful to bear weight.
Rotator cuff tear: Symptoms typically include shoulder weakness and / or pain and weakness and trouble raising the arm. This occurs often from repeated shoulder motions. It’s a common injury, especially in sports like tennis or golf, but it can also happen lifting heavy items.
Hip flexor strain: Common symptoms include pain in the upper leg, reduced mobility, and cramping in the muscles of the upper leg area. The hip flexors are muscles found near the top of the thigh. Injuries to this muscle group can be caused by activities with quick turns and sudden starts, such as running and sprinting.
Ankle sprains: Ankle sprains are most common in sports that require a jumping or cutting action – for instance in basketball, soccer and tennis. Did you know that bad-fitting shoes can make you more vulnerable to injury too? A sprained ankle occurs when you roll or twist your ankle. These tears or stretches to ligaments can cause pain as they hold your ankle bones together. This type of injury causes swelling, pain and limited range of motion.
Treatment Options for Sports-Related Injuries
Orthopedic Associates of Denver offers a wide range of treatment options for sports medicine with the latest state-of-the-art technology to help you get on the road to recovery faster.
Have an injury you need help with? Orthopedic Associates is here to help you start your healing journey. Contact us today.
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