Orthopaedic - Sports medicine
In orthopedics, sports medicine is the branch of medical science that deals with the injuries caused by exertion and physical activities. It aims to trace the accurate diagnosis, the prevention, and the treatment of those injuries.
The application of sports medicine is instrumental in creating a positive attitude towards fitness and physical activity and preventing sedentary lifestyle-associated problems like obesity. It can also prove to be a crucial tool for a country to excel in a particular sport. Thus, sports medicine and related allied fields have gained popularity in recent times.
Diagnostic tools, preventive measures, and treatment choices in sports medicine are undertaken depending on the sports causing the injury, type, and location of the damage and individual characteristics.
What Are Some of the Most Common Sports Injuries That Occur?
- Heat Injuries- These are caused due to constant practice under the sun and continuous sweating, leading to depletion of body fluids. If untreated, it can lead to grave consequences like heat stroke.
- Traumatic Injuries- Knee injury is most familiar as ACL, PCL, menisci are prone to injury. Others: bone fractures, concussions, wrist injury, ankle sprain, shoulder, and hip dislocation.
- Overuse Injuries- Caused due to overtraining.
- Concussion- These are severe brain injuries that cause trauma to the neural tissue through a direct or indirect blow to the head. It is one of the most common types of athletic injury.
- Bone Fracture- It is also known as stress-based fractures that happen when the bone in consideration has had a direct impact or direct trauma.
- Dislocation- Any kind of sudden impact to a joint may result in its possible dislocation. It is a painful condition and requires medical intervention at the earliest. The most common sites of dislocation are usually the shoulder joint and the fingers.
What Are the Diagnostic Methods Used in Sports Medicine?
- Ultrasonography
- MRI
- X-ray
- CT scan
- CNS function evaluation like gait analysis
- Ankle Arthroscopy
What Are Some Preventive Measures That Are Taken up to Avoid Sports Injuries?
These include conditioning and stretching exercises to enhance musculoskeletal strength and warm-ups before the sports activity improves stamina.
What Are the General Methods of Treatment Used in the Field of Sports Medicine?
- Symptomatic relief
- Integrated physiotherapy
- Regenerative injections
- Surgery
Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Chirag Enclave, Delhi
Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment
When Should You See a Sports Medicine Physician?
Sports medicine physicians usually not just serve an athletic clientele; they also have clients who lead an active lifestyle. They are the experts on conditions related to sports, and it is necessary to seek guidance to avoid it becoming a significant issue in the future. These physicians are also adept at treating musculoskeletal problems in a very effective way.
They usually assist in two conditions: acute sports injuries or overuse condition injuries.
- Acute sports injuries are usually critical, caused by a specific impact, accident, trauma, or blunt force. They typically include sprains of all kinds, elbow, knee, ankle. It is usually followed up with physical therapy to increase the body’s strength and better its performance.
- Overuse conditions are chronic conditions that have developed over a long time because of excess, constant, repeated pressure put over one particular part of the body.
Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Chirag Enclave, Delhi
Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment
Conclusion
Sports medicine dabbles into the physical activity consultation post an injury and early rehabilitation of the normal functioning of the affected area. The physicians advise you to take adequate rest and prescribe a period before returning to physical activities. They usually aim to improve the performance of their clientele and can do so by teaching them about decision-making during sports, injury prevention methods, or tips to lead active lifestyles.
The common types of overuse injuries usually seen are
- Rotator cuff damage
- Knee joint damage
- Tennis elbow
- Joggers knee
- Tendonitis
Sports medicine physicians have to work in conjunction with many different people like nutritionists, physical therapists, internal medicine doctors, orthopedics, surgeons, trainers.
They are generally board-certified in pediatrics or family medicine with additional training in sports medicine. Some, but not all, sports medicine healthcare providers have surgical training, usually as orthopedic surgeons.