Sports Medicine: Not Just for Athletes
When you hear the words “sports medicine,” you probably picture athletes working with physical therapists, attempting to either recover from an injury or improve their physical performance. You wouldn’t be wrong for thinking this, especially since sports medicine was originally designed to help athletes succeed in their respective athletic events. However, it’s important to note that sports medicine has evolved over the years, and many studies have found this treatment technique offers several health benefits to patients with non-sports related injuries.
What is sports medicine?
Sports medicine focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of physical injuries, no matter the cause – that’s what makes this therapeutic modality so effective. When combined with comprehensive rehabilitation, sports medicine can help patients recover from their injury, regain normal functioning, and improve their range of motion in a safe and efficient manner. While your OSR physical therapist will likely utilize a number of techniques to get you back on track, a solid sports medicine regimen is often the first line of defense for acute and chronic injuries.
Who can benefit from sports medicine?
You may benefit from seeing a sports medicine specialist if you suffer from the following injuries/conditions:
- ACL/MCL sprains and tears
- Achilles tendonitis
- Chronic pain
- Exercise-induced asthma
- Fibromyalgia
- Impingement syndrome
- IT band syndrome
- Muscle sprains and tears
- Osteoarthritis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Rotator cuff tears
- Shin splints
- Stress fractures
- And more!
What should my next step(s) be?
Now that you know the conditions and injuries that can benefit from this treatment technique, it’s time to schedule an appointment with a reputable sports medicine specialist. At OSR Physical Therapy, we build individualized sports medicine programs that focus on injury prevention, comprehensive treatment, total rehabilitation, and performance enhancement – no matter the type of cause of injury.
Once you schedule your appointment with our team, we suggest completing all of the necessary new patient paperwork prior to your first visit. New patient forms can be found here: https://osrphysicaltherapy.com/patient-resources/patient-forms and filling them out ahead of time will help cut down on patient wait times and appointment delays. After you’ve checked in with the front desk clerk, you’ll be introduced to your sports medicine specialist.
He or she will work with you to create a program that is custom to your specific sport, performance, and recovery goals. Depending on your injury or condition and goals, our therapists may recommend a combination of treatment techniques, which may include resistance training, rehabilitation exercises, and special services like dry needling, the Graston technique, fire cupping, and massage therapy.
Ultimately, patients benefit from our team-centric atmosphere and approach – we don’t just utilize traditional sports medicine practices, we evolve the field by relying on the health specialties and services offered at OSR Physical Therapy.
Ready to schedule an appointment? We hoped you would be! If you’d like to schedule an appointment at one of our clinics, please visit the “Contact Us” tab on our website. We also offer a handy “Request An Appointment” fillable form, available here: https://osrphysicaltherapy.com/request-an-appointment. We look forward to working with you!
The advice and information contained in this article are for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.