What Is Sports Medicine?

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Dr. Trever Wilkins, DO
Medical Director

When a professional athlete gets injured, getting them back onto the field or court as quick and safely as possible can be a challenging task. What does this look like? We're all familiar with the typical techniques of icing, elevating, and resting. However, other unique methods of active recovery may include low intensity exercise, stretching, dry needling, massaging, compression, and electrical stimulation. This all falls under the scope of sports medicine.

What is Sports Medicine?

Sports medicine can be defined as a branch of medicine that focuses on physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of sports and exercise injuries. You may be wondering what sports medicine doctors do. As an athlete, once you have injured yourself, you typically want to get back to your routine and athletic pursuits as soon as possible. Those who specialize in sports medicine are able to help you with this. Preventing illness and injury for children, adults, and people with physically demanding jobs is also a part of sports medicine.

Sports Medicine for Athletes

Previously, the only people who received sports medicine care were professional athletes. Now, this same kind of care is available and accessible to anyone at any level of sports or fitness. Sports medicine for young athletes is just as relevant as it is for older athletes. It can be beneficial for anyone participating in an active lifestyle.

What does a sports medicine approach look like?

A sports medicine team typically consists of a physician and physical therapist. They will help you rehabilitate and recover from injuries, provide exercises to help you regain strength and prevent any potential future injury, and help you with needed weight loss or gain to help you improve the function of your body. Optimize You provides this full care to help patients get back to their physical activities as quickly as they can.

What are some common injuries treated in sports medicine?

Common injuries sports medicine can treat include:

Knee and shoulder injuries

Fractures

Ankle sprains

Tendonitis

Cartilage injuries

Trusted Sports Medicine Practitioners in Eastern Arizona

Find the sports medicine practice that’s best for you with the help of friendly medical professionals. Optimize You hosts some of the best sports medicine practitioners in Arizona.

If you’re curious about sports medicine, we recommend you book an appointment with our experts. That way, you can gain in-depth knowledge about the practice and feel comfortable getting a procedure simultaneously. Education and knowledge are part of the process toward becoming a healthier you.

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