What can a Sports Medicine physician do for you?

A sports medicine physician can maximize non-operative treatment, guide appropriate referrals to physical and occupational therapies, and if necessary, expedite referral to an orthopedic/sports surgeon.

Common examples of musculoskeletal problems include:

• Acute injuries (such as ankle sprains, muscle strains, knee and shoulder injuries, and fractures)
• Overuse injuries (such as rotator cuff and other forms of tendonitis, stress fractures)
• Medical and injection therapies for osteoarthritis

Sports Medicine physicians have also received additional training in the non-musculoskeletal aspects of sports medicine. Common examples of these include:

• Concussion (mild traumatic brain injury) and other head injuries
• Athletes with chronic or acute illness (such as infectious mononucleosis, asthma or diabetes)
• Nutrition, supplements, ergogenic aids, and performance issues
• Exercise prescription for patients who want to increase their fitness
• Injury prevention
• “Return to play” decisions in the sick or injured athlete
• Recommendations on safe strength training and conditioning exercises
• Healthy lifestyle promotion