Different Types of Sports Medicine Treatments

Whether playing a casual hockey game with friends or training for a big sporting event, seeking quality sports medical care is imperative. Even the best athletes can cause injuries from overexertion. That's where the advice and sports medicine treatments come in.

It's easily done. Slamming a tennis ball into the opposing court, receiving an awkward tackle, or overexerting during a javelin throw can seriously harm or impair your body. Sports medicine practitioners (medical doctors specializing in sports medicine) exist to keep your body in peak condition. 

Learn about the sports medicine treatments available and when they're needed below.

 

What Is Sports Medicine?

Sports medicine is a medical specialty that treats conditions associated with an active lifestyle. Most sports physicians deal predominately with musculoskeletal and orthopedic injuries, including:

  • Dislocations

  • Fractures

  • Sprains and strains

  • Osteoarthritis

  • Concussions

The end goal is to treat the underlying injury, returning the individual to their active lifestyle. Sports physicians may also see work-related injuries because of the emphasis on musculoskeletal disorders.

 

Why is sports medicine important?

Sports medicine is as much about preventing injury as treating it. During a routine visit, a sports physician can evaluate your training regime and assess if you're overexerting. Moreover, they can advise on common causes of sports injuries, such as:

  • Poor technique or form

  • Excessive exercise or overexertion

  • Improper gear usage

  • Faulty training advice

  • Too few breaks

Receiving continual care from a sports medicine physician can ensure you stay healthy, reducing your likelihood of injury. Sports physicians also advise on nutrition, suggesting dietary changes relevant to your activity level; and they'll also review the rest of your physical and mental health.

 

Common sports medicine treatments

Sports medicine treatments are tailored to the injury. Broadly, they fit into three categories:

  • Pain management

  • Physical therapy

  • Surgery

Pain management

Almost all kinds of musculoskeletal and orthopedic injuries may present with pain (alongside swelling, redness, and loss of function). Reducing pain will not specifically help in the treatment process; it can help you cope with the constant ache, tenderness, and discomfort as you heal.

Pain management includes:

  • Prescription medications. Anti-inflammatories, like NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen), are among the most commonly prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines used. They'll relieve your discomfort and soothe any inflammation. Acetaminophen is also a popular pain medication; more serious cases can be treated with opioids such as codeine or morphine.

  • Injected medications. Corticosteroids are a potent anti-inflammatory injected into joints to ease irritation and inflammation. Other potential injected medications include Botox® or sclerosing fluids – these are far less common, however. 

  • Electrical stimulation. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may provide relief for neurologic pain. It involves passing energy through your nerves adjacent to your sports injury. The result is temporary pain relief.

  • Heat and cooling. Ice and heating pads can be used to relieve pain. Ice is typically used for inflamed injuries, whereas heat is best applied to strains and sprains. 

Physical therapy

Certain sports physicians will deliver the physical therapy themselves or provide you with a series of basic exercises to perform at home. A session with a specialized physical therapist may be needed for more intensive physical therapy. 

Physical therapy involves strengthening your muscles and ligaments to reduce the potential for future injuries. Moreover, a physical therapist can help retrain your body, breaking bad habits like improper form or posture. In addition, physical therapists improve your flexibility so that you can perform the same actions more safely.

Most physical therapy sessions occur once a week, involving a gradual rebuilding of damaged muscles and ligaments. In extreme cases, a physical therapist can help people relearn how to walk or perform basic tasks. However, in the majority of cases, only a minor improvement is needed to see a patient return to optimal fitness, flexibility, and health.

Surgery

When all else fails, surgery is the final option. In some cases, like a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), surgery is the first-line intervention – no other sports medicine treatment can help.

Otherwise, surgery may be exploratory to identify why alternative sports medicine treatments are not improving your condition. For example, elbow arthroscopy involves inserting a camera into the joint space of the elbow to examine the structures directly.

Common surgical procedures in sports medicine include:

  • Meniscus repair or meniscectomy. The cushion in the knee can become torn. Where possible, the surgeon will attempt to suture the meniscus. If that's not possible, the meniscus is trimmed and smoothed to ensure the knee functions normally.

  • Tendon repair. The biceps and knee tendons are the most likely to rupture when hyper-extended. The surgeon will repair the tendon, returning some, if not all, function to the muscle.

  • Rotator cuff repair. Perhaps the most frequently performed surgical procedure. The rotator cuff anchors the arm into the shoulder, being repaired with "suture anchors" that screw into the bone.  

  • Arthroscopy. A form of exploratory surgery, arthroscopy involves threading a small video camera into a joint for diagnostic purposes. Using the camera, the surgeon can examine joint space, including the cartilage and bony surfaces. If necessary, cartilage repair, removal of bone spurs or cartilage fragments, repair or cleaning out of damaged tendons, and more can be performed.

 

Choose a concierge sports medicine service

With all the different types of sports medicine treatments available, concierge medicine provides unparalleled care and attention. You are guaranteed access to a physician whenever needed – and our sports medicine physicians can refer you for imaging, diagnosis, expert opinions, and more. 

Contact our team to schedule a free meeting – we're ready to keep you fit and active.

Nasser Mohamed