The majority of people who are physically active will get injured at one point or another. Many of us encounter an acute injury, such as a broken bone, ligament tear, or muscle strain, while others will suffer from degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis. A competent sports medicine doctor like Angelo Mattalino at Mattalino Orthopaedics in Phoenix, AZ can help you to get back to normal quickly and prevent you from developing a chronic condition.
The Benefits of Sports Medicine
If you have an injury that’s related to a sport you play, you may be wondering why it’s better to see a dedicated sports medicine professional rather than a general doctor. There are a number of benefits of seeing someone who regularly works with cases similar to yours. Firstly, such a doctor will have current information about all of the common sports injuries and they will be the first to learn about new developments.
In addition, they can help you to prevent and treat any issues that come up, no matter what muscle, bone, or joint they involve. A competent physician will also be well versed in regenerative medicine, which is a series of methods that help you to rejuvenate your tissue if it has been worn down due to age or an injury. With so many different ways of addressing sports injuries, a dedicated professional is the best person to see if you suffer from exercise-related issues.
What Does a Sports Medicine Doctor Do?
A doctor specializing in sports medicine will usually treat the results of injuries incurred when practicing sports. In many cases, these are acute injuries that happened during the activity, but some people also visit such a physician as a result of a chronic condition or inflammation that happened because of excessive exercise. Many sports medicine physicians are also surgeons, so they can perform operations on the relevant joints.
While some such doctors work with professional athletes, they are also available for people who got injured during recreational sports activities. In fact, they can treat anyone who has musculoskeletal issues that started because of physical activity. Most sports medicine professionals are trained to treat muscle and ligament problems, stress fractures, degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, and tendinopathies.
Education
The best sports medicine physicians are passionate about what they do, so they will not only treat their patients but also educate them about how to avoid injuries and conditions in the future. When you come for your initial appointment, Dr. Mattalino will speak to you about your injury, but also what led to it and what you can do so it doesn’t happen again.
In addition, your doctor will participate in continued education, which allows them to be on the cutting edge of medicine. As soon as there are new treatments available, a sports medicine professional will know about them and be able to implement them in their clinic. This means that you could benefit from new innovations that a general practitioner may not have encountered yet.
Surgery
Sometimes, an injury is so acute or severe that you will need surgery for it. If this is the case, an orthopedic surgeon is the person to see, as such a professional will have experience with similar cases and be able to treat you. Due to advances in medicine, there are many different types of surgery available, each one targeting a very specific problem. This enhances the chance of an excellent outcome.
Other Treatments
Sometimes, surgery may not be necessary and the issue can be resolved with an alternative method of treatment. In regenerative medicine, there are some non-surgical ways of addressing certain issues, usually by administering a series of injections to the affected area. This treatment stimulates the healing of affected tissues so that you regain your previous quality of life and can go back to practicing your sport.
Some sports medicine providers will also offer innovative treatments like Continuous Passive Motion, or CPM, which is a device that gently moves your knee back and forth, without you having to use your muscles. Such a treatment can allow the joint to heal faster, for example after you have undergone surgery.
Your Doctor Can Help You Prevent Injuries
The earlier you go to see your sports medicine professional, the better. If you visit the clinic before your issue has become very severe, you may be able to avoid surgical intervention and instead take advantage of a noninvasive method. That’s why we advise a visit to our clinic as soon as you have the first sign of an injury or trauma.
Athletes are well-known for being very body aware, so you will know when something feels wrong. In such a case, call or email Dr. Mattalino and explain your symptoms. He can then let you know whether a visit to the clinic is necessary or not.
Preventing Chronic Conditions
Athletes who are very active in a single sport are prone to overuse injuries that become chronic. For example, runner’s knee is a well-known issue that affects many people who run regularly, and Achilles tendinitis affects many soccer players for the majority of their career. In some cases, the symptoms of such conditions are so severe that athletes are forced to step down early.
By visiting your sports medicine doctor early on in your career, you can learn about how to prevent such issues and participate in your sport for many years to come. Your doctor may know some preventative exercises that can build up the muscles around joints prone to injury, advise you on ways to cross-train or speak to you about the kind of gear that can reduce the risk of injury.
A Surgeon Can Treat a Wide Variety of Issues
The most common reason for visiting a sports medicine professional is if you suffer from an issue or injury. Because of their extensive experience in dealing with similar cases, such doctors will be able to treat your conditions and have you return to your favorite sport in no time. Some of the most common issues a sports medicine physician can help you with knee, shoulder, or elbow injuries.
Knee Injuries
The knees are very prone to injury, especially in high-impact sports, and these problems can be debilitating, preventing you from participating in the sport you love most. A competent physician can treat a wide variety of knee issues, including microfractures, meniscus tears, ACL problems, and arthritis. Some conditions will need surgical repair, in which case a visit to your local sports medicine clinic is essential.
In other cases, knees can be healed with less invasive methods, such as platelet-rich plasma injections or continuous passive motion therapy. Your doctor will be able to advise you on what method is best in your situation and guide you through the healing process step by step.
Shoulder Injuries
Tennis, baseball, swimming, and volleyball are just some of the sports that can cause significant shoulder injuries over time. Whether it is a one-time impact or the wear and tear of repetitive motion that causes the injury, surgery or other types of treatment are likely to be necessary. We can heal cartilage tears, treat shoulder impingements, and reduce the amount of pain you have to deal with through strategic injections.
Elbow Injuries
If you’ve ever played tennis, you will be familiar with the term ‘tennis elbow’. But even people who don’t play this sport can suffer from the condition, which causes significant pain around the outside of your elbow. If you are experiencing this, a visit to your local sports medicine provider is the best way to deal with the issue.
In most cases, elbow injuries do not need surgical intervention, but we can treat them in other ways. In particular, regenerative injections such as platelet-rich plasma can help to speed up healing significantly.
Your Physician Can Regenerate Your Tissues Without Surgery
If you participate in sports for a prolonged time, you won’t get around some wear and tear issues such as osteoarthritis. In such cases, regenerative medicine can help you to regain your range of motion and power. There are several types of regenerative injections that can rejuvenate and regrow the local tissue at the site of injury.
Platelet-Rich Plasma
PRP therapy works by extracting the plasma and platelets from your own blood and injecting them into the site of your injury. Platelets are one of the main components that promote the healing process when your body is injured, so delivering more of them to the affected area can significantly speed up recovery. Once they have arrived at the site of your injury, they can encourage the breakdown of old cells and the formation of new, healthy tissue.
You may have heard of PRP treatment being used on famous athletes, many of whom have undergone this type of treatment to get back to their game faster. While it is an effective way of treating an acute injury, this type of technology can also be used to address chronically painful conditions like arthritis. No matter how long you’ve been suffering from your condition, PRP therapy could be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Viscosupplementation
Hyaluronic acid is a substance found naturally in your joints, and it helps to cushion the impact of your movement. During viscosupplementation, a high concentration of the acid is injected into the affected area, most commonly the knee, to reduce pain and swelling. You will be able to move better and freer and your pain will be reduced or eliminated. This treatment works well for people who suffer from arthritis.
OrthoBiologics
OrthoBiologics uses cell-based therapy and biomaterials to alleviate pain and help the body to repair itself. For example, it can be used to speed up the healing of broken bones or to help tendons recover after trauma. In some cases, it can now be used as a substitute for surgical intervention, allowing you to heal much faster and avoid the downtime that comes with surgery.
Contact Your Sports Medicine Professional Now
If you are regularly involved in physical activities, it is likely that you’ll experience a musculoskeletal injury at some point. Luckily, a sports medicine doctor can help you to recover quickly, no matter how severe your injury is. Your physician will also be able to educate you about why and how your injury occurred and help you to prevent such an incident in the future.
Call or message Mattalino Orthopaedic in Phoenix, AZ today to schedule your initial appointment. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Angelo Mattalino will be able to assess and treat your injury so that you can get back to doing what you love as soon as possible.