Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of musculoskeletal injuries in athletes and active people. Additionally, sports doctors in Palo Alto CA provide emergency care for injuries and illnesses that happen during physical activity. These doctors provide care to people of all ages and abilities and can help treat a wide variety of conditions.

The field of sports med can be broken down into two categories: first, the role of injury prevention, and second, the treatment of injuries sustained while participating in sports activities or exercise.

Injury Prevention In Palo Alto CA

Prevention is an important part of sports medicine. Injuries are quite common in sports and other physical activities. By being proactive in trying to prevent them, patients are able to live longer, happier lives.

Many common sports injuries include sprains, muscle strains, fractures, concussions, torn ligaments, dislocations, and tendonitis. Many of these can be prevented with some simple measures, such as wearing the right shoes, warming up before exercising, stretching properly, and getting proper rest afterward. Wearing protective gear like helmets and shin guards can also help prevent some types of injuries.

Treatment

Sports medicine is also about treating patients who already have existing injuries. With both surgical and nonsurgical treatments available, many athletes and active individuals get fantastic care from an experienced physician. Some of the most common treatments include casts and splints, physical therapy, joint injections, and surgery.

How Sports Medicine Specialists Can Help Athletes?

There are many different ways that sports medicine specialists can help athletes. For example, they can provide treatment and instructions regarding concussion or traumatic brain injury. Also, they can provide treatment to athletes who have musculoskeletal injuries such as sprains and strains. Sports medicine specialists can also treat athletes with stress fractures and other overuse injuries as well.

In addition, these doctors can evaluate an athlete’s lifestyle and overall health. They can potentially help an athlete improve nutrition and exercise habits and make other lifestyle recommendations based on what they find during an evaluation.

A concussion is something that can happen to any athlete at any time and can have a wide range of symptoms. These may include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and more. If a physician suspects that someone has a concussion, they will typically order some imaging tests like an MRI in order to rule out any neurological issues that may be occurring due to a head injury. The physician will also want to talk to the patient about his or her medical history in order to determine the risk of further injury, and what types of treatments might be needed. They might recommend that a patient visit a specialist for evaluation and treatment.

Playing It Safe: Preventing and Treating Injuries

Athletes have a lot of risk factors when it comes to receiving injuries during play. Overuse or under-use of muscles, repetitive motions, and high-force impacts are a few common ones. At Heshmat Pain Management Clinic, we provide comprehensive sports medicine services. In the event of an injury, we may also provide diagnosis and treatment to help patients get back on their feet as soon as possible.