Optimizing Performance and Recovery: Orthopedic Sports Medicine
The medical branch of Sports medicine, also known as sports and exercise medicine, deals in physical fitness and the prevention and treatment of injuries related to sports and exercise. Sports medicine aims to safely and effectively help individuals meet training goals. Sports medicine experts address many physical conditions, including acute traumas such as fractures, sprains, strains, and dislocations.
What do we need to know about sports medicine?
Sports medicine specialists treat chronic overuse disorders such as tendinitis and elbow fractures. Sports medicine blends medical expertise with principles of sports science, including exercise physiology, orthopaedics, biomechanics, sports nutrition, and psychology. A sports medicine squad comprises physicians, surgeons, athletic trainers, sports psychiatrists, physical therapists, nutritionists, coaches, and personal trainers. To avail of sports medicine, you can consult an orthopaedic doctor near you or visit an orthopaedic hospital near you.
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What are the conditions treated by sports medicine?
Sports medicine doctors are orthopaedic specialists who treat athletes and those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries. Apart from muscles, bones, and injuries, a sports medicine physician treats a variety of other related conditions such as:
- Illnesses, chronic or acute
- Foot injuries
- Various muscle injuries
What are the most common sports injuries?
- Sprains occur because of ligament stretching or tearing
- A strain occurs when a muscle gets overly stretched and torn
- ACL refers to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the knee
- Rotator cuff injuries occur in the tissues (tendons) that connect muscle to bone around the shoulder joint
- Pitcher's elbow pain
- Tennis elbow is an irritation of the connective tissue between the forearm muscle and the elbow
- Achilles tendon tear: a partial or complete rupture of the tendon just above the heel
- Bone fracture
- Dislocations
- Damaged cartilage causes excruciating pain, inflammation, and disability
- Torn meniscus
- Arthritis
Many sports medicine specialists, such as orthopaedic surgeons, can perform arthroscopic surgeries. An arthroscopy requires minimal incision and ensures minimal scarring and faster recovery.
When do you need to see a sports medicine specialist?
- If you experience sudden trauma or severe pain
- If your pain persists after a period of rest
- If your pain subsides but then reappears
- If you suspect a variety of orthopaedic disorders
- If you cannot move or bend a joint
Conclusion
The field of sports medicine is expanding, as is the number of specialists required to work with athletes. Modern sports medicine research and innovation will continue, and more and more opportunities will become available.
FAQs:
What is the significance of lactic acid in sports?
When you run fast, lactic acid accumulates in your muscles, causing painful cramps. You continue to breathe quickly after running. The essential oxygen in your lungs reacts with the lactic acid in your muscles, breaking it down to produce carbon dioxide and water.
What are the reasons for the prohibition of anabolic steroids in sports?
Athletes can use anabolic steroids as performance-enhancing drugs, increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat while leading to many unfavourable side effects. Some athletes, weightlifters, and bodybuilders use them regularly to improve their physical performance and build their bodies. Sports authorities ban the global use of anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids have both short- and long-term fatal side effects, including high blood cholesterol levels, severe acne, fluid retention, hair thinning and baldness, and liver damage.
Is growth hormone beneficial to athletic performance?
The limited published data on the effects of growth hormones on athletic performance shows that while growth hormone increases lean body mass in the short term, they do not improve strength and may worsen exercise capacity.
How does "Orthopedic Sports Medicine" for chronic diseases?
Orthopaedic sports medicine can effectively manage chronic diseases through various approaches:
- Personalized Treatment Plans: Tailored treatment plans are designed based on specific needs and conditions.
- Comprehensive Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation programs aim to improve mobility, strength, and function while addressing the underlying causes of chronic conditions.
- Advanced Surgical Techniques: When necessary, orthopaedic sports medicine offers advanced surgical interventions to repair and reconstruct damaged tissues, such as ligaments or cartilage.
- Pain Management Strategies: Utilizing a combination of medication, physical therapy, and minimally invasive procedures to alleviate pain and discomfort associated with chronic diseases.
- Education and Prevention: Patients receive education on injury prevention strategies and lifestyle modifications to manage their condition effectively in the long term.
- Collaborative Approach: Orthopedic sports medicine often involves collaboration between orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, sports psychologists, and other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care.
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How do experts treat "severe bleeding" in sports like biking or car racing?
Experts address severe bleeding in sports like biking or car racing through immediate and targeted interventions:
- Direct Pressure: Applying direct pressure to the wound site helps control bleeding and promotes clotting.
- Elevation: Elevating the injured limb above the heart level can reduce blood flow to the area and minimize bleeding.
- Use of Tourniquets: In severe blood loss cases where direct pressure fails to stop the bleeding, experts apply tourniquets to restrict blood flow to the injured limb.
- Haemostatic Agents: The appropriate use of haemostatic agents or dressings containing substances like gauze impregnated with clotting agents can aid in controlling bleeding.
- Prompt Medical Attention: Seeking immediate medical attention is crucial to assess the severity of the injury and provide further treatment, such as suturing the wound or administering intravenous fluids.
- Safety Equipment: Emphasizing appropriate safety equipment, such as helmets and protective gear, can help prevent severe injuries and reduce the risk of bleeding in sports like biking or car racing.