Sports medicine deals with athletes: not only handling injuries sustained in athletic practices, training, and competition, but also helping athletes build strength in a way that helps them improve their overall performance and avoid injury. Sports medicine is more than just treating injuries after they occur. For many athletes, working with sports medicine professionals can help improve overall performance and help them reach their goals. Have you considered how sports medicine can help improve your performance?
Sports medicine specialists take a closer look at your personal strengths and weaknesses.
Many athletes have a trick knee or a shoulder that acts up under certain conditions. When you work with a sports medicine specialist, they’ll help you find ways to build strength and flexibility to minimize that weakness, which may ultimately offer substantial improvement of your overall athletic performance.
- Injury prevention helps keep you training longer.
When you suffer an injury, you often must miss out on much-needed training time. When you work with a sports medicine specialist on a regular basis, you’ll learn critical skills and techniques that will help you prevent injury and keep you stronger. As a result, you won’t have to lose that important time training by spending it in recovery instead.
- Sports medicine specialists help athletes recover faster.
As an athlete, you have a different perspective on your recovery than a weekend warrior or someone who isn’t physically active on a regular basis. In many ways, your body is in better condition to recover fast–and traditional physical therapists, who don’t usually work with athletes, may not fully understand how that works to your advantage when it comes to training. A sports medicine specialist, on the other hand, will help you recover faster so when the time comes, you can get back to your sport sooner.
- Working with a sports medicine specialist can help you create a better training schedule.
A sports medicine specialist will often identify weaknesses in your training regime that could be negatively impacting your athletic performance and preventing you from achieving your goals. You might be sabotaging yourself with your diet, whether you’re not taking in enough calories or you’re missing out on vital nutrients. You might miss out on critical areas of training that could help build your strength and endurance. Whatever the case, a sports medicine specialist can often identify those deficits and help you reach new accomplishments through your training.
- Sports medicine often identifies the root cause of an injury, rather than just treating the problem.
As an athlete, you may deal with both repetitive stress injuries–also known as wear and tear injuries over time–and acute injuries. While acute injuries may occur for no better reason than an improper movement at just the wrong time, they may also occur due to improper training or the way your body has worn down with time. Chronic injuries, on the other hand, are often the result of improper training or trying to push your body too hard. When you work with a sports medicine specialist, they won’t just identify what caused this specific injury. They will also work with you to identify the root cause of the injury and allow the injury to heal fully, which will help you push back to the sport you love sooner.
- Sports medicine specialists know the latest, least invasive methods for recovery.
As an athlete, you don’t have the luxury of sitting on the bench for an entire season if there’s another option available–and the sooner you can get back to training and your sport, the happier you will be. A sports medicine specialist will provide you with the latest technology and the least invasive methods to accomplish your recovery. If you do need surgery, a sports medicine specialist will know what surgical technique or procedure will best prepare you for a full recovery. This can help you regain as much mobility and strength in the injured area as possible.
Sports medicine takes a whole-body approach.
Whether you’re dealing with an injury or just trying to improve your training routine, a sports medicine specialist will not just look at your injury, but will take a whole-body approach to building strength and flexibility during your recovery. This might include looking at your diet to help encourage recovery and rebuild muscle and help you maintain strength while you’re recovering. Because you’re an athlete, every day you have to sit around means a little more strength lost. With a sports medicine specialist, you can often find ways to continue training during your recovery, which can ultimately mean a sooner return to the sport you love–not to mention better odds of a full recovery.
- As you work with a sports medicine specialist, you will learn how to better listen to your body.
As an athlete, your body will let you know when you’re pushing too hard or nearing a dangerous point in your training–but only if you listen to it. A sports medicine specialist can help you understand what your body is telling you and how to adapt your training in response.
Are you an athlete who has been on the fence about what a sports medicine specialist can do for you? It’s time to start improving your overall training and recovery so you’ll learn exactly what you’re capable of and how you can reach new heights.
The Chicago Center for Orthopedics’ Sports Medicine Program will help you maintain or regain the most active lifestyle possible. We want you to get back in the game! Our doctors have treated professional and Olympic athletes as well as thousands of everyday athletes.
Our orthopedic and sports medicine experts have teamed up with the Schaumburg Boomers, Windy City Thunderbolts, RMU Eagles, Chicago Hope Academy Eagles, South Suburban Bulldogs and St. Rita Mustangs to become the exclusive health care partner for these pro and school sports teams. We are also the exclusive medical care provider for the Chicago Sport & Social Club.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help shape your training plan or manage your recovery after an injury.