What is Sports Medicine?
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine addressing physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Sports medicine is not specific to professional athletes but is geared toward anyone engaged in exercise or physical activity. The goal is to assist athletes of all capabilities to achieve their peak performance through proper exercise, nutrition, and safety. In addition, when you experience an injury during exercise or playing a sport, a sports medicine specialist will help you return to your routine and athletic pursuits as soon as safely possible. Sports medicine specialists also have a deep understanding about preventing illness and injury in active individuals and those with physically demanding jobs.
Who are Sports Medicine Specialists and who makes up the medical team?
Sports medicine specialists have obtained a certification as physicians to specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of sports and exercise related injuries and illness. Specialists consist of orthopedic surgeons, emergency medicine doctors, family practice physicians and professionals in other medical specialties that specifically obtain experience during their training to help with athletes and people with activity induced injuries.
A sports medicine team is generally comprised of both physicians and nonmedical specialists, including certified athletic trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists, sports psychologists and personal trainers. The goal of a sports medicine team is to work together to help you get back to your physical activities as quickly as possible.
What are Sports Injuries?
Sports injuries not only occur during an athletic event but also can be caused during training, exercise, or work-related causes. These injuries can be the result of inadequate training, overuse injuries, repetitive motions, insufficient stretching or warming up, as well as injuries sustained on a job. Being active and playing sports are great ways to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals both physically and mentally. However, there is an inherent risk of injury while participating in sporting activities. Common injuries usually are related to fractures of the bone, tears of ligaments/tendons/muscles, and concussions. Classic examples of sports injuries that Dr. Takenishi treats are anterior cruciate ligament tears, meniscus tears, cartilage injuries, patellar and shoulder dislocations, sprains and tears, fractures and many other ligament injuries.
Prevention of Sports Injuries
Sports medicine specialists will guide an individual back to their activities and advise patients on programs that will help to prevent future sports injuries. This commonly involves a gradual increase in an exercise program that steadily improves strength and fitness without overloading the individual. Stretching is of utmost importance during training and this also involves proper warm up and cool down programs to help prevent injuries. Eating a healthy diet and utilizing proper equipment also play a major role in preventing injuries. Proper rest and recovery are important while playing any sport or engaging in any heavy activities.
When to call a Sports Medicine Healthcare Provider?
If you or your family member has sustained a major injury during exercise or sports, it is best to seek emergency care right away. Common symptoms are severe pain, numbness, inability to put weight on an injured area, or inability to move a joint properly. Do not wait to see a sports medicine specialist. If you do not have any of these immediate symptoms, then you may ask your healthcare provider to be referred to a sports medicine specialist.
Treatment for Sports Injuries
Most sports injuries do not require any surgical management. The focus will be on decreasing pain, decreasing swelling and improving symptoms with rest, ice, elevation and modification of activities. Once the immediate symptoms have subsided and symptoms improve, then the focus will be on regaining the athlete’s ability to start the rehabilitation process. This usually involves some formal physical therapy to begin a regular exercise program as well as activating the muscles required for their sport. Certified athletic trainers and personal trainers can be involved during this process. The goal is to return the athlete or individual to their sport or activity as soon as possible and when it is safe to do so.
Surgical management can be a first line of treatment for severe injuries that include tears, bone fractures, ligament injuries and soft tissue injuries that are not amenable to nonoperative management. A sports orthopedic surgeon will perform the surgery and help guide the athlete through their postoperative recovery. Physical therapists, athletic trainers, and personal trainers can be involved in the recovery process to make sure the individual progresses appropriately and does not return the athlete to their activities until they have met certain physical fitness goals.
Who we treat
Sports medicine here is not limited to competitive athletes. The same injuries, and the same treatment principles, apply to anyone who wants to keep being active:
- High school and collegiate athletes, including throwing athletes
- Recreational and weekend athletes — runners, cyclists, climbers, racquet and team sports
- Adults returning to activity after time away, where load management matters most
- Active older adults who want to keep doing what they enjoy
- Workers whose jobs make physical demands comparable to sport
Conditions we commonly treat
Knee
ACL injuries · meniscus tears · LCL and MCL injuries · PCL injury · patellar instability · cartilage injuries · general knee pain.
Shoulder and elbow
Rotator cuff tears · shoulder instability · labral tears · throwing injuries · UCL injuries requiring Tommy John surgery · distal biceps tears · sports and shoulder fractures.
How we approach sports injuries
Two principles shape most of what we do.
The goal is what you want to get back to, not just a healed scan. A meniscus tear in a 45-year-old who wants to run trails and the same tear in someone who wants to walk comfortably are not the same clinical problem, and they should not automatically get the same treatment.
Surgery is one option among several, not the default. A great deal of sports injury is managed without an operation. Where surgery genuinely is the right answer, most procedures are performed arthroscopically, and regenerative options are considered where the evidence supports them.
Return to sport
Returning to sport is a decision based on measured criteria — restored strength, movement quality, and confidence under load — rather than on time elapsed. Returning on the calendar alone is a well-recognised route to re-injury, particularly after ACL reconstruction. Our physical therapy protocols set out the staged progressions used after specific procedures.
Next step
If an injury is keeping you from your sport, an evaluation will tell you what is wrong and what it will realistically take to get back. Call 916-732-3005 or request an appointment.