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Sports Medicine: Helping People Return to an Active Lifestyle
Sports medicine focuses on preventing and treating injuries related to sports and exercise. Injury prevention may be the most important function of sports medicine, but most people don’t see a sports medicine professional until an injury has occurred.
This branch of medicine has seen significant growth in the last decade and a major misconception is that sports medicine only caters to professional athletes. Doctors, trainers and physical therapists who specialize in sports medicine handle the treatment and preventative care of all athletes, both amateur and professional.
Whether you’re a paid athlete for a professional sports team or someone who likes to play sports and exercise for fun, you can see a sports medicine professional. Typically people consult sports medicine professionals following an injury, but people can also seek their advice if they wish to generate better results with their exercise program.
It may seem that sports medicine is simply another term for orthopaedic care, but there is a difference. Sports medicine’s primary concern is to help people return to the active lifestyle they had prior to injury. This is accomplished through a combination of surgical procedures, strengthening exercises and therapies.
Common Sports Medicine Injuries
Injuries handled by sports medicine professionals are often soft tissue related and affect the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, back, neck, feet, and ankles. In many cases the injury involves cartilage or ligament damage. Some of the most common injuries treated by sports medicine professionals include:
- Torn tendons or ligaments
- Muscle contusions
- Muscle cramps
- Shin splints
- Sprains and strains
- FracturesAdde
- Stress fractures
- ACL and MCL tears
Treatment often involves rehabilitation so patients can return to their active lifestyle in good health.
How We Can Help
If you’ve experienced a sport-related injury one of the first things you should do is schedule an appointment at our Sports Medicine Center. Our team of sports medicine professionals range from orthopaedic surgeons to primary care physicians to physical therapists. Together we’ll evaluate, diagnose and treat your injury. We serve the Jacksonville, Saint Augustine and Palm Coast areas and look forward to being a part of your recovery.
