Sports Medicine Isn’t Just for Athletes
When most people hear the term “sports medicine,” they usually visualize medical treatment that’s reserved for elite, hard-training athletes. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Sports medicine focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions involving the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. You don’t have to be a marathon runner to suffer from such injuries. Stress from repetitive use or even an injury caused by a fall can be treated by a sports medicine professional.
There are two basic categories of injuries treated in sports medicine care. The first involves acute injury and the second involves damage caused by wear and tear and disorders such as arthritis that tend to develop gradually.
Sports medicine professionals can help patients with these symptoms:
- Joint and muscle pain
- Bone fractures
- Foot pain
- Ankle injury
- Overuse injury
- Joint dislocation
- Muscle fatigue
- Sudden, non-emergency injuries
Getting Back Into the Game
The Orthopedic Performance Institute’s Dr. Alexandra Matthews specializes in non-surgical treatment of these injuries, which helps to get patients “back into play” quickly and with less trauma. This is accomplished by utilizing techniques such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, in which the patient’s own blood is utilized to speed up the healing process. There are also nerve block injections that can block the pain for up to 90 days.
Diagnostic ultrasound is another way the doctor can identify the injury and begin treatment quickly. The Orthopedic Performance Institute utilizes the most modern techniques.
If it is determined that a patient’s condition requires surgery, Dr. Matthews can refer them to an orthopedic surgeon whose knowledge and experience is appropriate to treat the condition.
Avoiding Injury
She also counsels patients on injury avoidance. This is accomplished by instructing them how to train correctly and wear the appropriate gear and footwear. Good nutrition plays an important part, too, as it’s vital to keep bones and muscles strong. Patients aged six years and up are welcome.
Don’t keep living with unnecessary pain. Contact the Orthopedic Performance Institute in San Antonio or Boerne at (210) 545-7171 for an appointment today.
