Musculoskeletal pain affects many people, and finding the right specialist helps patients recover. These injuries range from minor sprains to severe fractures requiring surgical intervention. Patients benefit from seeking care from orthopedic surgeons who specialize in sports medicine to regain function and mobility.
What Is an Orthopedic Surgeon?
An orthopedic surgeon is a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing, caring for, and treating disorders of the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. These specialists manage disorders present at birth, and they treat acute conditions. Consulting an orthopedic surgeon helps determine what they can do for each situation.
What Services Do They Offer?
Orthopedic surgeons provide a wide array of services designed to address musculoskeletal health comprehensively. They perform thorough physical examinations to assess the injury, and they order imaging tests to confirm the diagnosis. While surgery is their main focus, these doctors also prescribe non-surgical therapies.
Services include managing chronic conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis through medication and lifestyle changes. They also treat acute injuries such as dislocations and tears, and they coordinate rehabilitation programs with physical therapists. The goal is to restore the patient’s quality of life through the least invasive means possible.
What Is Sports Medicine?
Sports medicine is a branch of healthcare dedicated to physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. It is not limited to professional athletes, for it benefits anyone who sustains an injury during physical activity. The primary goal is to help patients recover fully so they can return to their previous level of activity.
This field combines general medical education with the specific principles of exercise science and biomechanics. Practitioners understand how the body moves during athletic performance, and they use this knowledge to prevent future injuries. It addresses issues ranging from ankle sprains in runners to rotator cuff tears in swimmers.
What Are the Available Treatments?
Orthopedic surgeons utilize a variety of treatments depending on the severity and location of the injury. They often begin with conservative methods, such as braces or casts, to effectively immobilize an injured area. This allows the bone or soft tissue to heal naturally, but medical observation is still required during this process to monitor progress. Medication is prescribed to manage pain and inflammation, allowing patients to participate in physical therapy more comfortably.
Closed reduction is a procedure where the doctor manipulates a fractured bone back into place without making an incision. This method is effective for certain types of breaks where the bone fragments have not shifted significantly, and it is often followed by casting. If the injury is more severe or involves soft tissue, the surgeon may recommend arthroscopy. This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to visualize joint problems, and it involves inserting a small camera called an arthroscope through a tiny incision.
Fracture repair surgery involves using metal plates, screws, or pins to hold broken bones in proper alignment while they heal. This internal fixation provides rigid support for complex fractures. In cases where a bone fails to heal properly or a significant amount of bone is lost, bone graft procedures are utilized to stimulate growth. These grafts replace missing bone, and they help restore structural integrity to the skeletal system.
Learn More About Sports Medicine
Sports medicine offers targeted solutions for individuals suffering from activity-related injuries. Orthopedic surgeons provide the necessary expertise to diagnose these conditions, and they implement effective treatment strategies ranging from bracing to complex surgery. Contact a local orthopedic clinic today to schedule a consultation and learn more about recovery.