Treating a Wound

Many athletes make the same choice after suffering sports related injuries- to see the general physician, or to attend physical therapy sessions for weeks or months at a time. But many others, from the high school athlete to the professional, look to sports medicine clinics for care and rehabilitation after spraining an ankle, receiving a concussion, or suffering from back problems.

Their thinking is that these sports medicine clinics offer care that is more specialized, tailored to the long term health and performance of their patients, and comprehensive in scope. In some cases, the choice is clear because these clinics tend to offer physical therapy, the benefits of a general physician, and more.

1. Sports Medicine Clinics Offer More Specialized Care. Runners, catchers, and throwers are extremely familiar with conditions like runner's knee and plantar fasciitis, and so they expect their doctors and caregivers to be familiar as well. Seeing an in-house podiatrist who has treated hundreds of cases of runner's knee in the past can make the difference between getting back on the trails within weeks and being sidelined for months. 
2. Sports Medicine Clinics Offer Care that is More Tailored to Long-Term Performance. One of the reasons sports injuries can be so frustrating is that athletes do not only expect to return to everyday activities after being injured, but also to perform physically strenuous activities that can irritate their past injuries. For this reason, the soccer player who sprained her ankle will need stronger and more focused therapy than the patient who is not expected to make cutting runs on the soccer field for ninety minutes at a time. The physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists at a sports medicine clinic know this fact and are ready to provide the level of care that serious athletes require.
3. Sports Medicine Clinics Offer More Comprehensive Care. Often, a general physician will refer sports injury patients to a specialist (think of the local podiatrist) when further treatment is necessary. Sports medicine clinics often employ these specialists in their own building and network, which makes for faster appointments as well as the ability for doctors to easily coordinate treatment with one another. To know that there is a surgeon down the hall who can perform that procedure the following week if the clinic's podiatrist deems it necessary can provide not only peace of mind, but also a return to form that is more speedy and effective.

For a sports medicine clinic, contact a doctor such as Dr. Lisa M. Schoene.