Sports Rehabilitation

Whether a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, sports are fun but with intense play, sometimes comes injury. While most sports injuries heal themselves, some are stubborn and don't seem to get better — certainly not as quickly as you desire. While many physicians' answer to sports injury is simply to "stay off it," studies show that many sports injuries heal faster with the proper return to exercise.

The physiatrists at Rehabilitation Medicine Associates review the entire form and function of your body with your sport. Often, they can determine not only the course of recovery, but identify the cause of the injury in the first place. Physiatrists are specialists in Physical Medicine — not only muscles and skeletal structure, but the nerves that control them. They are medical experts in gait analysis and movement. They are also MDs that can prescribe specific exercise or physical therapy to address the precise cause and rehabilitation of the injury.

A physiatrist is a specialist medical doctor that commonly evaluates and manages a variety of sports related injuries when the "normal course" of treatment by a general physician sends someone to a physical therapist, and they don't get better. A physiatrist is the specialist that is seen for the unique injury, or that athlete that won't accept the answer to "stay off it." A physiatrist is the specialist that is called upon to review the cause for the recurring sports injury, to make recommendations for strengthening and conditioning to reduce the likelyhood of reccurrence again. The physiatrist manages sports injuries without a surgical approach using conservative treatment unless surgery is absolutely necessary.

The physicians at RMA have created articles and provided links on different sports rehabilitation issues. Enjoy your sport and stay healthy.