What is “Sports Medicine”?

By definition, sports medicine is considered a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise.

If you’re an athlete (of any age) and have had an injury which you needed help with I bet you’ve google the words “Sports Medicine Near me” before haven’t you? But what even is “Sports Medicine”? I think the term is often not well understood by those outside (and even inside) the healthcare field. Today I’m going to define Sports Medicine and answer some common questions regarding it!

Athletes require a different approach to their healthcare compared to your general population, particularly when attempting to do things such as return to a respective sport after an injury. This is the part of medicine that sets sports medicine specialist apart from other general practitioners. It should be noted that sports medicine is not just for professional athletes. It is for everyone from your weekend warrior to your elite athletes. Also, there is no age limit to being an athlete! We truly believe that age is only a number and does not define your needs as an athlete.

The other component that sets sports medicine providers apart is that sports medicine also has a encompasses the practice of PREVENTATIVE medicine and PERFORMANCE training. This means you don’t need to wait to get injured to utilize the benefits of seeing a sports medicine specialist! This area in particular is the part that really excited us the most at Movement is Medicine Physical Therapy and Sports Performance. We staunchly believe in the fact that there is nothing better than constantly trying to prevent injuries in our athletes. We know that we will never create a world without injuries, but if we can mitigate that risk as much as we can we can certainly make a huge impact in many lives!

Who can be considered sports medicine providers?

Medical Doctors or Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine

Physical Therapists

Athletic Trainers

Chiropractors

Strength and Conditioning specialists

Massage Therapists

Dietitians

And more that I am probably forgetting at the moment.

Each one of these practitioners plays a vital role in helping athletes stay performing at their best.

When should you see a sports medicine specialist?

The obvious first answer is if you’re dealing with any pain that is limiting you from performing the activities/sports you love, then you should absolutely seek out help from a Sports Medicine Provider.

That being said, regardless of whether you have an injury or not we believe that all athletes should see a specialist (in our case a physical therapist) at least twice a year to be screened to determine your injury risk level for your particular sport. This can help us keep you on the field and help avoid unwanted injuries. The amazing thing about Virginia is that you no longer need a physician referral to see a physical therapist, so getting direct access to us is faster and easier than ever!

Additionally, if you’re an athlete or active adult that simply wants to keep being able to live the high performance lifestyles you love then working together with a sports medicine specialist can help you do that! Remember I said earlier that we also deal with injury prevention AND PERFORMANCE! Don't wait until your next injury to seek help!

If you’re an athlete or active adult that is ready to take control of your health and performance with our team of Sports Medicine Specialists then click the link below to sign up for our limited time offer.

We are giving away injury risk assessments for only $47! This is originally a $197 offer! This won’t last long, so don’t miss out!