What Is the Difference Between Acute Pain and Chronic Pain?
Pain is pain, or so you might feel. But when acute pain crosses the line to chronic pain, you need to be prepared for a whole new approach to pain management.
What’s Different About Sports Medicine?
Like most athletes, you’re probably used to working through the pain of getting tackled, elbowed, or tripped up. However, if you have a serious injury that’s sidelined you, you need expert medical care.
Our providers at CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center have your back — and your knees, and your shoulders, and whatever else you injured on the court or field. And, even if you’re not an athlete, you may have similar injuries that fall under the scope of our holistic approach to pain management.
Whether you have an acute injury or chronic pain, sports medicine may be the best way to treat your condition and get you back to your active lifestyle. Here’s how sports medicine differs from other types of care.
Why your doctor’s medical specialty matters
When you’re sick or injured, your first instinct is likely to contact your doctor. And in many cases, your primary care physician ― also known as your family doctor or general practitioner ― is the best starting point. They’re trained to some degree in most fields of medicine. But, there are times when your condition might require the attention of a specialist who has extra training in a specific field, such as oncology (cancer), neurology (nerves), or psychiatry (mental health).
If you’ve suffered a musculoskeletal injury from playing sports or a similar activity, you might think you should consult with an orthopedic surgeon. However, that may not be the best way to go. Your best bet would likely be to see a sports medicine professional, and here’s why.
Sports medicine vs. orthopedic surgery
While both of these specialties focus on musculoskeletal conditions, there’s one main difference: orthopedic surgeons are trained in surgical treatments for your injury, and sports medicine physicians are trained in nonsurgical treatments.
Most sports injuries do not require surgery, but they do require the expert care of someone who understands your sport and your physical goals and can restore your body to peak performance.
Sports medicine specifics
The difference between sports medicine physicians and other medical specialists begins with the way they’re trained. Orthopedic surgeons, for example, spend their time training alongside other experienced surgeons in operating rooms. Sports medicine physicians train on the field or court and often serve as first responders when a sports injury occurs.
Sports medicine offers a unique blend of physical education, sports training, physical medicine, and rehabilitation.
Our sports medicine team here at CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center works together to develop personalized plans for our patients. When you come to us, we aim to do the following:
- Stop your pain
- Treat your underlying condition
- Restore your function
- Reduce your time away from your sport or active lifestyle
Athletes and nonathletes alike see us for a variety of injury types, including:
- Acute injuries, such as sprained ankles
- Shoulder injuries
- Knee injuries
- Fractured bones
- Overuse injuries, such as tendonitis, stress fractures, and rotator cuff injuries
Most of the time, these conditions don’t require surgery, and they can be treated expertly by our team.
What is sports medicine treatment like?
Sports medicine takes an interdisciplinary approach to treatment. We assess your condition and your rehabilitation goals to help design the most effective way to restore your function.
Depending on that treatment plan, we may use chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, physical therapy, biofeedback, anti-inflammatory injections, or a combination of these techniques.
The key is that we customize your treatment to your unique set of symptoms and your specific sport, exercise, or activity.
If you’ve suffered a musculoskeletal injury and want to see what sports medicine can do for you, book an appointment online or over the phone with CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center today.
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