If you’re active in athletics, whether at a competitive level or strictly on the weekends, your body faces distinct demands. Dr. Douglas Abeles of Douglas J. Abeles MD & Associates in Castro Valley, California, specializes in sports medicine, a practice that not only treats the wear-and-tear that results from your physical activity, but also helps you achieve and maintain superior levels of performance. Call or click today to find out how Dr. Abeles can help you.
Any medical discipline may fall under the sports medicine umbrella if athletic activity affects the body’s performance. Sports medicine practitioners provide comprehensive medical care for athletes that typically addresses both treatment and prevention.
Due to the demands of many sports and physical activities, the focus of sports medicine is musculoskeletal in nature. You need not be a professional athlete to benefit from sports medicine care, as many orthopaedic conditions occur just as readily in amateur and recreational sports. Even non-athletes can suffer from the types of injuries for which athletes may be more vulnerable.
The most common injuries at any level of sports participation are strains and sprains. Think of ligaments and muscle tendons as springs. During normal use, these stretch and then return to their original length. When these tissues are suddenly exposed to extreme motion, stretching longer and faster than normal, tears and deformations occur.
If these injuries are minor, you usually can treat them at home with rest, over-the-counter pain relief, cold packs, and elevation. The damage from severe strains and sprains may require medical intervention to repair. When tendons or ligaments are torn completely away, surgery may be necessary.
Other common sports injuries include:
As an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Abeles is well-suited to diagnose and treat common sports-related injuries, but his practice goes beyond simply damage repair. Prevention is a key aspect of sports medicine, so treatment to improve your fitness prior to injury may help you avoid downtime altogether.
The practice also offers complimentary services such as chiropractic care and acupuncture treatment, two disciplines that encourage optimal performance of your body’s own care and repair systems.
