Being active by playing sports is an effective way to stay healthy and manage your weight. However, games and activities often require repeated movements, which put stress on the muscles and may injure you. Sports medicine is incredibly beneficial to athletes of all abilities, as it helps them care for and heal their bodies.

What’s Sports Medicine?

This type of medicine is practiced by medical professionals who have specific training in preventing illness or injury in physically active people. They also help treat injuries when they occur. While sports isn’t an official medical specialty, practitioners can include osteopathic physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and others with special training in this area.

How Can Sports Medicine Help?

Common fitness injuries include neck or lower back pain from muscle strains, a torn ligament in the knee, concussions, hamstring strains, and dozens of others. To help avoid these injuries, a trained physician may observe you while you play. They’ll evaluate your movements and assess potential areas to strengthen or adjust.

How Do You Treat a Sports Injury?

Fortunately, there are many treatments available to help athletes restore their bodies and return to their favorite activities as soon as possible. Your physician may prescribe medication if you’re feeling pain. To supplement this, they may also suggest using ice packs to address swelling, as well as attending physical therapy to regain your range of motion. Regular appointments with a physical therapist are used in conjunction with at-home exercises, and they’ll help rebuild damaged muscles.

If you ever experience a sports injury, you can get help from the team at IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health in Honolulu, HI. These sports medicine professionals offer a variety of treatments, like osteopathic manipulation and orthopedic surgery, and they’ll walk you through your recovery to ensure you regain muscle control, strength, and range of motion. To get more information about their services, visit the website or call (808) 521-8170.