When you hear “sports medicine,” you might think about doctors who treat collegiate or professional athletes from the sidelines. But this branch of medicine cares for many more patients — including weekend warriors and recreational athletes — to keep you doing the sports and activities you love best.
Nicholas Avallone, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist and System Medical Director of Orthopedics for Atlantic Health, shares more about the sports medicine specialty and available treatment options.
What is sports medicine?
At its most basic, sports medicine is taking care of athletes with injuries, from chronic, lingering pain to severe, acute injuries that keep you from doing the things you love. And “athlete” doesn’t mean only people playing for their school or professionally. It also includes anyone participating in recreational activities or things that simply bring joy to life, from hiking and rock climbing to playing pickleball and skiing.
Sports medicine benefits you by treating issues or injuries of the musculoskeletal system so you can return to your activities.
“As sports medicine specialists, it’s so rewarding to care for people so they get back to doing the things they love and finding joy in life,” says Dr. Avallone. “Through sports medicine, we can help them get some of their function back.”
Sports medicine specialists collaborate closely with other providers, including:
- Orthopedic surgery
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Primary care
- Radiology
“Medicine is a team sport that requires collaboration across subspecialties,” says Dr. Avallone. “We work with everyone from primary care and physical therapy to athletic trainers in schools to parents to help athletes feel and perform at their best.”
What injuries do sports medicine physicians treat?
Sports medicine specialists include orthopedic surgeons and primary care sports medicine physicians. Both have received specialty training to treat problems with bones, muscles and joints from head to toe. Surgeons offer both operative (surgery) and non-operative care, while primary care physicians support patients with non-operative treatments.
“If you have chronic pain or an acute injury, no matter if it’s your back, shoulder, wrist, foot or elsewhere, sports medicine can help,” says Dr. Avallone.
Some of the most common injuries sports medicine specialists treat include:
- Ankle and knee sprains
- Chronic pain
- Knee, elbow and shoulder tendonitis
- Torn ligaments, including ACLs, and other severe injuries
- Torn rotator cuff
“Sports medicine providers are fellowship-trained and have extensive experience caring for these concerns,” says Dr. Avallone. “It makes a big difference seeing someone who has treated these injuries, including speed to diagnosis and quickly creating a good treatment plan. It gives a lot of confidence to patients.”
What does sports medicine treatment look like?
During your first sports medicine visit, you’ll get a physical exam and may have imaging, such as X-rays and ultrasounds, to get a clear diagnosis. You’ll meet with your doctor, review your health history and discuss a plan of care.
For serious injuries, you may get a referral for more advanced imaging, like an MRI, and surgery. Orthopedic surgeons perform these surgeries.
However, for most patients, treatment starts with physical therapy (PT). This initial therapy lasts about six weeks, after which you see your doctor for another visit to check progress and reevaluate your symptoms. Your doctor may also give you injections such as cortisone and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to ease symptoms.
“We really work hand in hand with PT,” says Dr. Avallone. “It’s such an important relationship since we can get feedback on a patient’s progress and how their injury is improving.”
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