Many people think of sports medicine as merely
the treatment of athletic injuries. In fact the field of
sports medicine has evolved to provide guidance for multiple
different sports related areas, such as injury prevention,
conditioning, and proper sports equipment.
In the 1960's when sports in America began to receive much
more national media attention, the injuries the athletes received
also were under greater scrutiny. One of the goals of sports
medicine was a better understanding of how the injuries occurred
and what treatment options were available. In sports medicine
the physician wants to keep the athlete participating in the
sport safely while still allowing the injury to heal. Also,
when a more serious injury occurs, newer diagnostic techniques
such as MRI scans have aided greatly in early diagnosis and
better treatment planning.
The advent of arthroscopic surgery
which is the "microsurgery" performed on the athletes' joints,
has helped to revolutionize sports medicine treatment. In
fact, the fiberoptics of the arthroscope have become so sophisticated
that the surgeon can usually see better throughout a joint
with three or four punctate holes for the scope and instruments,
than the surgeon could previously see through a giant six
inch scar. Arthroscopic surgery has also helped us in being
better able to diagnose specific injuries, as well as in many
circumstances repair tissues anatomically. Injuries such as
meniscal cartilage tears, that previously may have required
removal and which would eventually lead to arthritic changes,
now can frequently be repaired, preventing arthritic changes
and improving function. Other advances in arthroscopy include
the treatment of instability problems and rotator cuff problems
with arthroscopic techniques. Other joints that are amenable
to arthroscopy include the elbow, wrist, carpal tunnel, ankle,
hip and the great toe.
One of the greatest advances in sports medicine is the after-treatment
of injuries. Physical therapy and occupational therapy programs
and protocols have been developed for virtually all sports
medicine injuries. This allows many injuries to be effectively
treated non-surgically and still allow them to heal while
the athlete is participating in sports. The post operative
regimens allow many athletes to return to sports, weeks or
months sooner, than they had done previously prior to the
rehabilitation advances.
A better understanding of how injuries occur have helped
significantly reduce many types of sports medicine injuries.
Microfractures of the bone, known as stress fractures frequently
can be prevented with proper shoe wear, soft cushioned orthotics,
and proper training techniques. Similarly many muscle strains,
which are tearing of the muscle fibers, can also be prevented
with proper warm-up and stretching prior to and post-activity.
High speed video technology has allowed us to study the motions
of throwing a baseball or tennis strokes, and that has helped
us analyze where injuries occur and how to prevent many of
these problems. Advances in sports equipment and technology
have also helped to reduce injuries.
It used to be believed that women participating in sports
were more likely to be injured than men. Recent studies have
shown that properly conditioned women and men have similar
injury rates. However there is a higher rate of injury to
the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee in women as compared
to men and this is the subject of many research projects that
are currently being undertaken. Children in sports is another
area of active sports medicine research as well as athletes
with Down syndrome and other genetic conditions.
Overall among all Americans, but particularly young Americans,
there is a general interest in improved conditioning, working
out, and sports participation. With higher numbers of people
involved in these activities, there will be more injuries.
One of the goals of this web site is to help educate young
people about specific sports medicine problems in an effort
to prevent injury and if an injury occurs, to allow rapid
treatment to keep the athlete participating in their sport.
Click here to check out Dr Selesnick's personal website:
http://www.jockdoc.md/
