Athletes are more prone to injuries and illness during their activities on the field. These injuries and illnesses are evaluated by sports medicine doctors. But what should you expect during your pre-season checkups or injury evaluation? Read this article to learn what you should expect during pre-season checkups, and injury evaluations. Log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.
When should you visit a sports medicine doctor?
Almost every active athlete who plays sports is prone to sports injuries, some injuries are acute, and some are chronic. Injuries need to be addressed in time to get the best treatment and prevent the risk of future injuries.
Whenever you encounter sports injuries, you should visit a sports medicine doctor because they can diagnose, treat, and prevent your sports injuries and help you to stay in the best shape and performance so that you can return to the field after recovery.
The right time to see a sports medicine doctor can vary from person to person depending on their specific situations and needs. Here are some situations when you need to see a sports medicine doctor.
- You had a sports injury
- You want to prevent sports injuries
- You want to participate in sport.
- You want to enhance your athletic performance.
- You’re recovering from an injury.
Pre-season checkups for athletes
This evaluation is used to identify and mitigate injury risks. Every athlete needs to go through this to ensure they are fit for their competition or don’t make the team weaker in the competition. Young people are more prone to injury that can turn into severe chronic problems that plague adulthood.
These screenings can’t predict all injuries; however, they still identify athletes who are at risk of certain injuries based on their anatomy, fitness, and choice of sport. Then the athlete can be given some specific exercises to add to their training program to lower the likelihood of injury.
Additionally, it is essential for young athletes who are in danger of overtraining or overusing certain muscle groups. It recognizes the impending injuries and stops them from overdoing it.
These screenings are not only about injury prevention but also give tips for athletes to get better in performance through strength and flexibility exercises to provide them an extra edge over the competition.
These screenings are done at a doctor’s office. Doctors take a physical exam of the athletes, examine their muscles, bones, and joints, and how they function together in a given scenario like baseball or gymnastics.
During the pre-season screening, the doctor may ask:
- Previous injuries and how the athlete felt returning to sport.
- Talk with the athlete about where they feel weak and experience pain.
- Check their range of motion (joint mobility and flexibility).
- Muscle strength testing.
- Evaluating their anatomical symmetry for imbalances.
- Review the athlete’s growth and its effects on performance.
Once the evaluation is complete, your doctor makes recommendations tailored to your specific needs. For instance, a swimmer may be given some stretches to prevent shoulder injuries or a soccer player may be prescribed exercises to strengthen ankles with laxity.
If the athlete is not experiencing any particular problems and is not at risk of injury, the doctor still recommends additional training programs to keep them in good shape. The main goal of pre-season checkups is to ensure the athlete stays strong and healthy so that chances of achieving their goals get better while staying injury-free.
Injury evaluation
For injury evaluation, a sports medicine doctor goes through your medical history and performs a physical exam.
During your physical exam, the doctor may check your symptoms and add things related to your playing sports. The doctor may focus on the health of the lungs, heart, bones, and joints.
The doctor may also check your BMI, blood pressure, pulse, vision, nose, belly, throat, joints, strength, flexibility, and posture. The doctor may also discuss your diet, drugs, or supplements you take, or menstrual periods if you’re a woman.
In case your injury is severe or deep, doctors use imaging tests like X-rays, ultrasound, and CT scans to examine and monitor your injuries.
Pre-season checkups, injury evaluations, and return-to-play assessments all ensure that an athlete gets into better shape after injury and performs better in the sport. These checkups are done by a sports medicine exam, which specializes in diagnoses, treatment, and prevention of injuries and illnesses in athletes.
Need help with injury and illness in the sport, visit our sports medicine doctor for proper medical evaluation and treatment. Call us to book your appointment today. Doral Health and Wellness has several urgent care clinics around New York that can cater to your family’s medical needs. We also have the best medical providers, physicians and staff that are highly trained in their respective specialties. To know more about the locations of our urgent care clinics, you can visit us at Doral Health and Wellness. If you are looking for urgent care near you, you can visit Doral Health and Wellness Urgent Care. We provide urgent care for common illnesses and injuries. Additionally, we also provide comprehensive care for any related injuries and health problems. We also offer other services, such as vaccinations, immunizations, and blood testing. For more info, visit us or call 1-347-384-5690.
