Whether you are a pro athlete or an avid amateur, your favorite sport can take a toll on your body. Repetitive motion injuries, sprains, fractures, and more threaten your training goals and level of fitness. To stay in the game, consult an experienced sports medicine doctor. Here are some tips for finding the right sports medicine doctor for you in Maryland.
Sports Medicine Doctors Address Both Needs and Goals
Sports medicine is a subspecialty of internal medicine, family practice, or orthopedics. Its practitioners diagnose and treat injuries and conditions related to the rigors of athletic performance and exercise routines.
Besides dealing with acute and chronic conditions, sports medicine doctors assist athletes and fitness-minded individuals in avoiding injuries, such as sprains, dislocations, tendonitis, and rotator cuff tears. These physicians also show their patients how to stay in peak condition, meet specific training and performance objectives, and how use equipment, taping, and splinting to support and protect their bodies.
Finally, sports medicine doctors work with athletes to optimize hydration and nutrition. And, not to neglect the psychological aspects of sports, these physicians develop strategies to improve mental focus, control stress, and compete effectively.
Finding the Right Sports Medicine Doctor
This is an important decision. Here are some tips to help you with it.
Define Your Needs
Many sports medicine physicians subspecialize in a particular area of the body. Some may concentrate on lower limb injuries, offering surgeries, physical therapy, and rehab. Others, such as our physicians at Greater Chesapeake Hand to Shoulder, are experts in the upper extremities: fingers, hands, shoulders, wrists, arms, and elbows. So, consider your desired therapeutic outcomes, and look for providers who concentrate on those areas.
Get a Referral
Your PCP should be able to provide a list of sports medicine doctors in your area. Also, you can ask family, friends, or trusted fellow athletes at the gym or on your team.
Check The Doctor’s Credentials
Read about the doctor’s qualifications, such as education, experience, area of specialty, and board certification, on the practice website. Verify the information on the American Board of Medical Specialties website.
Verify Some Important Basics
Contact the prospective physician’s office and your health insurance provider to make sure the doctor is in-network. Ask about co-pays for office visits and other services, such as X-rays, surgeries, and physical therapy. Know your financial obligations ahead of time.
Also, select a doctor conveniently near your home, school, or workplace. See if imaging, PT, and other services are delivered in one location.
Book an In-person Consultation
Meet the doctor and staff in person. Discuss your injury, training goals, and other needs. The physician should be friendly, respectful, and willing to answer all your questions fully.
Try to get a feel for the office atmosphere, too. It’s important that you be comfortable in the environment where you may be spending a fair amount of time.
Sports Medicine Doctors in Maryland
The board-certified and fellowship-trained sports medicine doctors at Greater Chesapeake Hand to Shoulder in Maryland treat patients with upper extremity sports injuries with great skill and expertise. Our doctors have advanced training in sports medicine and can give you the highest quality treatment that will get you back to your game soon. Among the many sports injuries we focus on treating are sprains and strains, tendonitis, fractures, finger injuries, and rotator cuff tears.
For an in-person consultation, call us today at (410) 296-6232 or fill out our online appointment request form.
