Medicine Health

Sports physiotherapy is important for any athlete because it addresses the root of the problem and hastens the recovery process. After the athlete is diagnosed and treated by a sports doctor, physiotherapy is usually the next step to help the player get back into the game. This rehabilitative programme is customised for individuals based on their injuries.

The most common sports injuries that are seen among athletes are joint and ankle sprains, hamstring pulls and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears. Most people who play contacts sports that involve running and turning with one foot are likely to get sprains and ligament problems.

Often, ice therapy and Interferential Current (IFC) therapy are administered by the sports physiotherapists to help reduce swelling and treat sprains. The physiotherapy sessions also involve soft tissue massages to relieve pain; joint manipulation or mobilisation for realignment; exercises to strengthen muscles; and programmes to rebuild core stamina endurance.

However, although the possibility of reconditioning the body back to the pre-injury level of fitness with regular and disciplined physiotherapy is about 90 per cent, it is dependent on several other factors - level of injury, the player's fitness level, weight and nutrition.

Many people have the misconception that you should not exercise after sustaining an injury but this is not true. Not doing an appropriate amount of exercise will slow down the process of muscle recovery.

Though it is important to stay active despite the injury, this is a process which cannot be rushed. You have to be disciplined and patient during the physiotherapy process. Being over eager will just make things worse and this is also the greatest challenge for sports physiotherapists working with enthusiastic and dedicated players.

Athletes are no strangers to sports-related injuries but even weekend 'sports warriors' need to careful to avoid hurting themselves. Non competitive players are often eager to play and they forget all about strength, flexibility and their fitness level. However, not having proper training will also mean you're more likely to get injured if you don't exercise with caution.

Orthopedic branch of surgery treats and heals acute and traumatic injuries caused by overuse or disorders in the musculoskeletal system. Musculoskeletal ailments include arthritis, congenital deformities and trauma. Orthopedic surgeons implement the cure through both surgical and non surgical treatments.

Orthpedics has a distinct correlation with sports medicine. Orthpedics sports medicine surgically corrects injury, illness or disorder incurred through participation in sports.

In conventional medicine, surgery has the place of last resort, if all else fails to treat the ailment. But recently surgery has become more popular, particularly for sports injuries, as orthopaedic sports medicine has been proven in delivering fast results in curing sports related maladies.

Surgical sports medicine is counted among nine subspecialties in orthopedic surgery and as such is extremely important in the medical field.

About American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)

American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a specialist organisation dedicated to the purpose of creating awareness about orthopaedic sports medicine. In the field of sports medicine research, education, related communication and granting of fellowships, AOSSM is a global leader and a pioneer. Setup in 1972 as a national organisation of orthopaedic surgeons, the AOSSM is committed to the cause of sports medicine. Health and safety in sports at all levels and promoting research towards preventing and managing injury are the key agenda for AOSSM.

Surgery of knee or elbow and several other small and non-invasive forms of surgeries, mostly incurred due to participation in various forms of sports, are covered by orthopaedic sport medicine.

The people practicing orthopaedic sports medicine have certain roles and responsibilities according to the criteria defined by AOSSM. It is important that these requirements are fulfilled, for the practitioner to be eligible to practice. These requirements include:
a) The practitioner should have completed the correct educational qualifications and further specialisation applicable to the field of orthopaedic sports medicine.
b) Accreditation with the organisations working in this field should be there and also should have obtained some fellowships. These only demonstrate the calibre of the person.
c) The person should have conducted research regularly so that not only is he or she familiar with the latest techniques and technologies in orthopedic sports medicine but has also contributed to the further development of this field.
d) Lastly, the person should have membership of well known research publications and journals, to stay in touch with the latest development.

Orthopaedic sport medicine is a highly specialised field with well defined criteria for eligibility and to be able to practice; these criteria absolutely have to be fulfilled.