subject: Sports Medicine - Know When To See A Specialist [print this page] Knowing when you should see a professional that specializes in sports medicine for your injuries can be a bit confusing. It is natural to have some aches and pains as you get older, however some things should not be dismissed. Sometimes you may need special treatment if you fell, turned, twisted, or broke a bone the wrong way. If you happen to get hurt and have trouble with mobility, you need to see a specialist as soon as possible.
You want to see someone who sees and treats only patients that have musculoskeletal injuries. This type of professional will listen to your complaints of pain and take them seriously, even if the cause is not readily clear. In the event that your condition can't be diagnosed by mere observation and an assessment of you medical history, your sports medicine specialist will have to run some more involved tests such as cat scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and x rays. That is why it is so important for you to make sure that you choose the right professional for the task.
When you take the time to find the right professional for treatment, you are taking a proactive action towards finding a specialist that you feel completely comfortable receiving your care from. Make sure that the doctor you choose has the right credentials. You may want to check into their reputation by asking some of their previous patients as to whether or not they would continue getting their treatments from that particular doctor.
Take into consideration what kind of insurance you have. You want to see the doctor you choose, not necessarily one that your HMO or PPO recommends. If the doctor of your choice does not accept your health insurance, you should inquire about if you can make payment arrangements or if there are other forms of payment that the doctor's office is willing to accept.
Since sports medicine is a field that encompasses all injuries that can affect the musculoskeletal system, you may want to further improve your treatment outcome by seeing one that caters to patients that are in your age group. For instance, you don't want to make an appointment to see a pediatric specialist for your injuries. You will not be able to get the right treatment that will improve your quality of life and get you back into the swing of things in a short amount of time.
Depending on your condition, your sports medicine doctor may put together a plan of treatment that spans several months. Some injuries do not heal as fast as others and require rehabilitation. Sometimes surgery may even be necessary to replace any joints or reattach any ligaments that have been compromised by the injury. It is important that no matter what type of treatment you are prescribed, you are careful not to abuse, overuse, or introduce further strain to the affected part. This can cause you to permanently damage the muscle or joint and result in you having to learn how to live with a reduced range of motion.
