subject: How To Find A Sports Medicine Doctor For Your Child [print this page] If your child is into athletics, it is important you have a sports medicine doctor you can both trust. Otherwise, it will be difficult to treat any injuries that need attention, which may in turn lead to long-term problems in kids of any age. Learn what to look for in this kind of physician.
You should first make sure the practitioner you choose to treat your child is experienced in this specialty. A family physician cannot pay special attention to the joints and muscles like a sports medicine doctor does. This is why you need to find someone well versed in this field. Of course, you can take your child to the regular physician first to find out the possible problem, and then go to a specialist for treatment. You may even be able to get a referral to a trusted practitioner who comes highly recommended.
You also need to make sure the practitioner you are considering is comfortable treating children. Some doctors do not have the good bedside manner that is necessary for treating kids, resulting in young patients feeling scared or uncomfortable at every appointment. Find a sports medicine doctor who has treated plenty of children around the age of your son or daughter. This will make it less likely that he or she will be nervous before appointments. Plus, you want someone who knows the most common injuries seen in kids who play a sport, and has plenty of experience treating them.
You should also find out what kinds of treatments are offered from the sports medicine doctor you are considering. If you are against invasive treatment like surgery, you may want to find out if this is considered a last resort by the office you are going to take your child to, or if it is performed often. You should make sure other options are tried first, like physical therapy. You can find out more by asking about the philosophy of the physician you are interested in. You can also ask if the office knows what percentage of patients end up having to get surgery, since this may let you know how hard the doctors try to avoid this treatment.
Your child's school may have a sports medicine doctor on staff, or at least know of a few in your area. This means you can get some recommendations when you ask the administrators there. If you want to end up with the best practitioner possible for your athlete, you will need to do some research, but the results should make the research worth it.
