You have your head in the game, you know that there is going to be a pain. If you are involved in any sport, you know there is always going to be a risk of injury. A question arises though. When should you see a doctor? When you have a major injury like a broken bone, or a dislocated shoulder, an injury of this magnitude, you know to seek a doctor right away, but what about those minor acute injuries? If the injury is minor, do you need a Sports Medicine Doctor?
A sports medicine doctor is a doctor that is trained and specializes in the bones and muscles and the injuries that can occur to them when playing an active sport. For a minor pull or twist, you may think seeing even your regular doctor is not a concern. You remember to rest, elevate the injured spot, do some ice pack therapy, and wrap the sore area up. (R.I.C.E) and you’ll be good as new avoiding a doctor altogether. Sometimes, though what you think is a minor acute injury may run deeper than you think.
Signs You May Need to See a Doctor
In the field of sports injuries, not all serious injuries are created equal. Visibly, on the outside, it may not look so bad, but inside there could be deeper damage that cannot be seen. Our bodies will let us know too if something is not right. Here are some signs and signals that may reveal it may be time to see a sports injury specialist.
- Pain that you thought went away but comes back feeling worse.
- You notice tingling or numbness
- Shooting pain in other areas around the injury
- The pain doesn’t go away even after resting.
- Tenderness of the injured spot.
- Signs of swelling at the injured site.
- Your movement becomes limited I.E., your injury in ankle, knee, or elbow.
- Cannot bear weight on the injured area.
- Stiffness
No matter how you love your sport and want to get back into the game as soon as possible, brushing off pain hoping it will go away is never a good idea. In fact, it might keep you away from the game longer. Today, sports medicine is on the cutting edge in technology with numerous therapies and techniques to get you back in action, sometimes making you better than you were before.
