Sports Medicine

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine experts like Dr. Malik treat injuries that occur when you’re playing sports, training, or exercising. In addition, sports medicine specialists often help athletes optimize their performance by improving their health and fitness.

Injuries are a common problem for people who play sports or lead active lives. Causes of sports injuries include:

• Not warming up properly
• Pushing yourself too hard
• Wearing old, ill-fitting, or unsuitable footwear
• Not wearing protective equipment
• Exceeding your fitness levels
• Running on hard or uneven surfaces
• Falls and collisions
• Not cooling down after exercise

Sports injuries aren’t just painful — they can stop you from doing the activities you enjoy. If you don’t seek treatment from a sports medicine expert, you may not regain full function after the injury heals.

What conditions do sports medicine doctors treat?

Dr. Malik diagnoses and treats a comprehensive range of sports injuries. Those he sees most often include:

• Muscle strains
• Meniscus tears in the knee
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Ankle sprains
• Rotator cuff tears in the shoulder
• Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
• Medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow)
• Labrum tears in the shoulder and hip
• ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) sprains
• Stress fractures

Acute injuries like sprains and strains happen suddenly when the tissues stretch too far. They cause instant pain, and you might be unable to use the affected joint or limb.

Other sports injuries develop more slowly; tendinitis is a typical example. Tiny tears occur in the affected tendon because of repeated use. The damage gradually increases until you develop chronic pain and weakness in the joint.

What treatments are used in sports medicine?

Dr. Malik typically begins your sports medicine treatment with physical therapy. In addition to targeted exercises, physical therapy includes passive treatments like therapeutic massage, ice and heat, ultrasound, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).

You might also benefit from wearing a sling, splint, or brace to protect the injury and prevent overuse. If physical therapy alone is not enough, other helpful treatments include:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
• Stem cell therapy
• Epidural steroid injections
• Nerve blocks
• Joint injections
• Radiofrequency ablation

Dr. Malik’s expertise in sports medicine ensures that you get back to playing sports without unnecessary delay. You also avoid problems that can significantly affect your performance, like long-term weakness, joint instability, and scar tissue buildup.

If you’re a keen athlete or just someone who likes to stay active, make sure you see Dr. Malik if you suffer an injury. Call Texas Pain & Orthopedics today or book an appointment online.