If you tuned into the Paris Olympics this summer, you likely noticed sports medicine professionals working alongside athletes, particularly during injury incidents. However, you don't have to be an elite athlete to reap the benefits of a sports medicine team. If you've suffered an injury to your bones, muscles, or joints from any type of activity, a sports medicine approach can help you regain your strength and mobility.
While sports medicine primarily aims to keep athletes fit, active, and free from injuries—and to facilitate their return to peak performance when injuries occur—it also encompasses all forms of exercise and overall physical fitness.
Keep reading to learn about:
- The various medical professionals on our sports medicine team;
- Some of the many sports- and activity-related injuries we treat;
- How sports medicine at Orthopaedic Associates of Maine can help you stay injury-free and enjoy a more active lifestyle.
Who practices sports medicine?
In the U.S., sports medicine can be a subspecialty within various medical fields. For instance, orthopedic surgeons often focus on sports medicine, but primary care physicians may also receive specialized training in this area. Additionally, professionals such as cardiologists, neurologists, pediatricians, and nutritionists can have expertise in sports medicine.
At Orthopaedic Associates of Maine, we embrace a collaborative approach to sports medicine. Our dedicated team consists of orthopedic physicians, surgeons, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, and certified athletic trainers. We provide care for both adult and pediatric patients, with a particular focus on treating sports injuries in women.
Our treatment options may include non-surgical interventions, such as physical therapy and pain management. When necessary, we can incorporate surgical solutions into your personalized treatment plan.
"We provide expert, specialized, surgical and non-surgical care for all sports-related injuries, from the shoulder down to the foot. All of the sports medicine physicians at Spectrum are board certified, fellowship-trained sports medicine specialists," states Bryce Wolf, MD. Currently, our sports medicine team includes five physicians who are fellowship-trained in sports medicine. In addition to Dr. Wolf, the team includes Eric Hoffman, MD; Christopher Lonegan, DO; Thomas Murray, Jr., MD; and Christopher Regnier, DO.
Our sports medicine providers have experience helping everyone from amateur enthusiasts to high school sports teams to professional athletes, across a wide range of sports and activities.
What kinds of injuries does OA of Maine's sports medicine team treat?
Our sports medicine specialists are dedicated to diagnosing and treating a wide range of sports-related injuries. For a comprehensive list, please refer to the drop-down menu. Here are some of the most common injuries we address:
- Achilles Tendon Injuries: This includes strains or complete tears of the tendon that connects your calf muscle to your heel.
- Fractures: These can be complete or partial breaks in one or more bones, often resulting from falls or direct impacts.
- Golfer's Elbow and Tennis Elbow: Golfer's elbow is a repetitive strain injury causing pain on the inner side of the elbow, potentially radiating tingling or numbness into the wrist and hand. Tennis elbow, on the other hand, affects the outer side of the elbow.
- Knee Ligament Tears: Injuries can occur to any of the four key ligaments in the knee: the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), MCL (medial collateral ligament), PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), and LCL (lateral collateral ligament).
- Meniscal Tears: These can result from sudden injuries or gradual degeneration of the cartilage that cushions the knee.
- Plantar Fasciitis: This condition involves inflammation of the thick band of tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes.
- Runner's Knee: Characterized by pain in front of the knee or around the kneecap, particularly during activity.
- Bone Spurs: These are smooth, hard bumps of extra bone that can form at the ends of bones, commonly at joints and in the feet.
- Rotator Cuff Tears: This involves a tear in the group of four muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint, allowing for arm movement.
- Shoulder Issues: We treat various conditions, including impingement (where the shoulder blade pinches the rotator cuff), bursitis (inflammation of the bursa in the shoulder), and instability (when ligaments become stretched, torn, or detached).
- Strains and Sprains: These refer to tears and overstretching of ligaments, muscles, or tendons.
- Tendinitis: This condition involves inflammation of the fibrous cords that attach muscles to bones.
- Training and Overuse Injuries: These injuries result from repetitive strain on the body, such as micro-tears in muscle fibers or stress on tendons, often due to inadequate recovery after intense training.
We're here to help you get back to your active lifestyle with expert, personalized care.
How can sports medicine help me when I'm not injured?
- Warm Up Wisely: Start with gentle, dynamic movements before diving into your main activity. Activities like jogging, high knees, or side-to-side shuffles, combined with brief stretches held for just a couple of seconds, can be effective. It's important to engage your entire body during your warm-up, even if your primary focus is on a specific area.
- Mix Things Up: In sports, too much of a good thing can lead to injury. Vary the intensity of your training by incorporating periods of tapering and rest between high-intensity sessions. Allowing your muscles adequate recovery time is crucial for building strength rather than breaking them down. This approach, known as periodization, helps maintain balance. Additionally, consider cross-training with workouts that target different muscle groups and movements, enhancing your performance in your main sport and preventing overuse injuries.
- Visit Us When You're Healthy: It's true what they say—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By consulting with a sports medicine specialist while you're healthy, we can assess your strength and mobility, review any past injuries, and provide tailored advice based on your activity goals. We can also analyze your technique to help minimize injury risk, whether through a running analysis or bike fit assessment, and guide you on safely easing into new sports or high-intensity activities.
- Hydrate and Eat Well: Sometimes, it's the basics that matter most. We can help you navigate through the noise of advertising and fads to establish sensible nutrition habits that meet your body's needs. If you're gearing up for intensive athletic training, adjusting your caloric intake is essential for optimal performance. Proper nutrition not only supports muscle growth but also aids in recovery after workouts.
Here are four essential sports medicine tips to help you stay injury-free while participating in sports and working out:
When should I visit the Orthopaedic Associates of Maine's sports medicine team?
You don't have to think of yourself "an athlete" to see us! Get in touch to discuss your situation and schedule an appointment if you:
- Need guidance on safer and healthier ways to exercise.
- Have any kind of injury that affects how well your musculoskeletal system works.
- Want to increase your level of activity or your performance — especially if you have not been very active in a long time or would like to try a new sport or physical activity.
- Have a sports-related injury.
OA of Maine's sports medicine team offers services in Brunswick, Norway, Portland, and Windham. We're able to evaluate and begin treatment within 24 to 48 hours of an injury, thanks in part to our advanced on-site diagnostic imaging services and our robust slate of physical and occupational therapists — in addition to our board-certified sports medicine physicians.
We'd love to help you enjoy your active life even more! Contact Orthopaedic Associates of Maine to connect with our sports medicine team today.