Orthopedic Surgeons vs. Sports Medicine Physicians

Orthopedic surgery is a branch of surgery and a focus of medicine that involves the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons are often specialists in sports medicine as well in order to offer their patients optimum support. Orthopedic surgeons practice surgical and nonsurgical means in order to treat different sports injuries, traumas, infections, disorders, diseases, and tumors. Orthopedic surgeons generally face countless similar abnormalities as sports medicine physicians. Therefore they either team up and often work together such as a part of a sports medicine clinic or most commonly an orthopedic surgeon also may specialize in sports medicine.

Though orthopedic surgeons treat non-surgical injuries as well as surgical, many of the common surgical procedures include arthroscopies of numerous kinds, joint replacements, fracture repairs, and spinal fusions. Arthroscopic surgery is a very common procedure that allows a lot of choices and worry free procedures amongst patients. A reason why arthroscopy is so common is that it can be used for multiple measures, as well as having a very small impact as a traditional surgery might with a fast recovery time.

In addition to an arthroscopic surgery, orthopedic surgeons are generally specialists with arthroplasty procedures. Arthroplastic surgery is generally an elective procedure where arthritis patients hope for the surgery to relieve pain and restore function in the affected joint. An example of an arthroplastic surgery is a procedure such as a hip or knee replacement.

Sports medicine physicians work with arthritis patients as well as orthopedic surgeons. Sports medicine doctors will work with them not so much on a surgical aspect as an orthopedic would but more so, on a treatment level ranging from going to physical therapy to learning how to strengthen and live about your arthritis. Generally a sports medicine physician deals with physical fitness and the prevention of sports related injuries before they become bad enough where surgery by an orthopedic surgeon is necessary.

Sports medicine and orthopedic specialists will often work together to create the best treatment plan possible for patients with conditions as severe as osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is a condition mainly affecting older people by limiting their range of motion and looseness of joints, typically affecting knees, hips and shoulders. As a sports doctor would start by trying medication, different levels of exercises, and gentle stretching to help ease the pain, an orthopedic surgeon may suggest carrying out surgery. Surgery would involve a prosthetic joint, which is found to be very common among older osteoarthritis patients but is also seen as a last resort for the patient.

Both orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physician’s work together to give their patients optimum benefits and recovery no matter what their injury or abnormality may be. It is unbelievable all that technology has to offer to bring such success with such little harm through technological advances.

Rotator Cuff Injuries - Palumbo Sports Medicine

One of the most common causes for visiting an orthopedic specialist is for rotator cuff injuries. Rotator cuff injuries have become more and more common as people’s exercises have become more repetitive and strenuous. Though it is most likely to adapt a rotator cuff injury from repetitive exercise, it is still possible to still injure your rotator cuff by sudden incidents. Some widely known risk factors of these tears are largely caused by the normal use of the rotator and age. As well, careers such as carpentry, or athletes such as tennis and baseball players, are much more at risk of tearing their rotator cuff than an average person just falling.

Palumbo Sports Medicine

 There are usually symptoms that come along with a rotator cuff tear, which if you notice any of these symptoms happening to you, you should visit your sports medicine physician or a sports injury clinic as soon as you notice them. Some of the most common symptoms of a rotator cuff tear comprise of pain while resting, lifting/lowering your arm, weakness when lifting or rotating your arm and or a crackling feeling. These symptoms will vary based on the person, however, they’re usually more intensified if a tear occurred more suddenly compared to a tear that develops from overuse. A tear caused to overuse is more likely to feel symptoms such as weakness or radiating pain down your arm when you move or lift the injured arm. The pain symptoms from overuse will likely occur randomly compared to an injury on impact.

Sports doctors and orthopedic surgeons help these symptoms in many ways. Most sports physicians will go through your symptoms with you to pin point that it is a tear in your rotator cuff and that the pain isn’t a pinched never coming from your neck. Once your sports doctor recognizes the injury as a tear, they will likely send you for x-rays, ultrasound, or an MRI, to confirm the diagnosis. Once a patient is confirmed to have a rotator cuff tear the orthopedic surgeon will advise a few different plans of action in order to stop your pain and help your injury get better. Early treatment can prevent the symptoms of a tear from getting worse. Some preventative advice that your sports medicine physician may give to help treat the pain could include: rest, modifying your activity, strengthening exercises/physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medication.

However, if treatment doesn’t reduce pain and restore function as planned, there are countless other options for a rotator cuff injury. Sports physicians and orthopedic surgeons work with rotator cuff injury patients multiple times a day. Therefore the best sports doctors know what procedures may fit best with your lifestyle. For example, arthroscopic surgery is a very short recovery time, low stress procedure with really successful results. Be sure to check in with your sports medicine physician or orthopedic surgeon as soon as you feel these symptoms.