Sports Medicine in New York City

Sports medicine is a subspecialty of orthopedics that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries suffered during athletic activity. The goal of treatment is to heal and rehabilitate the injury so patients can return to their favorite activities quickly, whether it’s Little League, recreational play or a high school, college or professional sport.

As with a sports team, there are many physicians who work together to help the patient regain maximum use of the injured limb or joint. “Players” on the team are typically the physician, orthopedic surgeon, rehabilitation specialist, athletic trainer and physical therapist – and the patient him/herself.

Common injuries treated include:

ACL Tears
Compartment Syndrome
Fractures
Heat Exhaustion
Muscle Contusions (Bruise)
Muscle Cramps
Shin Splints
Sprains & Strains
Stress Fractures
Torn Tendons & Ligaments

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in New York City

Recovery may take some time after foot injury or surgery. Depending on the severity of the injury, the type of surgery, your age and general health, and other factors, you may need to undergo rehabilitation to regain strength in your foot and ankle or relearn how to perform tasks such as flexing your foot or walking.

Rehabilitation often takes three forms: physical therapy to increase your foot/feet's strength, mobility and fitness; occupational therapy to help you perform day-to-day activities; and pain management to decrease discomfort while performing rehabilitation exercises and when at rest.

For more information about rehabilitation physicians, click here.

Physical Therapy in New York City

Physical therapy is an effective treatment method dedicated to improving movement and functionality in people whose age, disease or injury has restricted them. Physical therapists (PTs) help patients recover through the use of restorative exercises that focus on developing muscle strength, flexibility, balance, posture, coordination and overall pain relief. PTs do their best to promote overall health and fitness to their clients both to aid in the patient's recovery, and also to prevent re-injury and maximize the patient's quality of life.

Just like the field of medicine, physical therapy has many specialty areas that can help patients with different types of injuries or diseases. The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties recognizes these areas:

Neurological
Cardiopulmonary
Orthopedic
Pediatric
Geriatric
Sports Physical Therapy
Clinical Electrophysiology

Physical therapists use a combination of exercises and stretches to aid their patients. When these are combined with well-known relaxation and recuperation techniques, such as electro-stimulus and hot-cold treatments, physical therapists have a vast collection of activities for their patients to engage in.

Many physical therapy sessions will begin with a heating and/or stretching session to prepare the body for the mechanical work it is about to endure. This is not to say physical therapy exercises are extremely demanding, but given the circumstances that most patients are a substandard physical specimen, the extra preparation could be vital to ensuring a smooth workout.

The core of the physical therapy session usually involves physical exercises designed around the patient's condition to strengthen the body. These exercises normally progress in difficulty and intensity over the course of many sessions. For example, a patient recovering from knee surgery may start with light leg lifts with just an ankle-weight, but may progress to using the treadmill and actual quadriceps and hamstrings machines. Additionally, some physical therapists can be holistic in their approach, training more than just the problematic area. In the previous example, the patient may be given a short duration workout on the arm-bike to promote upper body strength while their lower body is out of commission.

A physical therapy session usually ends with an icing session or therapeutic massage; electro-stimulus may be utilized again during this cool down period. The physical therapist will record and may state the patient's progress for the day, as well as possible goals for the next session. It is important to note that in many cases, a good deal of therapy can be done outside of the therapist's office. It is always a good idea to ask your doctor and/or physical therapist for exercises or stretches you can safely do at home to speed the recovery rate.

If you are interested in learning more about Sport Medicine, call 212-759-4553 today to schedule an appointment.