Sports Medicine Specialist

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine is a specialty devoted to the care of sporting injuries and the promotion of fitness and performance in athletes of all disciplines. The New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine team provides a range of health services that optimize an athlete’s potential.

Their comprehensive services provide the complete package for anyone involved in sports and other physical activities, from medical and surgical interventions to preventive medicine, rehabilitation, and wellness services.

They aim to develop long-term relationships with a range of local people and organizations, including:

• Athletic organizations
• Schools and colleges
• Individual participants
• Community sport organizations
• Sports medicine practitioners

As well as their sports medicine program for patients, the New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine team also provides educational opportunities for sports medicine professionals.

What sports injuries might I get?

Sports injuries are most often soft tissue problems, affecting muscles, ligaments, and tendons. These types of injuries include:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear
• Achilles tendinitis
• Plantar fasciitis 
• Rotator cuff tears
• Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
• Medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow)

Damage to the cartilage in your joints is also a common problem, for example, meniscal tears in the knee joints. A dislocation, where the joint pops out of position, can cause tearing of the surrounding tissues and lead to joint instability.

You might also get stress fractures in your bones, where tiny hairline cracks develop and build up over time. This is a type of overuse injury, which can also cause chronic tendinitis.

How does sports medicine help me as an athlete?

Sports medicine experts, like the New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine team, can diagnose and treat sports injuries with the utmost skill, meaning you get to return to playing sooner and in better shape after an injury.

They have exceptional facilities for physical therapy and rehabilitation, meaning most patients don’t need surgery. They also provide advanced forms of treatment for sports injuries, including regenerative medicine therapies like PRP (platelet-rich plasma). If you do have an injury that requires surgical intervention, the team has specialist expertise in performing minimally invasive arthroscopic surgeries to address common injuries like ACL, MCL, and meniscal tears.  Shoulder instability issues and labral tears are additional examples of problems their team of experts can help with.

Can sports medicine benefit my community?

In addition to sports medicine facilities, the New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine team provides many valuable services to the community. They run injury clinics during football season on Saturday mornings, and offer free orthopaedic screenings for athletes from local schools. The team can fast track MRI and X-ray screenings for children, offer physical therapy home programs, and provide casting and bracing onsite.

Members of the team attend local high school athletic events and assist with athletic training, providing weekly visits from an athletic expert who can assess injuries, treat patients, and refer them when necessary. The practice spends a lot of time involved with educational programming. 

They make presentations to athletes in the New Braunfels area, covering education on performance-enhancing drugs as well as fitness and injury prevention. They can also assist with fast-track appointment scheduling for athletes who need to see specialists such as cardiologists and neurologists.

Find out more about the superb sports medicine facilities and services available by calling New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine today or book an appointment online.