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Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Sports Medicine

There are many factors that impact your ability to maximize your athletic performance. Talent certainly plays a role, as individuals who are naturally gifted athletes typically have a higher ceiling than people who aren’t as athletic. Training is also an important component: even the most talented athletes must train diligently to reach their potential, and many people find that they’re able to make up for deficiencies in talent by training harder than others with more talent. But it’s also critical to maintain optimal levels of physical health and reduce your risk of injuries. This aspect of unlocking your peak performance can be enhanced with sports medicine.

Whether you’re a professional athlete or someone participating in athletics for leisure, sports medicine can play an important role in preventing injuries, enhancing your performance and achieving your full potential.

What Is Sports Medicine?

Sports medicine is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on physical fitness, injury prevention and the treatment of sports injuries. While sports medicine is often associated with professional athletes, anyone who lives an active lifestyle can experience the performance optimization benefits associated with sprots medicine.

One of the greatest benefits of sports medicine is that it involves a holistic and multidisciplinary approach that leverages the expertise of a wide range of professionals, including:

Sports medicine doctors must undergo extensive training that involves medical school as well as advanced training in a discipline such as internal medicine or family medicine. They must also complete additional fellowship training in sports medicine that covers the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries that occur during exercise and other athletic activities. When the knowledge and training of a sports medicine doctor is combined with the services provided by the other professionals listed above, it can have a tremendous impact on your ability to optimize your athletic performance.

5 Ways Sports Medicine Can Boost Your Athletic Performance

Sports medicine integrates advanced medical techniques, performance optimization strategies and personalized treatment plans to help you enhance your athletic performance. There are several ways sports medicine can help you achieve your full potential in your athletic endeavors.

Customized Performance Optimization Programs

sports medicine Sports medicine professionals work with athletes to develop customized training programs focused on helping them enhance their athletic performance. Your training program will be tailored to address the specific demands associated with your primary athletic activities, as well as your unique performance goals. They may include:

Injury Prevention

A common phrase among athletes is “the best ability is availability.” There is sound logic to this since injuries can often prevent you from engaging in your preferred athletic activities for extended periods of time while you recover. Even if you’re able to continue participating in athletics while you’re injured, you’re most likely going to struggle to perform at peak levels until you’re fully healthy. That’s why a primary focus of sports medicine is injury prevention.

Diagnostic techniques such as biomechanical analysis and physical evaluations are used to identify and correct movement patterns that could result in injury or hinder performance. Improper form and deficiencies in strength or flexibility are common causes of repetitive use injuries, and sports medicine can help you address these problems in their early stages before a preventable injury occurs.

Injury Treatment and Management

sports injury treatment When injuries do occur, sports medicine doctors create personalized treatment plans to help you return to peak form safely and quickly. Sports medicine physicians possess detailed knowledge of a wide range of sports injuries, and they know the most effective treatments to address each type of injury. They will recommend the best treatment plan based on your specific injury as well as your goals for recovery.

In order to expedite a full recovery, sports medicine doctors will often leverage minimally invasive treatments whenever possible. These may include physical therapy, injections, platelet-rick plasma therapy (PRP) and other nonsurgical techniques that can help you safely return to athletic activities as quickly as possible. When surgery is necessary, sports medicine physicians will work with orthopedic surgeons who can ensure these repairs are made properly.

Optimized Recovery Techniques

Athletic training can take its toll on your body. Failing to give your body time to properly recover can limit your performance and make you more susceptible to injury. Sports medicine professionals can work with you to develop a customized recovery program that will help your body bounce back faster, allowing you to compete at peak levels while reducing your risk of injury.

These optimized recovery techniques include adhering to proper rest schedules, optimizing your nutrition and taking steps to maximize your body’s natural healing processes. By preventing overtraining, sports medicine can make it easier to strike a balance that unlocks peak levels of performance and helps you maintain long-term health.

Raising the Bar for Sports Medicine Services on the Western Slope

Whether you need treatment for a sports injury, are looking for injury prevention assistance or simply want to enhance your overall performance, the sports medicine team at Colorado Advanced Orthopedics can help. We offer the most comprehensive sports medicine services on the Western Slope, and our team includes some of the finest board-certified, fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine doctors in the region. Our doctors can accurately diagnose your injury and develop the proper treatment plan to help you get back to your favorite activities as soon as possible.

In addition, we have an in-house physical therapy team that works closely with our sports medicine physicians and orthopedic surgeons to optimize your rehabilitation and ensure you heal as quickly as possible. Our physical therapists can also work with you to develop a customized training regimen that will build the strength, flexibility and endurance necessary to unlock your peak potential, helping you perform your best.

We have two physical therapy locations along the Western Slope for added convenience. Our Meeker physical therapy clinic is located in Pioneers Medical Center, serving athletes and patients throughout the White River Valley. Our Craig physical therapy clinic works with athletes and patients in Routt and Moffit Counties in Colorado.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Colorado Advanced Orthopedics serves patients in Meeker, the White River Valley, Grand Junction and throughout the Western Slope.

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