Sports medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries and diseases related to physical activity and sports. This specialty also encompasses the biomechanics and physiology of exercise, as well as the study of nutrition and sports psychology. All these factors help patients and athletes to improve their physical performance or start a healthy lifestyle. It is important to know that seeing a sports medicine doctor is not only for high-performance athletes and is recommended for anyone regardless of gender or age.
Sports medicine carries out studies prior to a sport, such as a stress test, a physical examination, and a footprint analysis, as well as giving recommendations for safe physical activity. The most common injuries are sprains, tendonitis, tears, and shoulder injuries. Avoiding and treating these injuries also benefits getting fit without complications.
So how does sports medicine help you get in shape?
As mentioned above, the doctor will do a physical examination and clinical history accompanied by different tests (depending on the case) to know the physical and metabolic state of the person and rule out any complications. Musculoskeletal discomfort or problems such as joint pain or previous injuries are also ruled out. A healthy body is the first step to getting fit.
Once the patient’s objectives are identified, a personalized plan is made that includes the type of exercise that can be performed and in the case of athletes who return to physical activity, continuous monitoring is managed to increase their performance. Along with this plan, eating plans are also recommended, remembering that to be fit and healthy, a balanced diet is also required, also depending on the goals of the person. For example, it is not the same type of diet or exercise routine for a person who wants to gain muscle mass, to another who wants to reduce their body weight, or even for a person who is going to do vigorous physical activity.
If you are planning to start exercising or start a new sport to stay fit, go to a sports medicine doctor for a complete evaluation, in this way, in addition to ruling out any problems, the specialist will have a great overview of your physical condition and in this way will be able to guide you in a personalized and precise way during your progress.