| With the huge rise in professional, amateur, and | | | | services to diagnose and treat these and other |
| individual sport, the number of sports-related injuries is | | | | sports-related injuries. Orthopedic care encompasses |
| growing at an equal rate. Consequently, there has | | | | the general realm of sports medicine. Within that, there |
| been an increasing number of sports medicine clinics | | | | are several specialties. The first stop for a patient with |
| springing up around the world. Whether a doctor is an | | | | a sports-related injury is the X-ray and/or the MRI |
| orthopedic surgeon or foot surgeon, there is an | | | | machine for diagnostic testing. |
| increase in demand for those physicians who practice | | | | If the injury is non-surgical, the physician can devise a |
| sports-related medicine. | | | | plan for therapy. Physical therapy generally involves |
| Advances in mass media are giving a wider audience | | | | the use of joint mobilization, soft tissue work, motor |
| access to professional sports and, as a result, the | | | | patterning, and exercise to treat the patient's injury. |
| number of televised sporting events is increasing at an | | | | When rehabilitation with physical therapy is not enough, |
| amazing rate. Just look at the cost of advertising time | | | | many injuries require surgery and many clinics have an |
| during the Super Bowl and you will understand why the | | | | in house orthopedic surgeon to handle advanced |
| demand for professional athletes to participate in | | | | cases. |
| sporting events is growing. | | | | A podiatrist is also usually part of a clinic's team of |
| Non-athletes are also motivated to get into the game | | | | doctors. More commonly known as a foot doctor, he |
| and are using amateur sporting leagues as a means to | | | | will take patients who have suffered foot and ankle |
| participate in their favorite past time and work toward | | | | injuries. He will work closely with an orthotist to create |
| their health and fitness goals. Recently with the birth of | | | | foot orthotics to position the foot precisely in order to |
| reality television, individual sport, such as dance, is | | | | promote proper function and gait. |
| becoming ever more popular. | | | | Professional athletes are aware of the physical risks |
| As the competition increases, the stunts that these | | | | imposed by their career. Amateur athletes, on the |
| performers attempt are becoming increasingly | | | | other hand, are more likely to injure themselves simply |
| dangerous. There are commonalities across different | | | | because of lack of physical preparedness. Competition |
| sports and levels when it comes to injuries. The sports | | | | in individual sport drives athletes to take risks with their |
| injuries that are more universal and most reported in | | | | bodies that can lead to crippling injury. |
| the hundreds of sports medicine clinics around the | | | | While promoting health and physical fitness through |
| world include: Muscle pull, neck strain, frozen shoulder, | | | | sport is positive, there are physical risks that can come |
| strained lower back injury, tendonitis, runner's knee, shin | | | | with any sport. As the popularity of sports continues to |
| splints, sprained ankle, Achilles tendonitis, and foot arch | | | | grow throughout the world, the demand for ports |
| strain. | | | | medicine clinics will continue to increase proportionally. |
| Sports medicine clinics provide a wide range of | | | | |
