You love your sport, whether it’s tennis, basketball, soccer, or dance. As an athlete, you’re going to reach high or run fast to make that crucial point or goal or nail that routine. This makes you a great competitor, but it also increases your risk of injury.
Our board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Shults with Coastal Empire Orthopedics in Savannah, Georgia, is a sports medicine physician who provides preventive care and expert treatment for injuries.
Orthopedic sports medicine physicians help athletes (and non-athletes) prevent injury; improve performance, power, and strength; and devise sports-specific rehabilitation programs that return you to play safely as soon as possible. Dr. Shults aims to optimize your athletic performance so you play at your full potential.
If you’re an athlete who needs to recover quickly and regain your power and strength, Dr. Shults can help by designing an individualized sports medicine plan. Following are the elements of this type of plan and how it can keep you at the top of your game.
We can help you reduce your risk of injury through several proactive steps. Dr. Shults can analyze your typical sports play movements and determine whether the way you move predisposes you to injury. If so, he shows you how to correct your movement.
Dr. Shults also identifies any biomechanical imbalances. For example, tight hamstrings hinder correct landing technique from a jump. High foot arches make you susceptible to Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. If you’re a baseball pitcher or player, Dr. Shults checks for abnormal shoulder biomechanics that can lead to rotator cuff tendonitis or shoulder instability.
Dr. Shults helps you prevent injuries by emphasizing strength training, cross-training, and getting the proper amount of rest so you don’t sustain an overuse injury. Cross-training uses different movements and muscles than does your primary sport; this helps to prevent excess strain on muscles and joints. Dr. Shults also advises you on how often you need to rest between practice, games or performances.
Dr. Shults diagnoses and treats acute trauma, such as sprains or fractures, as well as chronic conditions like arthritis. He uses your symptoms, manual manipulation of the affected area, physical tests, imaging results, and your medical history to reach a prompt, correct diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that gets you back in the game safely as soon as possible.
When you have an injury, Dr. Shults designs a treatment program customized for your needs. Physical therapy is usually an important part of rehab because it helps you regain lost muscle strength, range of motion, and function.
Your therapist starts slowly, using active and passive modalities such as gentle massage, joint mobilization, stretches, ultrasound, and more. As your inflammation subsides, you progress to perform specific exercises that increase flexibility and range of motion. The next phase involves increasing your muscle strength, especially those muscles that support the injured joint or tissue. Strong muscles and tendons help protect your joints.
Your therapist identifies deficiencies in the following capabilities essential to your sport and develops a program to bring you back to your pre-injury level:
Dr. Shults provides return-to-play guidance based on your therapist’s recommendation and his assessment.
A sports medicine plan also focuses on ways to enhance your performance and your general health. Appointments include an assessment of lifestyle habits that identifies any that could be detrimental to sports play and encourages those that can positively impact your health. If you’re on a sports team, the staff should provide guidance on general nutrition and nutrition before and after play.
Call Coastal Empire Orthopedics or book an appointment through our online portal today to help you become the best — and healthiest — athlete you can be.
