Hildebrandt: Who should see a sports medicine specialist?
Published 12:04 am Saturday, July 16, 2022
- Christopher Hildebrandt
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Sports medicine specialists treat injuries sustained in all levels of physical activity. Contrary to what many people think, they do not solely treat sports athletes.
From “weekend warriors” to student athletes in high school and college and professional athletes, sports medicine specialists see athletes of all experience levels. They also treat active adults of all ages who get injured during activities such as running, biking, working out or playing intramural sports.
Sports medicine specialists treat various exercise and physical activity injuries, including acute and chronic pain. They also help with injury prevention and performance enhancement.
The most common injuries treated by a sports medicine specialist include meniscal injuries, ligament tears, and joint and muscle pain. Sports medicine specialists also commonly treat knees, shoulders, hips and legs. With these types of injuries, patients may experience swelling, irritation, difficulty bearing weight on the injured area, sharp radiating pain, snapping, locking, strains and tears.
Care in sports medicine comprises a multidisciplinary team including fellowship-trained sports medicine orthopedic surgeons, primary care sports physicians, physician assistants, athletic trainers, physical therapists and nurses. Sports medicine patients benefit from safe, diverse and comprehensive care.
Christopher Hildebrandt completed the Physician Assistant Program at Missouri State University. Hildebrandt is a board-certified physician assistant by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistant. To schedule an appointment with Christopher Hildebrandt at Ochsner Health Center – River Parishes, 502 Rue de Santé in LaPlace, please call 985-652-3500 or schedule online at Ochsner.org.