Just another iHealthSpot WP02 site

The Podiatry Group of South Texas
  • Patient Portal
  • Online Bill Pay
  • Request an Appointment
Call Today
MENUMENU
  • About Us
  • Meet the Providers
    • Dr. Shehzad Amlani
    • Dr. Elias R. Cheleuitte
    • Dr. Andrew Gunter
    • Dr. Steven P. Kissel
    • Dr. John E. Konkol Jr.
    • Dr. Michael Langlois
    • Dr. Charles M. Melton
    • Dr. Crystal L. Ramanujam
    • Dr. Roberto Rodriguez
  • Conditions We Treat
    • Common Foot Problems
    • Bunions
    • Heel Pain
    • Diabetic Foot Conditions
    • Ingrown Toenails
    • Trauma & Fractures
  • Services
    • Foot & Ankle Surgery
    • Pediatric Podiatry
    • Sports Medicine
    • Diabetic Foot Care
    • Custom Orthotics
    • In-Office Procedures
  • Blog
  • Contact & Locations

Sports Medicine Physician vs Orthopedic Surgeon

March 12, 2021

in Sports Medicine
March 12, 2021
Tagged With: Orthopedic Surgeon near me, Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine Physician in South Texas, Sports Medicine Physician near me
 

If you’ve sustained a musculoskeletal injury, especially one that is causing you nagging pain and limited mobility, it is natural for you to think of a way to get back in the game quickly.

Your best course of action is to see a doctor—but which one?  You have two excellent choices: sports medicine physician and orthopedic surgeon. However, it’s important to take note that the two fields have overlapping aspects, so it pays to get a better understanding of what exactly sets them apart. Let’s take a closer look.

Sports Medicine Physician

Sports medicine physicians mainly focus on leveraging the benefits of nonsurgical and regenerative treatment options—such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, stem cell therapy, and physical therapy— to help patients restore their normal function in the least invasive way.

If a certain injury or condition does require surgery, there are sports medicine physicians who are also orthopedic surgeons, thus can perform surgery. However, those who have a baseline training in primary care sports medicine— such as family medicine, internal medicine, and rehabilitation medicine—are only limited to providing nonsurgical care and referrals.

Sports medicine physicians treat acute, chronic, and overuse injuries, including sprains, strains, tendon problems, and fractures. However, the scope of sports medicine is not limited to treating injuries; sports medicine physicians also promote the importance of exercise in the prevention of injuries and helping athletes boost their overall sports performance.

Orthopedic Surgeon

For a person to become a full-fledged orthopedic surgeon, they must earn a bachelor’s degree in a science field, then spend four years in medical school, plus a minimum of five years in a residency program. It’s typical to also undergo a fellowship training program focused on an orthopedic surgery subspecialty, such as podiatric (foot and ankle) surgery.

Therefore, if your musculoskeletal injury or condition requires surgery, as mentioned, a sports medicine physician will refer you to an orthopedic surgeon—when nonsurgical treatment methods fail to give you satisfactory result. An orthopedic surgeon’s training is apparently in the hospital or operating room, but they can also meet their patients in the office.

Orthopedic surgeons have a wider patient base; thus, they also treat patients with the following conditions:

  • Arthritis
  • Back pain (due to ruptured discs and spinal stenosis)
  • Bone tumors
  • Bow legs
  • Carpal tunnel, hand arthritis, and hand injuries
  • Congenital hip dislocation (hip dysplasia)
  • Foot and ankle injuries or deformities
  • Leg length discrepancy
  • Orthopedic trauma
  • Osteoporosis

Orthopedic surgeons can perform tissue repair, joint replacement surgery, spinal surgery, among other procedures deemed necessary for restoring a person’s normal function and movement.

Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician in South Texas

At The Podiatry Group of South Texas, we have board-certified sports medicine physicians who are also podiatric surgeons, giving you exceptional nonsurgical and surgical care for your foot or ankle injury.

At the Podiatry Group of South Texas, we don’t just treat sports injuries affecting the foot or ankle. We work with anyone involved in sports—the amateur, the elite, and the weekend warrior—to help them both lower their risk of injury and reach their full athletic potential in the safest way possible.

To make an appointment with one of our sports medicine doctors or podiatric surgeons, call our podiatry clinic nearest to you or use our online request form.

 

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Ankle Care
  • Ankle Fractures
  • Bunions
  • Diabetic Foot Care
  • Foot And Ankle Pain
  • Foot Care
  • Foot Doctor
  • Foot Pain
  • General
  • Heel Pain
  • Limb Salvage
  • Orthotics
  • Physicians
  • Podiatry
  • Shockwave therapy
  • Sports Medicine
  • Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Uncategorized

Tags

Ankle Injury ankle pain ankle pain treatment near me Ankle Specialist near me best podiatrist near me Bunions Bunions treatment near me Chronic Foot Pain Custom Orthotics Custom Orthotics near me Custom Orthotics South Texas Flat Feet Foot and Ankle Doctor in San Antonio Foot and Ankle Doctor near me Foot and Ankle Pain Foot And Ankle Specialist near me Foot And Ankle Specialist San Antonio TX Foot and Ankle Surgery near me foot care foot doctor near me Foot Doctors near me Foot Pain foot pain treatment foot pain treatment near me foot problems heel pain Heel Pain Treatment near me Heel Pain Treatment San Antonio TX Pediatric Podiatrists South Texas Plantar fasciitis Plantar Fasciitis treatment near me Plantar Fasciitis treatment San Antonio Podiatric Care podiatrist podiatrist near me podiatrist San Antonio podiatrist San Antonio TX Podiatrists near me podiatry sports injury treatment near me sports injury treatment San Antonio TX Sports Medicine Physician Sports Medicine Physician near me sports medicine physician San Antonio TX The Podiatry Group of South Texas

Footer

Foot &
Ankle Blog

Keep up with the latest developments in podiatry as well as news about our practice.

LEARN MORE

Patient
Education

Learn about the symptoms and treatments for dozens of foot and ankle conditions and injuries.

LEARN MORE 
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Meet the Providers
  • Conditions We Treat
  • Services
  • Contact & Locations
  • Blog
  • Accessibility Statement
  • HIPAA Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
Copyright © · The Podiatry Group of South Texas · All Rights Reserved
iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com

The podiatrists at The Podiatry Group of South Texas, provide comprehensive care for foot and ankle conditions such as Bunions, Heel Pain, Diabetic Foot Conditions, Ingrown Toenails, and Trauma & Fractures. Our services include Foot & Ankle Surgery, Pediatric Podiatry, Sports Medicine, Diabetic Foot Care, and Custom Orthotics.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Meet the Providers
    • Dr. Elias R. Cheleuitte
    • Dr. Steven P. Kissel
    • Dr. John E. Konkol Jr.
    • Dr. Michael Langlois
    • Dr. Charles M. Melton
    • Back
  • Conditions We Treat
    • Common Foot Problems
    • Bunions
    • Heel Pain
    • Diabetic Foot Conditions
    • Ingrown Toenails
    • Trauma & Fractures
    • Back
  • Services
    • Foot & Ankle Surgery
    • Pediatric Podiatry
    • Sports Medicine
    • Diabetic Foot Care
    • Custom Orthotics
    • In-Office Procedures
    • Back
  • Blog
  • Contact & Locations
  • Patient Portal
  • Online Bill Pay