Seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon After a Sports Injury

If you have sprained your ankle while playing basketball or shattered your wrist while playing baseball, you may want to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. While these professionals don't specialize in sports medicine per se, they do work with many parts of the body that are affected by sports injuries.

 

For instance, if you have torn the ACL or MCL in your knee, an orthopedic surgeon would help repair those joints. He or she may also be able to do a knee scope or full replacement if the injury is severe enough. If you are a pitcher in baseball or a quarterback in football, you may suffer from rotator cuff strains or tears that may require surgery to repair or reduce your pain.

Before you see an orthopedic surgeon, you may want to visit your general practitioner to make an initial diagnosis. Those who get hurt while playing for a school team or for a professional team may want to check with their team doctor before seeing a specialist for surgery or other forms of treatment.

If you suffer a neck or head injury, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Concussion symptoms may not appear for hours after you take a hit, and another hard hit to your neck could result in paralysis. An orthopedic surgeon will take X-rays and run other diagnostic tests to confirm a neck or head injury before determining the best course of treatment.