Should You See a Doctor for a Sports Injury?

Perhaps you are living with an irritating knee injury or pain in your hip that comes and goes. Are you wondering if you should see a doctor or just wait it out? In the end, only you can answer that question. And while some people want to wait to see if the injury will heal itself, when the pain or lack of function gets to be too much, they contact New Orleans orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Meyer.

If you can’t immediately visit a physician, you can doctor up a sports injury at home with ice and a combination of anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil and Aleve, along with a pain reliever such as Tylenol. If several weeks go by and the pain is keeping you awake at night, or if you can’t walk on your leg or move your shoulder, it’s time to see a doctor.

But what type of doctor should you see?

Orthopedic doctors and surgeons treat musculoskeletal conditions, and there are several different types. Your New Orleans orthopedic surgeon has specialized training in sports medicine surgery, foot, and ankle surgery, shoulder, and upper extremity surgery, hand surgery, and joint replacement.

While some doctors are orthopedic surgeons, seeing them doesn’t mean you need to have surgery. They can provide non-operative treatment – such as injections or physical therapy referrals – for injuries that don’t require immediate repair via surgery.

There are also orthopedic doctors who are not surgeons who are typically trained as family practice physicians with additional training in sports medicine when surgery is not needed. They can treat sports injuries and many sports-related conditions that are not musculoskeletal, such as exercise-induced asthma, nutrition, and concussion.

You don’t have to live in pain – if you’re ready to get relief from your sports injury – call the office of New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer today to schedule a consultation.