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21 22<!-- End Google Tag Manager --> 23 24 25 <title>When to See a Sports Medicine Doctor (and What to Expect) | Essentia Health</title> 26 27 28<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/health-and-news/blog/orthosm-when-to-see-a-sports-medicine-doctor-and-what-to-expect" /> 29 30 31 32 <link href="/-/media/Images/Icons/Site/favicon.png?rev=c537df7016ef47f68b01f11688a2560b" rel="shortcut icon" /> 33 34 35 36<meta property="og:type" content="article" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://www.essentiahealth.org/-/media/Project/Essentia/Essentia/pages/Blogs/OpenGraph/og_Ortho_SportsMed_1200x630-(1).jpg?rev=b70d78fe942e435cabf21f8ee287a84f" /><meta property="og:title" content="When to See a Sports Medicine Doctor (and What to Expect)" /><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.essentiahealth.org/health-and-news/blog/orthosm-when-to-see-a-sports-medicine-doctor-and-what-to-expect" /> 37 38 39<meta name="description" content="You have a sore ankle thatâs been bothering you off and on for months. Is it time to see a sports medicine doctor? Get the facts in our latest blog." /><meta name="keywords" content="sports medicine doctor, physical therapists, working closely, return to play, treat injuries, sports medicine specialists, treat athletes, orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physician, athletic trainers, build strength, athletic performance, primary care, physical therapy, future injuries, injury prevention" /> 40 41 42<meta property="twitter:title" content="When to See a Sports Medicine Doctor (and What to Expect)" /><meta property="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> 43 44 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"/> 45 46
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617 <span class="separator">/</span> 618 </li> 619 <li class="breadcrumb-item last"> 620<div class="navigation-title field-navigationtitle"><a title="orthosm-when-to-see-a-sports-medicine-doctor-and-what-to-expect" href="/health-and-news/blog/orthosm-when-to-see-a-sports-medicine-doctor-and-what-to-expect">When to See a Sports Medicine Doctor (and What to Expect)</a></div> <span class="separator">/</span> 621 </li> 622 </ol> 623 </nav> 624 </div> 625</div> 626 627 628<div class="component link col-2 print-link"> 629 <div class="component-content"> 630 631<div class="field-link"><a href="#javascript;" data-variantitemid="{BAA2CFCB-948B-46E3-9F7C-442F52CF8AF8}" data-variantfieldname="Link">Print</a></div> </div> 632</div></div> </div> 633</section> 634 635 636<div class="component row-splitter"> 637 <div class=" breadcrumb-row container-fluid"> 638 <div > 639 <div class="row"></div> 640 </div> 641 </div> 642 <div class="container-fluid"> 643 <div > 644 <div class="row"></div> 645 </div> 646 </div> 647</div> 648 649<div class="component content blog-details col-12"> 650 <div class="component-content"> 651<div class="blog-title"> 652 <h1>When to See a Sports Medicine Doctor (and What to Expect)</h1> 653</div> 654<div class="blog-date align-center"> 655 <p>August 6, 2026 <span class="separator"> </span>By: 656 657 Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Team 658 659 </p> 660</div> 661<div class="blog-content"> 662 <div class="blog-left"> 663 664 <div class="related-services"> 665 <h2>Related Services</h2> 666 667 <a href="/services/orthopedics-sports-medicine" title="Orthopedics & Sports Medicine" class="d-block indent-bottom-1">Orthopedics & Sports Medicine</a> 668 669 </div> 670 671 </div> 672 <div class="blog-main"> 673 <div class="blog-image"><img src="/-/media/Project/Essentia/Essentia/pages/Blogs/Ortho_SportsMed_924x433-(1).jpg?h=433&iar=0&w=924&rev=b4d86c9936f04233b84e145c55c92090&hash=10FF835BF450FE69E007DB27F5295472" alt="Doctor examining patients knee." width="924" height="433" /></div> 674 <div class="blog-content-copy"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 22px;"><em>Content medically reviewed by Luke Widstrom, MD</em></p> 675<p>Whether you have an acute injury, like a broken bone, or a chronic issue, like tendinitis, you may benefit from seeing a sports medicine doctor, even if your injury had nothing to do with sports.</p> 676<p>Despite the label, sports medicine is not just for people who participate in sports. Sports medicine doctors and other sports medicine specialists offer diagnosis and treatment for conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system in both athletes and non-athletes, including sprains, strains, fractures, arthritis, and overuse injuries.</p> 677<p>If you’re experiencing a nagging or sudden pain in a bone, muscle, joint, ligament, tendon, or nerve, your primary care provider may refer you to a sports medicine specialist.</p> 678<h2>Making Sense of Sports Medicine</h2> 679<p><a href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/services/orthopedics-sports-medicine/sports-medicine">Sports medicine</a>, also known as exercise medicine or medical orthopedics, is a specialty devoted to helping people lead active lifestyles. Sports medicine specialists treat athletes who experience sports-related injuries, but they also treat nonathletes who have conditions or injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system. Their goal is to help anyone with an injury that limits their ability to be as active as they want to be.</p> 680<p>In addition, sports medicine specialists focus on injury prevention through comprehensive rehabilitation, training in body mechanics, nutritional counseling, and other therapies. They also care for people wishing to build strength, improve their athletic performance, or develop healthier body mechanics for better overall movement.</p> 681<p>Sports medicine can also be helpful if you’re looking to begin or ramp up an exercise routine.</p> 682<h2>The Difference Between Sports Medicine Doctors and Orthopedic Surgeons</h2> 683<p>Both <a href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/services/orthopedics-sports-medicine/orthopedic-surgery">orthopedic surgeons</a> and sports medicine specialists diagnose and treat conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system, so what’s the difference between the two specialties?</p> 684<p>“Sports medicine specialists treat injuries and conditions affecting the bones, joints, and other parts of the musculoskeletal system without surgery,” said <a href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/find-doctor-provider/luke-widstrom">Dr. Luke Widstrom</a>, a sports medicine doctor at Essentia Health. “Many conditions affecting these parts of the body can be treated successfully using medication, rehabilitation, and other conservative treatment options.”</p> 685<p>Based on your symptoms, your primary care provider may first recommend consulting a sports medicine specialist, who can provide a range of treatments for injuries related to sports activities or your job. If nonsurgical treatment methods don’t offer relief or fix the underlying problem, the sports medicine specialist may then refer you to an orthopedic surgeon, who can perform surgery.</p> 686<p>These two specialties often collaborate, working closely together to treat patients and help them return to play sports or resume daily activities. </p> 687<h2>Where Sports Medicine Specialists Work</h2> 688<p>Sports medicine specialists are not limited to orthopedic clinics. They work in a variety of medical settings but must be board-certified in sports medicine in order to specialize in the field. You can find sports medicine specialists working in –</p> 689<ul> 690 <li>Emergency medicine</li> 691 <li>Family medicine</li> 692 <li>Internal medicine</li> 693 <li>Pediatrics</li> 694 <li>Physical medicine and rehabilitation</li> 695</ul> 696<h2>What to Expect at a Sports Medicine Appointment</h2> 697<p>If you’ve been referred to a sports medicine specialist at Essentia Health, your experience will vary depending on why you’re seeing the specialist.</p> 698<h3>Treating Athletes</h3> 699<p>Athletes can experience a range of sudden (acute) or chronic (long-term) injuries related to their sport of choice. Your sports medicine specialist will perform a physical exam looking at the area of your injury and the symptoms it’s causing. They may also recommend <a href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/services/imaging-radiology">imaging scans</a>, like an X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, or CT scan, or other tests to confirm a diagnosis and the severity of the injury.</p> 700<p>Later appointments may include an evaluation of how your injury is healing and whether your treatment plan needs to be adju
700sted as you prepare to return to the field or court. The sports medicine specialist will work alongside other providers as needed, including physical therapists, <a href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/services/orthopedics-sports-medicine/sports-medicine/athletic-training">athletic trainers</a>, and orthopedic surgeons, to help ensure you get the care you need to return safely to activity.</p> 701<p>If you’re an athlete who has recovered from injury but is looking to improve athletic performance, your sports medicine specialist will talk with you about your areas of weakness and your goals. From there, you’ll develop a plan to build strength, prevent future injuries, improve mechanics, and take other steps to improve performance.</p> 702<h3>Treating Nonathletes</h3> 703<p>If your injury isn’t related to sports, your sports medicine specialist will still perform a physical exam, paying close attention to the affected area. You may also have testing, such as imaging scans, to help confirm a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.</p> 704<p>Treatment for nonathletes typically includes injury-specific treatment and improving body mechanics to help prevent future problems.</p> 705<h2>The Bottom Line</h2> 706<p>If you have an injury or condition that limits your ability to be active or go about your daily activities, you may benefit from seeing a sports medicine physician or specialist, even if you don’t play sports.</p> 707<p>These specialists have advanced training in diagnosing, treating, and preventing conditions in the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. They can offer a wide variety of nonsurgical treatments depending on your specific needs. At your first appointment, your provider will evaluate your injury and determine whether you need medication, physical therapy, training to improve body mechanics, or another treatment option.</p> 708<p>If additional care is needed, your sports medicine specialist can collaborate with other providers, including an orthopedic surgeon, to ensure you get the care you need.</p> 709<br /> 710<div class="bg-gallery-gray"> Don’t let an orthopedic injury slow you down. A sports medicine specialist can help. Call <a href="tel:8446631068">844-663-1068</a> or <a href="https://www.essentiamychart.org/mychart/openscheduling?serviceAreas=10,50&specialtyid=27">schedule an appointment online</a>. 711<p> </p> 712</div></div> 713 </div> 714</div> 715<div class="blog-buttons"> 716 <p> View other related content by </p> 717 <p> Topics: </p> 718 <div class="blog-categories"> 719 720 <a href="/health-and-news/blog?#sort=%40blogpublicationdatecustom%20descending&numberOfResults=9&f:@blogcontenttopic=[Orthopedics%20%26%20Sports%20Medicine]" title="Orthopedics & Sports Medicine" class="btn btn-primary">Orthopedics & Sports Medicine</a> 721 722 </div> 723</div> </div> 724</div> 725 726 727 728<section class="component section-container col-12 indent-top" > 729 <div class="component-content container"> 730<div class="row"> 731 732 733<section class="component section-container col-12 indent-bottom" > 734 <div class="component-content container"> 735<div class="row"></div> </div> 736</section> 737 738 739<section class="component section-container col-12 news-cta-container indent-bottom" > 740 <div class="component-content container"> 741<div class="row"></div> </div> 742</section></div> </div> 743</section> 744<div class="component plain-html col-12"> 745 <div class="component-content"> 746<div class="modal modal-custom" id="customModal" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="customModalLabel" aria-hidden="true"> 747 <div class="modal-dialog modal-dialog-centered"> 748 <div class="modal-content"> 749 <div class="modal-header"> 750 <h2 class="modal-title" id="customModalLabel">Modal</h2> 751 <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></button> 752 </div> 753 <div class="modal-body"> </div> 754 </div> 755 </div> 756</div> </div> 757</div></div> 758 </div> 759 </main> 760 <!-- /#content --> 761 <!-- #footer --> 762 <footer> 763 <div id="footer" class="container-fluid"> 764 <div class="row"> 765 766 767 768<div class="component container col-12 footer-container"> 769 <div class="component-content" > 770<div class="row"> 771 772 773<div class="component container col-12 col-lg-4 footer-logo-text"> 774 <div class="component-content" > 775<div class="row"> 776<div class="component image col-12 eh-logo"> 777 <div class="component-content"> 778<div> 779<a href="/" aria-label="go to Homepage" title="Homepage" role="link">
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