SPORTS MEDICINE

The profession of sports medicine has undergone great change in the last 30 years. Simply defined, sports medicine is the art of returning an athlete to their sport following injury. We have unique expertise in this area.

"One of the most important decisions we make as sports {clinicians} is when to let a patient get back into practice and competition after an injury or illness. If too soon, the patient can get hurt again—maybe worse. If too late—like 'take a few month off and then come back and see me' – we are not really fulfilling our job requirements."

-- Richard H. Strauss, MD; Former Editor-in-Chief, Physician & Sports Medicine

Medical care of the injured athlete has often involved many different health care providers on the “Sports Medicine Team.” These team members may often include:

1.)  Physician (MD or DO)

2.)  Physical Therapist (PT)

3.)  Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC)

4.)  Dentist (oral injuries)

5.)  Nutritionist

6.)  Sport Psychologist

Those people having the closest relationship with the injured athlete are the Physical Therapist and/or Athletic Trainer¹, due to the amount of time spent in rehabilitation and on the field. The PT and/or ATC has the unique opportunity to see how injuries progress on a day to day basis, and how treatment regimes can improve problems rapidly over time.

At Eugene Physical Therapy, our staff is uniquely qualified to treat such problems. We have staff who have treated at a variety of levels of athletics, including Olympic and minor league athletes. Our goal is the most rapid recovery possible, with safety in mind. This means effective communication, combined with emphasis on deficits demonstrated in the initial evaluation. As symptoms improve, treatment may include a biomechanical assessment prior to return to sport, such as running gait analysis (see below), throwing analysis, or sport specific activity assessment.

Our staff has seen many athletes in these categories: 
           -- Archery
           -- Baseball/Softball
           -- Basketball
           -- Cheerleading 
           -- Crew (Rowing) 
           -- Dancing (competitive)
           -- Football 
           -- Gymnastics
           -- Hockey 
           -- Ice Skating 
           -- Martial Arts
           -- Olympic Power Lifting
           -- Raquetball 
           -- Skiing (alpine & water) 
           -- Soccer 
           -- Swimming 
           -- Tennis
           -- Track & Field
           -- Volleyball 
           -- Wrestling

At Eugene Physical Therapy, we base our treatment on the Evaluation. We do not focus on "generalized" programs as we find patients progress at a faster rate if deficits identified are focused on. Therefore our treatment plan focuses on the individual's needs.

Treatment may include:

 Taping and/or Bracing (including McConnell Taping)

  Custom splints

  ROM exercise

  Strengthening Exercise

  Proprioceptive Training (see Dynamic Proprioception Approach below)

Manual and/or Manipulative therapy

  Movement Re-education

  PNF techniques (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Technique – see SERVICES)

  Modalities

DYNAMIC PROPRIOCEPTION:

We specialize in assessing and treating proprioceptive deficits. The Dynamic Proprioception Approach © was originated by Jeff Giulietti and has started to be taught to PT's and ATC's in 2003.

REFERENCES

1. Prentice WE. Arnheim's Principles of Athletic Training: A Competency-Based Approach 11 ed
             McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA 2003 page 12