What is Sports Medicine?

You may have heard of the term "sports medicine," but you may not know exactly what it is.  Sports medicine is the study and practice of medicine as it relates to sports.  Specifically, it's focused on the areas of sports nutrition, sports injury, sports diagnosis and treatment, exercise, sports injury prevention, sports training and sports psychology.

A specialist in sports medicine is someone (not necessarily always a physician) who is trained in the medical and therapeutic aspects of physical activity and sports participation. There are certificate programs, bachelors and masters in sports medicine.

Physicians of sports medicine have specialized training in exercise or sports-related injuries. They focus on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of injuries that occur during physical activity.

Often, a sports medicine physician completes their residency in another specialty, such as orthopedic surgery.

Physical therapists often specialize in sports medicine and orthopedics. Finding a good physical therapist is very important to athletes, because they combine training and rehab principles in order to help an athlete recover from injury.

Similarly, athletes often frequent chiropractors, because spinal adjustments are done without medication or surgery, which athletes often prefer.

Sports science is another closely-related field, and is also sometimes referred to as exercise science.  Sports science is the study of anatomy, psychology and physiology as related to physical activity. Exercise science is a relatively new field of study, and much of it is focused on researching the impact of exercise (or lack of exercise) on the body.

Looking for quality sports medicine care? The SportsCare team at Allegheny Medical consists of specially trained physicians, physical therapists, nurses, dietitians and rehabilitation specialists providing sports performance training and injury treatment management for competitive athletes, weekend athletes, individuals with physically demanding jobs and those who want to become more active. Please call 412-494-4554 for your complimentary, personalized consultation appointment today.

What Are the Specific Health Benefits of Exercise?

Regular physical activity is not only great for weight loss and staying in shape, it can also provide many different health benefits.

Research has shown that regular physical activity can help improve the quality of your life as well as reduce the risk of disease.  Studies have also shown that people who are inactive have an increased risk of chronic diseases and of course, obesity.

So what exactly can regular exercise prevent? Daily physical activity can help prevent stroke and heart disease because it lowers your blood pressure, raises your good cholesterol, lowers your bad cholesterol and strengthens the muscles in your heart.  Regular exercise can also reduce blood pressure in those with hypertension, prevent bone loss and osteoporosis, improve back pain by increasing flexibility and helping with posture, prevent and control Type 2 Diabetes by reducing body fat and even improve your mood.

You might wonder how much exercise is recommended. The U.S. Surgeon General, the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week. Moderate-intensity physical activity is the kind that causes a slight increase in your heart rate and breathing.  It is usually just enough to break a sweat. An example of this kind of activity would be a brisk walk, which is usually where a person is walking at a rate of 3 to 4 miles per hour.

If it has been a while since you have been active, it's a good idea to begin with low-impact activities such as swimming or walking. Once you have gotten in better shape, you can begin introducing more strenuous activity into your routine.

Millions of people suffer from illnesses every day, but the good news is, many of them can be improved or even prevented through regular exercise and physical activity.

How Important is Warming Up Before Exercise?

Working out regularly is great for your body, but many times people jump right into it without warming up first--and this can actually be harmful.  Warming up loosens your muscles and joints, making them less prone to injuries.

Warm ups get the fluids in your joints flowing which helps decrease the wear and tear on muscles that a workout can cause. It also allows the heart some time to adjust and pump nutrients and blood into the muscles. This is especially important for older people, as their hearts tend to be weaker and their joints contain less fluid.

A proper warm-up can also prevent muscle soreness after a workout. The increased blood flow that results from warming up helps to deliver oxygen to the muscles and lessen the build-up of waste products which often causes the muscles to become sore.

The main goal of warming up is just to get the heart to beat faster.  Walking or jogging at a steadily increasing pace is one way, which allows the body's temperature to rise and a light sweat to be achieved. Other great ways to warm up include doing jumping jacks, jumping rope or doing light cardio such as on an elliptical machine or a treadmill.

Once you've warmed up and completed your exercises, it's also a good idea to do a cool down. This helps you stretch your muscles and slow your heart down, and is the perfect ending to a complete, effective and most of all safe workout.

Looking for Quality Sports Medicine Treatment?

The SportsCare team at Allegheny Medical consists of specially trained nurses, dietitians, physicians, physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists providing sports performance training and injury treatment management. SportsCare’s programs combine lifestyle, fitness and behavior management with quality medical treatments, and are personalized based on the assessment of each athlete's ability and health.

SportsCare programs are unique. Here at Allegheny Medical, we start by performing an in-depth evaluation of an individual's health status and athletic ability. The performance-based training program we create is a completely personalized performance plan. Based on our assessment of the athlete's athletic ability and health, our training staff will develop a performance-based training program that will ultimately help individuals achieve greater athletic outcomes and increase their performance. Every athlete is tested, screened and counseled prior to beginning the customized training program.

Each athlete will receive a variety of educational materials focusing on diet and nutrition information, performance enhancing exercises and personalized performance training instruction.

Dr. Neal Fanelli and his team have more than 20 years experience working with professional Olympic and amateur athletes. Dr. Neal has specifically assisted the National Football League by working with athletes that played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Allegheny Medical and their top-notch SportsCare team can truly keep you "stronger, healthier and faster for life."

Complimentary, personalized consultation appointments at Allegheny Medical can be made by calling (412) 494-4554.