Sports Medicine Specialist

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine practitioners diagnose and treat sports-related injuries. You may need a specific type of provider based on the location of your sports injury. If you’ve injured your foot or ankle, you need a podiatric sports medicine specialist like Dr. Suh at DFW Foot and Ankle. 

What types of injuries does a sports medicine doctor treat?

Dr. Suh treats the full range of sports injuries involving the feet and ankles, including:

• Ankle sprains
• Tendinitis
• Muscle strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Turf toe
• Ankle fractures
• Foot fractures
• Ankle instability

Dr. Suh is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of both traumatic and wear-and-tear sports injuries in the feet and ankles. 

What are the signs of a sports injury?

With traumatic sports injuries, including fractures, sprains, and strains, your symptoms start immediately. Symptoms differ depending on the injury, but common ones include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising or redness
• Stiffness
• Weakness
• Limited range of motion
• Difficulty standing

Although most podiatric sports injuries are trauma-related, injuries like plantar fasciitis and tendinitis develop over time. Wear-and-tear injuries cause the same symptoms as traumatic injuries, but they usually worsen gradually until you seek treatment. 

How does sports medicine treatment work?

Dr. Suh customizes sports medicine treatment at DFW Foot and Ankle based on your injury, symptoms, and sport. He knows you’re eager to put the pain behind you and return to action, so in most cases, he recommends a nonsurgical and nonpharmacological treatment plan. 

Conservative treatments

Conservative treatments for sports injuries include bracing, splinting, physical therapy, and activity modification. 

Radial shockwave therapy

Dr. Suh uses innovative, noninvasive radial shockwave therapy for many sports injuries. This treatment involves a handheld tool that delivers energy waves to the injured tissue beneath the skin. This triggers your body’s regenerative powers to help your damaged tissue heal rapidly.

Surgery

Some types of sports injuries, displaced fractures, for example, require surgical repair. 

Dr. Suh is a specialist in fractures, reconstructive surgery, and emergency surgery for foot and ankle trauma. He’s a gifted and detail-oriented surgeon who meticulously plans procedures using the least-invasive methods possible. 

DFW Foot and Ankle also offers preventive care to help you avoid a recurrence of your foot or ankle injury. For example, custom orthotics can help your feet stay in the ideal positions when you return to your sport. 

For personalized sports medicine care for foot and ankle injuries, call DFW Foot and Ankle or click the online booking link now.