Sports Medicine

As a sports doctor my aim is to find the fastest and safest way to get athletes back to professional training. Injuries do not always require a lengthy period of rest or break. It is crucial to get an accurate diagnosis and start an individual therapeutic and supplemental treatment plan as soon as possible. That is why I work alongside professional physiotherapists, radiologists and psychologists as well as your own physical trainer(s). Thanks to many years of professional experience with renowned athletes, the Polish Football Association (PZPN), and numerous academic conferences, I always aim to offer the most up-to-date guidelines from the field of treating sports injuries. 

Dr Jan Paradowski - to read more about my qualifications and professional experience, click here. 

 Contents:

1. Examining athletes – sports-medical assessment
2. What is sports medicine?
3. Can I practise sport safely?
4. Can a sports doctor work alone?
5. Why do orthopaedists who deal with treating athletes get the best results?

Examining athletes – sports-medical assessment

• athletes’ health cards – updating ability to practise sport
• Dr Jan Paradowski (Doctor of the Polish Junior Club PZPN, holder of PTMS certificate – Polish Society of Sports Medicine, member of the International Federation of Sports Medicine FIMS, member of the International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society ICRS) 
• comprehensive, professional orthopaedic assessment (sports medical-exams, ultrasound, MRI, CT, x-ray)
• diagnosis and effective treatment of sport injuries (including using the most modern ultrasound guided therapies)

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine by definition deals with people's physical activity from birth to death. However, in times of new specialisations in sporting disciplines, advanced physical preparation techniques and huge strains on the human body, sports medicine is taking on a new dimension. It has to meet the needs of professional athletes in terms of preventing injury, achieving the highest levels of performance and treating injuries. We are therefore talking about:

• professional diet and supplements (stimulants, vitamins, fluid therapy etc.)
• choosing the type of exercises and training loads (collaborating with the trainer from the sporting discipline and the physical preparation trainer),
• biological regeneration,
• early diagnosis and treating minor injuries,
• the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries (medical exams, ultrasound, x-ray, MRI, CT diagnosis, rehabilitation, operation).

Can I practise sport safely?

You must remember to see a doctor to check if you can practise sport. This is even more important than qualifying to practise a given sport because in some cases it can prevent your health from deteriorating or even death. Parents often ask trainers: ‘is my child good at this sport?’, ‘Is he/she talented?’ Much less often do we hear the question: ‘can my child safely practise this sport, is it good for his/her health?’

The highest quality sports-medical assessment should answer these questions. It should never just be about stamping the health card of the athletes. It must involve different elements that give a full picture of the person who is taking on the challenge of professional sport.  
Orthopaedic medical exams aim to minimise the risk connected with sport, help choose the right discipline for the child, change the frequency of training, the amount of strain and choose the right exercises at a given time. More and more often we are recommending that people take supplements wisely, see a physiotherapist, a sports physiologist and other specialists.

Can a sports doctor work alone?

- No. A sports doctor should constantly work alongside the trainer (or, most often, trainers), the athlete's family, physiotherapist, dietitian, and often a psychologist and physiologist. Of course the most important thing is to work with the athletes themselves – gaining their trust through clear instruction and thorough work. In addition, a sports doctor is obliged to work alongside the physiotherapist who the patient is referred to in order to carry out exercises and procedures – this applies to both athletes and non-athletes.

 Why do orthopaedists who deal with treating athletes get the best results?

- Because the injuries are the same whether it is a professional athlete, an amateur athlete or somebody who does not practise sport. The only difference is that a sports doctor has to make a quick, accurate diagnosis and apply quick, accurate therapy.  After all, athletes cannot give themselves a few weeks off. And who will help us? There is just one answer – no one. An orthopaedist who works with athletes who are put under strain has the most experience in treating this kind of injury. Quickly and effectively.  
Looking at it from this perspective, sports medicine is of interest not just to athletes, but also to other patients.  Everyone has the right to a full diagnosis and professional treatment.