Sports medicine focuses on healthcare for athletes and physically active individuals who have conditions or injuries related to physical fitness, sports and exercise, while improving physical performance, overall health and injury prevention.
Our board-certified sports medicine specialists concentrate on comprehensive healthcare for active patients, including diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses related to sports and physical activity.
Our specialists have extensive knowledge and uses manual techniques that help treat and prevent musculoskeletal conditions common in athletes.
Reviewed 12/28/2022
Stretching: Myth or fact?
When it comes to flexibility and minding your muscles, it's important not to stretch the truth. See if you can tell fact from fiction in this quiz all about stretching and its benefits.
Myth or fact: Flexibility is nice to have, but it's not a major part of physical fitness.
Myth. Flexibility is an important part of physical fitness. Your body needs to be able to bend and twist through a normal range of motion without overexerting yourself or causing injury. When you are more flexible, you are more agile, which can help you meet the demands of your physical activity of choice.
Myth or fact: Stretching can reduce your stress levels.
Fact. Exercise is a great way to control stress. Plus, well-stretched muscles hold less tension and thus leave your body feeing less stressed. According to the American Council on Exercise, stretching has many other unseen benefits, such as improved posture and circulation.
Myth or fact: Stretching correctly should hurt a little.
Myth. Stretching should not hurt. Only stretch your muscle to the point of tension—you should feel some tightness, but not pain. As you stretch more, you may notice that you can tolerate more stretching.
Myth or fact: You should stretch before you warm up.
Myth. If you stretch cold muscles, you may have a higher risk of injury. According to the American Council on Exercise, you should spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up prior to stretching out. Warming up is usually a simple and low-intensity activity, such as easy walking while swinging your arms.
Myth or fact: Stretching as you get older is a bad idea.
Myth. As you age, your muscles get shorter, and over time you may lose your ability to do certain kinds of motion. Stretching regularly can slow down that process and keep you active longer.
Get flexible in your exercise routine and incorporate some stretching. Follow these steps:
- Exhale slowly as you stretch the muscle.
- Hold your stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
- Relax, and repeat 2 to 4 times.
Make sure to warm up first, and avoid classic mistakes like bouncing and holding your breath.
Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; American Council on Exercise; American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Sports Concussion Program
As the popularity of sports, including contact and collision sports, has risen, so have the injuries sustained to the athletes who participate in these physically rigorous activities. Broken bones and torn ligaments pose serious threats to the health of our young competitors, but concussion can be a much more significant and often less recognized injury with a far more devastating and long-term effect. As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury that disrupts normal brain function. This injury most often occurs from a bump or shaking of the head through violent contact with the ground, an object or another individual.
A concussed brain
All concussions are serious injuries that can alter the way the brain functions. Most do not involve a loss of consciousness but can cause short-term neurological changes. The effects of concussions vary greatly among individuals, and many mild concussions are undiagnosed and unreported. Concussions can affect the athlete's schooling, work and social life, and can cause long-term issues with memory, mood, balance and sleep, and in the most severe cases result in death. A concussion can occur even when the athlete wears protective headgear. Head injuries are never to be taken lightly, especially with our children, as their developing brains do not recover as quickly from concussions as those in adults.
Our focus
The focus of our concussion program is to educate and assist athletes, parents and coaches in the proper identification, testing and management of concussions. Advanced clinical skills, neurocognitive assessment tools, force plate technology and comprehensive services allow our specially trained medical staff to guide the recovery of the athlete, providing a safe return to play, which is vital in helping to protect the future for our young athletes.
Expert care
Our ImPACT credentialed team with expertise in the diagnosis, treatment and management of all types of sports concussions. Credentialing means the physician has completed advanced education for the treatment and management of concussions.
Indiana Total Therapy, our rehabilitation partner, provides ImPACT cognitive baseline assessments at its outpatient facilities for athletes during convenient hours.
Our expert staff is able to help manage the course of recovery from initial diagnosis to test administration, provide treatment planning, and provide written clearance to return to practice and play when it is deemed appropriate.
State-of-the-art resources
The Human Motion Institute Sports Concussion Program also offers the same state-of-the-art testing for individual athletes whose schools or athletic programs do not yet offer baseline concussion testing. At affordable rates, we are able to administer our tests to individual athletes or on a group basis. Consultations, testing and evaluations are offered by appointment at our convenient therapy clinics. If a concussion is confirmed, we provide the same management resources offered to our partnering organizations to help prevent future injuries and ensure the best possible recovery for every athlete.
Partnerships
Partnering with Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an increasing number of high school athletic programs across Indiana County, the program provides comprehensive services including baseline testing, post-injury concussion testing and treatment for athletes at any age and level. For participating schools, our program provides neurocognitive testing software, education for parents, coaches and staff, and priority scheduling.