Athletes and recreational sports enthusiasts turn to sports medicine to prevent and recover from injuries, boost performance, and maintain peak shape. Whatever your age, sport, and activity level, sport medicine experts can help you stay on top of your game.
Sports medicine specialist Matthew Pifer, MD, can help you achieve your performance goals. A comprehensive sports evaluation provides guidance for developing an individualized plan to meet your needs and help you improve your game.
In this blog, our experts discuss the benefits of partnering with a sports medicine specialist, and how you can maintain and improve your athletic skills through sports medicine.
Sports medicine involves not only treating and preventing sports-related injuries, but also performance training and nutrition counseling. A sports medicine specialist can identify areas of imbalance, or weakness relevant to your sport and sports performance. Addressing these areas enhances your performance, enabling you to perform at your full potential.
Dr. Pifer is specially trained to care for athletes and other active individuals. Serious athletes aren’t the only people who benefit from sports medicine. Anyone leading an active lifestyle and engaging in physical activities can improve their performance and stay healthy through sports medicine.
Our team provides specialized care through customized plans designed for your specific sport or activity and your body. For example, sports medicine for someone who plays football may involve a focus on avoiding concussions and reducing the risk of repetitive motion injuries, as well as identifying areas in which to improve your performance.
Sports medicine professionals can play a key role in developing customized training programs specifically designed around an athlete’s needs and areas of weakness and strengths. Our team possesses the knowledge and tools to create a regimen and recommendations geared toward performance improvement.
Overtraining, poor nutrition, improper training technique, and not properly warming up or cooling down can prevent you from performing at your full potential. As a result, previous injuries may not have healed properly, or you may be at a higher risk of injury. Our team can identify deficiencies, provide recommendations, and help strengthen your joints and muscles so that you can perform your best.
Injury prevention is a cornerstone of performance enhancement. You can’t perform well if you’re injured or training in a way that increases the risk of injury. Our team has an in-depth understanding of how athletes use their bodies during practice and in play and use that knowledge to help you perform at your peak while lowering the chances of getting hurt or reinjuring yourself. Additionally, we can help you determine if you’re ready to return to play following rehabilitation from an injury.
From the latest advances in reconstructive surgical techniques to regenerative medicine procedures like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, Dr. Pifer utilizes leading-edge approaches to restore function so that you can return to your chosen activity as soon and as safely as possible.
Dr. Pifer specializes in minimally-invasive shoulder and knee surgery. The shoulders and knees are two of the most common areas of sports-related injuries. To repair injuries such as a torn rotator cuff, Dr. Pifer uses arthroscopic surgery, which involves using a special tube (arthroscope) with a camera attached to view and repair damaged tissues.
PRP therapy is used to speed recovery from repetitive training injuries such as tennis elbow, and golfer’s elbow, as well as strains, sprains, and other types of sports-related injuries. PRP therapy involves injecting a concentrated source of platelets into the injured area to stimulate and enhance healing. PRP therapy can help you return to sport sooner and reduce the pain associated with intense training.
To find out how sports medicine can help you reach your athletic goals, contact our Santa Barbara office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Pifer. We offer in-person and telemedicine appointments, so you can receive guidance from the comfort of your home. Our team is here to meet your sports medicine needs.
