Tod Sweeney, MD, Sports and Family Medicine of Colorado, Arvada, Colorado, lives the lifestyle that earns his practice the “healthy patients, healthy doctors” label. A lover of hiking, running, biking, and skiing, Dr. Sweeney has competed in events such as The Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race. A Colorado native, Dr. Sweeney attended medical school at the University of Vermont and completed a residency in Family Medicine at the Medical Center of Maine.
A former University of Pennsylvania baseball player, he brought his passion for athletics to the medical field by completing a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. Being Board Certified in both family and sports medicine is what gives his practice the traditional feel of a family doctor with the added bonus of sports medicine expertise and advanced medical technologies.
An accomplished speaker and writer, Dr. Sweeney shares his knowledge at medical conferences across the country. He is a team doctor for several local sports teams and local area high schools. Dr. Sweeney helps many local athletes with injury prevention and recovery. He is also a clinical instructor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
We were fortunate to take a few minutes of Dr. Sweeney’s time to ask him about common sports injuries and their treatment.
Dr. Sweeney, what is the most common sports injury you see in your clinic?
Dr. Sweeney: We see a lot of different sports injuries, largely based on our training background. My partner and I originally trained in family medicine, but we have both done non-surgical sports medicine fellowships. We see a lot of sprains and strains, a lot of knee pain, low back pain, rotator cuff injuries, and we also see a fair amount of concussions.
Doctor, is there a common belief involving this type of injury that could be harming people?
Dr. Sweeney: With concussions, for example, a lot of people believe that you must have lost consciousness to have had a concussion. That is not the case. The other thing is with children, because of their open growth plates, parents often don’t realize that this is a concern and something to be aware of when we do our assessment.
Are there situations you come across where your patients are unknowingly contributing to their condition?
Dr. Sweeney: If we go back to your first question, which is some of the most common sports injuries that we see, overuse injuries are actually very common. Many times it is a problem where the athlete or individual is doing something too often or too intensely or the duration is not appropriate. Without knowing it, they may be contributing to an overuse injury by doing the activity too often, too intensely, or for too long.
Some of our endurance athletes, for example, find that they are sometimes trying to work through the pain when they really should be limiting their activities to minimize further injury. A lot of times with overuse injuries, they get to that tipping point where it becomes an issue that really pushes them aside.
Is it possible to treat an injury and still be active?
Dr. Sweeney: Yes, it is. The key is whether they can engage in an activity that doesn’t delay the recovery process or cause more damage.
Doctor, is there anything people should do before seeking treatment for a sports injury?
Dr. Sweeney: I think research on the doctor. It is important to find a doctor who is properly trained and board certified in sports medicine.
I think the patient should also have an objective as to whether they want to know what the diagnosis is, what the prognosis is, and what the treatment strategy should be. So I think having goals is key, but certainly finding someone who is well-trained in your area of interest.
Dr. Sweeney, thank you for providing us with information about sports injuries and their treatment.
Dr. Sweeney: It was a pleasure.
Tod Sweeney, MD, Sports and Family Medicine of Colorado, Arvada, Colorado, can be reached at his clinic in Arvada at 720-898-1110. The website for the clinic is sfmcolorado.com and the website for the sports concussion center is sportsccc.com
Kevin Nimmo is a writer and online media strategist. He interviews subject matter experts and educates his readers based on information provided by experts in their respective fields. He is also executive editor of The Western Medical Journal.