The focus of the Women's Sports Medicine Service is to provide the best care to our patients with a team approach to their injury and concerns. Our team provides a comprehensive approach to our patients in order to get them back to their activities in a safe manner. The services provided also emphasize the importance of injury prevention and a general healthy lifestyle. This unique care is provided by the following services:
- Orthopedic Surgery
Some sports injuries or other musculoskeletal complaints may require surgery. The orthopedic surgeons at the Women’s Sports Medicine Center offer both non-surgical and surgical treatment of injuries but specialize in surgery for sports-related complaints.
- Primary Care Sports Medicine
Although sports medicine often involves the care of muscles and joints injured during activity, there are also medical issues that affect one’s ability to exercise safely and effectively. The primary care sports medicine physicians at the Center see all non-surgical musculoskeletal issues as well as sports-related medical issues. These include overtraining, the Female Athlete Triad, exercise-induced asthma, diabetes, recurrent stress fractures, and exercise during pregnancy, post-partum, and through menopause.
- Exercise-Related Injuries and Conditions
Although sports medicine often involves the care of muscles and joints injured during activity, there are also medical issues that affect one’s ability to exercise safely and effectively. These include overtraining, the Female Athlete Triad, exercise-induced asthma, diabetes, recurrent stress fractures, exercise during pregnancy, post-partum and through menopause.
- Sports Psychology
Are you sidelined with an injury and frustrated about your forced inactivity? Do you want that competitive edge provided by performance enhancement techniques designed to improve your focus and confidence? Our clinical psychologist can help get you back on track.
Performance Enhancement
Performance enhancement is designed to help athletes increase their ability to improve performance, reach full potential, and have more fun. Learn specific tools, such as concentration and anxiety control, self-talk, goal setting, relaxation, and mental imagery, to improve your confidence and performance.
Injury Recovery
Athletic injury can be devastating to an active or competitive individual. Much of the recovery process is focused on physical rehabilitation, often overlooking the psychological repercussions. Learn to use imagery to recover lost practice time, explore and understand your emotions following injury, and come back psychologically stronger than ever.
- Fitness Services
Exercise Consultation
Meet with an exercise physiologist to review or design a personalized fitness program that meets your fitness goals, integrates with your lifestyle and provides maximum results with minimum risk of injury.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Evaluate your cardiovascular fitness during a progressive exercise challenge on a treadmill or bicycle ergometer. Learn your VO2max, maximal heart rate and other indicators of aerobic fitness which can help you optimize your endurance training. (You must pass certain screening criteria.)
Body Composition
Curious about your body fat percentage? Need guidance in establishing realistic weight goals? Determine your current levels of fat and lean body mass through a skinfold caliper test performed by a skilled exercise physiologist.
Flexibility and Strength
Range of motion tests for important joints and muscles in the body will help you design an effective stretching program. Selected strength tests can detect muscle weakness or imbalance. A postural evaluation by the physical therapist also provides clues about body symmetry, strength and flexibility.
- Nutritional Services
Our sports nutritionists are extensively trained and skilled in treating women of all ages and lifestyles from the fitness enthusiast to the elite female athlete. Incorporating up-to-date nutrition science, our team will work with your food preferences, physical activity profile, and lifestyle to design a nutrition program that meets your personal goals and needs. Let us help you sort through the latest trends in diet and nutrition supplements. Come in and work with a professional in a friendly, supportive atmosphere to devise a plan that works for you to achieve your nutritional and personal best.
Comprehensive Nutrition Therapy is available for sports nutrition, including:
- training diets
- pre-competition, competition, and recovery nutrition
- fluid strategies for hydration and energy
- disordered eating and the Female Athlete Triad
- osteoporosis prevention and treatment
- weight management
- nutritional supplements/ergogenic aids
- vegetarian diets
- high-energy snacking
- general health and well-being
- cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure management
- Physical Therapy
Our senior physical therapist, who also works in Hospital for Special Surgery's Rehabilitation Department, provides home programs and evaluations for physical therapy at the HSS Sports Medicine, Performance and Research Center.
- Community Workshops
We can design programs to meet the needs and interests of your group. Email us at womensport@hss.edu to inquire about seminars for your school or organization. Sample workshops include: Power Eating; Strength and Flexibility Training; Exercise for Couch Potatoes; Body Image and the Media; Shop Sports: Shop Smart; Fitness, Food and Attitude; Grab and Go: Healthy Eating on the Run; Fitting In Fitness; and more!
- Wellness Plan
Whether you're a couch potato or serious competitor, there are many ways to improve your health and energy, reduce your risk of injury and achieve optimal performance. Let our staff help you incorporate these strategies into your game plan.
- Optimize your training regimen. Learn about cross training, using different exercise modalities, hard and easy days and, especially, recovery time!
- Provide your body with the nutrition and fluids you need for the energy to train and compete, or just make it through a long day!
- Learn and use mental preparation techniques such as mental imagery, goal-setting, concentration and anxiety management.
- Increase your muscle strength, using techniques to engage your core, improve your balance and promote whole body functional strength.
- Improve your skills through good coaching and practice.
