MD vs DO sports medicine doctor

mathlegend

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Bear with me, I'm sort of confused on this. I understand that DOs learn osteopathic manipulation techniques. Is it a useful way to treat sport injuries? And is that the only difference between MD and DO sports medicine physicians?

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OMT is a very effective way of treating sports injuries. I've seen a person roll their ankle, get treatment on the sideline, and get back to playing after about 10min of icing the injury.

I myself have tons of joint damage due to 12 seasons of football. I have days where I can't hardly get out of bed. I get one of my proffs or classmates to treat me and I am about 90% better in the 5 minutes it takes to treat me.

I would definitely consider going DO if you are thinking about sports med. The DO focus on neuromusculoskeletal would really benefit you. LMU-DCOM is especially good at teaching this system plus our faculty is extremely intelligent but also very approachable if you have any questions.

To answer your last question, there are some other differences between the fields but OMT is definitely a big one. The thing to remember is find a school where you feel at home. A good doctor is a good doctor no matter if he/she has MD or DO after their name.
 
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Dang, that sounds really good :) I will look into LMU-DCOM. What are some other good DO schools? I understand that they aren't ranked, but what do the general population think?
 
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Bear with me, I'm sort of confused on this. I understand that DOs learn osteopathic manipulation techniques. Is it a useful way to treat sport injuries? And is that the only difference between MD and DO sports medicine physicians?

I'll try to answer your question...

I am a Family Medicine and Sports Medicine physician, who is also a DO, so I should be able to give you some perspective on your question. I completed a sports medicine fellowship and also passed the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine Exam.

Because of my training as a DO, I have successfully integrated Family Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in my practice. I perform consults for both Sports Medicine and OMT which adds to my Family Medicine base for patient care.

The biggest difference between myself and my Family Medicine colleagues is that I do OMT. The truth is that many DOs (and yes, even sports medicine DOs) don't utilize their OMT training enough. I integrate it when applicable to both sports medicine and non sports-medicine related patients and it has for me very successful in my practice.

OMT has been useful for my patients more for a chronic sports medicine related spinal injury (neck, back). There are DOs who use it for more acute issues but I rely on my sports medicine training to treat the acute injury with conventional medical strategies and employ OMT when appropriate as part of the overall recovery program.

The difference between a DO and an MD sports medicine physician may be nothing more than formal OMT training. And the actual practice of OMT is variable. But by not using OMT, not only is a DO not optimizing their care with an additional tool, but they are also missing extra potential income.

More importantly, one should ask if any physician that makes the claim of being a "sports medicine doctor": are they fellowship trained and do they have a CAQSM (Certification of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine).

Generally it is more important to have the fellowship as the CAQSM for many is more an academic achievement meant to allow them to direct a sports medicine fellowship program. That and it is also validation of their sports medicine training-"board certification".

Hope this answers your question. MD or DO, you'll see both types of physicians in local high schools, colleges, semi-professional, and professional sports.
 
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You should check out VCOM. They do a lot with sports medicine. Medical students can do rotations with the Virgina Tech football team and other sports. From all of the DO schools that I have researched, VCOM has the most opportunities to get involved with sports medicine. I'm pretty sure they have a year long sports medicine fellowship that you can do after graduation.

I am sure that there are other DO and MD schools that have some great opportunities. But just from my own experience, VCOM seems like a great option.
 
I'll try to answer your question...

I am a Family Medicine and Sports Medicine physician, who is also a DO, so I should be able to give you some perspective on your question. I completed a sports medicine fellowship and also passed the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine Exam.

Because of my training as a DO, I have successfully integrated Family Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in my practice. I perform consults for both Sports Medicine and OMT which adds to my Family Medicine base for patient care.

The biggest difference between myself and my Family Medicine colleagues is that I do OMT. The truth is that many DOs (and yes, even sports medicine DOs) don't utilize their OMT training enough. I integrate it when applicable to both sports medicine and non sports-medicine related patients and it has for me very successful in my practice.

OMT has been useful for my patients more for a chronic sports medicine related spinal injury (neck, back). There are DOs who use it for more acute issues but I rely on my sports medicine training to treat the acute injury with conventional medical strategies and employ OMT when appropriate as part of the overall recovery program.

The difference between a DO and an MD sports medicine physician may be nothing more than formal OMT training. And the actual practice of OMT is variable. But by not using OMT, not only is a DO not optimizing their care with an additional tool, but they are also missing extra potential income.

More importantly, one should ask if any physician that makes the claim of being a "sports medicine doctor": are they fellowship trained and do they have a CAQSM (Certification of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine).

Generally it is more important to have the fellowship as the CAQSM for many is more an academic achievement meant to allow them to direct a sports medicine fellowship program. That and it is also validation of their sports medicine training-"board certification".

Hope this answers your question. MD or DO, you'll see both types of physicians in local high schools, colleges, semi-professional, and professional sports.
Thanks, this post is very helpful for me. Another question. For DO, are there sports medicine fellowships after an orthopedic residency? I've seen it after FM, IM, EM, but not ortho. And how would the OMT tie into ortho?

You should check out VCOM. They do a lot with sports medicine. Medical students can do rotations with the Virgina Tech football team and other sports. From all of the DO schools that I have researched, VCOM has the most opportunities to get involved with sports medicine. I'm pretty sure they have a year long sports medicine fellowship that you can do after graduation.

I am sure that there are other DO and MD schools that have some great opportunities. But just from my own experience, VCOM seems like a great option.
Thanks, I'll check it out too!
 
I second VCOM. When I interviewed in September construction was underway for their new sports medicine research building. As a med student, we were told you can actively work with their teams in a therapeutical form.
 
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