Sports Medicine Center
Many people may think the U.S. is a country of couch potatoes, but millions of people of all ages are physically active. The Sports Medicine Center at Grace Health System® wants to keep you healthy and injury free when working out or participating in athletic events.
Dr. Wael Qubti is our sports medicine specialist. With experience in family medicine, as well as emergency medicine, Dr. Qubti recently completed a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Qubti can diagnose and treat common sports injuries such as torn ligaments, sprains, and fractures. Treatment options include physical therapy, injections, as well as casting and splinting. If your injury requires it, Dr. Qubti can also perform arthroscopic surgery on all of the major joints.
In addition to the more common sports injuries and conditions, Dr. Qubti can also diagnose and treat arthritis, fatigue and various musculoskeletal traumas as they pertain to athletes. He can also treat conditions seen only in female athletes such as triad. The symptoms of this condition are eating disorders, menstrual cycle disruption, and low bone density or osteoporosis.
Legally in the State of Texas a physician’s prescription for physical therapy is necessary. It can come from many different sources. It doesn’t have to be your primary care doctor.
Most people think that physical therapy is only if you have had surgery. We like to think that if they utilize us, we can prevent the patient from having surgery.
You can see a physical therapist if you have a muscle tear, lower back pain and/or problems with mobility before surgery as a preventative measure. There are many ailments that we can treat, as long as you have a prescription.
One of the most common referrals is lower back pain. We have a lot of patients with older injuries and knee injuries as well.
But for those who are suffering from lower back pain, it is important to note that the core muscles are the muscles that are primarily responsible for stabilizing the lumbar spine. Many of us don’t know how to recruit those muscles very well and so we do a fair amount of core strengthening for those patients. Mobility and flexibility in the hip is important for supporting the lumbar spine as well.
A lot of doctors are really good with identifying patients that needs physical therapy. If the patient wants to try a conservative approach, and they don’t want to take medication, they should voice their concerns with their physician and ask for a prescription to see a physical therapist. Most physicians are open to that because they are not prescribing any medication and it empowers the patients to help themselves. As a patient, never rush into a surgery. Physical therapy is conservative in that regard and it can possibly prevent you from having a surgery.
Most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover physical therapy treatment.