Primary Care for Athletes
Sports Medicine and Primary Care
Primary care sports medicine combines family medicine and sports medicine to treat athletes and active individuals of all ages. The goal is to ensure your overall health and well-being so you can enjoy a long, active, and healthy life.
Athletes of all levels, whether amateur, high school, college, or professional, rely on a healthy body to stay active. Primary care sports medicine physicians not only have a keen understanding of musculoskeletal injuries, but also chronic conditions and illnesses that can affect an athlete’s performance.
Athletes with Chronic Conditions
At the Colorado Center of Orthopaedic Excellence (CCOE), Dr. Jarrod Harrall has years of experience caring for athletes with chronic conditions such as:
- Asthma
- Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol)
- Thyroid disorders
- Infections
Athletes with these conditions require special care and consideration when participating in a sport. As a primary care physician with fellowship training in sports medicine, Dr. Harrall can help you manage your condition from training and practice to competition.
He understands how exercise and your medications can affect your musculoskeletal system, blood pressure, aerobic capacity, blood sugars, and hormones, and he can make adjustments as your needs change. By overseeing all aspects of your health, Dr. Harrall can help you stay well so you can perform your best when it counts.
Injury Prevention and Nutrition
In addition, Dr. Harrall is an expert in sports-related safety and injury prevention. He can educate you about strength training and conditioning to help you avoid overtraining and muscle fatigue. He can provide guidelines for training or competing in adverse conditions, such as extreme heat or cold and high altitude.
Dr. Harrall understands the importance of pre-participation physical evaulations (PPEs), especially for athletes with chronic conditions. He conducts an extremely thorough exam to ensure your health and safe participation in sports.
With a wealth of knowledge about how nutrition affects your health and athletic performance, Dr. Harrall can make recommendations regarding what, how much, and when to eat and hydrate for optimal health and performance. He can also advise you about supplements and their effect on your body, mind, and performance.
At CCOE, we recommend Metagenics®, a line of supplements that may help ease arthritis and acute or chronic inflammation; provide tendon and ligament support; augment nutrition for an upcoming procedure; and maximize post-procedure nutrition. Browse our Metagenics store to see all available supplements.
Whether you are an amateur or professional athlete, request an appointment today with our primary care sports medicine specialist, Dr. Jarrod Harrall, by calling (719) 349-4800 or you can request one online. For immediate treatment of a sports injury, visit our orthopaedic urgent care clinic.
