Sports medicine is the branch of orthopaedics concerned with preventing, diagnosing and rehabilitating injuries related to physical activity. The aim is twofold: getting you back to your activity safely, and reducing the chance of the same thing happening again. It is not a service for professional athletes only. Most of the people treated here are recreational – runners, cyclists, people who train regularly, people who have recently taken something up.
Who Sports Medicine Is For
- Professional athletes who need immediate, specialist assessment
- Recreational athletes and regular gym users, particularly with overuse problems
- Children and adolescents in sports academies or school competition
- Adults of any age who train regularly, or who are starting a new activity
If you are active and something hurts, this applies to you. The most common reason people delay is the assumption that an injury has to be dramatic to be worth assessing.
Common Sports Injuries We Treat
Shoulder
Shoulder tendinitis · rotator cuff and supraspinatus tears · shoulder dislocation and instability
Knee
ACL tears · meniscus tears · MCL injuries
Ankle and Lower Leg
Ankle sprains · Achilles tendinitis · Achilles tendon rupture · calf and hamstring strains
Overuse Injuries
IT band syndrome · stress fractures · heel pain
How Injuries Are Assessed
Accurate diagnosis is what separates a straightforward recovery from a recurring problem, and it is where the assessment does most of its work.
Clinical examination.
A detailed history and physical examination, including specific orthopaedic tests of mobility and stability. Most sports injuries are diagnosed here.
Musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Available on site at the Glyfada practice, which means tendons, muscles and soft tissue can be examined during the same visit — no separate appointment, no waiting for a report. Ultrasound also shows tissue in motion, which static imaging cannot.
MRI or CT where the clinical picture calls for it, particularly for ligament, cartilage and bone injuries.
The point of this sequence is to arrive at an answer in one visit wherever possible, and to start treatment rather than start a series of referrals.
Treatment
Treatment is selected for the individual patient, based on the clinical picture and on what you need to get back to.
Conservative Treatment
Most injuries are treated without an operation:
- Rest and modification of the activity that caused the problem
- Physiotherapy and movement therapy aimed at restoring function
- Strengthening and stretching programmes
- Specific rehabilitation protocols for each type of injury
This is not a holding pattern before surgery. For the majority of sports injuries it is the definitive treatment.
Minimally Invasive Treatment
Applied selectively, where it is genuinely indicated:
- Injections of anti-inflammatory agents under ultrasound guidance, so the medication reaches the intended structure precisely
- Non-invasive treatments that support blood supply and healing in the injured tissue
Surgery
Where conservative treatment has not resolved the problem, or where the injury requires it from the outset:
- Knee arthroscopy and shoulder arthroscopy for tendon and ligament repair
- Treatment of cruciate ligament, meniscus and rotator cuff injuries
- Specialist reconstructive techniques
Book your appointment on 698 05 06 555
Contact usInjury Prevention
Sports medicine is not only about treating what has already happened.
- Ergonomic analysis of movement and posture, to identify the mechanics behind a recurring problem
- Individualised prevention programmes built around your sport and your history
- Guidance before starting or returning to activity, particularly after a lay-off or an injury
This matters most for the group that gets injured most often: people returning to a sport after years away, at the intensity they remember rather than the one they currently have.
Sports Medicine in Glyfada and Marousi
Panagiotis Papadopoulos MD, MSc - Orthopaedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine. Deputy Director of the 3rd Orthopaedic Clinic at HYGEIA Hospital, with subspecialty training in shoulder and knee surgery, sports injuries and minimally invasive treatment, and experience treating both professional and recreational athletes.
The Glyfada practice is fully equipped for musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, including ultrasound assessment during the consultation.
Private Practice - Glyfada 4 Leoforos Dimarchou Angelou Metaxa, 3rd floor, Glyfada 166 75, Athens
3rd Orthopaedic Clinic, HYGEIA Hospital - Marousi 5 Erythrou Stavrou, 5th floor, Marousi 151 23, Athens
Telephone: 210 89 49 727 · Mobile: 6980 506 555 · Email: info@arthrojoint.gr
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I see a sports medicine doctor?
If pain has not settled within a few days of rest, if the joint is swollen or gives way, if you cannot bear weight, or if the same pain returns every time you resume the activity. Problems that are straightforward in the first weeks become much harder to treat once chronic.
How long before I can return to sport?
It depends on the tissue. A mild muscle strain takes weeks; ligament and tendon injuries take months. What matters is whether the injured structure has regained strength and control - returning on a date rather than on function is the commonest cause of re-injury.
Do all sports injuries require surgery?
No. The great majority are treated with activity modification, structured rehabilitation and, where appropriate, targeted injection. Surgery is for injuries that make it necessary - a complete rupture, or a joint that keeps giving way - or where conservative treatment has failed.
What is a stress fracture?
A small crack in the bone from repetitive loading rather than a single injury, usually after a rapid increase in training. The commonest sites are the metatarsals, heel and shin. Pain builds with activity and eases with rest, and X-rays are often normal early on, so MRI may be needed. Treatment means unloading the bone and then correcting the training error behind it - otherwise it returns.
How is Achilles tendinitis treated?
Almost always without surgery: modifying the activity that provokes the pain, a progressive loading programme, and attention to footwear. Injections are used selectively. Improvement is measured in months rather than weeks, and the programme must be completed even after the pain settles.
When is an ankle sprain more than a sprain?
If you cannot bear weight, if there is significant bruising or deformity, if the tenderness is over bone rather than ligament, or if instability persists for weeks. What looks like a sprain can be a fracture or cartilage damage - and repeated sprains in the same ankle are themselves a reason to be assessed.
Can sports injuries be prevented?
To a significant extent. Movement assessment, an individualised prevention programme and guidance before starting or returning to activity all reduce the risk. The commonest cause of injury in recreational athletes is doing too much too soon.
Do I need a referral, and can I be seen in English?
No referral is needed. Consultations and follow-up are conducted in English at both locations. If you are contacting us from abroad, send any imaging reports by email and we will advise on the next step.
