Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

SPORTS MEDICINE

At Acibadem Healthcare Group, we offer the highest quality of medical and surgical treatment for sports-related injuries in state-of-the-art facilities staffed by leading sports medicine practitioners and researchers.

Through the delivery of excellence in sports medicine, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, orthopedic surgery, cardiopulmonary medicine, exercise physiology, applied biomechanics, and algology, at Acibadem Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Clinic, we cater to the needs of national and international sports clubs and federations, as well as those of amateur and professional athletes.

At Acibadem, we provide a full range of services, from the prevention and treatment of injuries to performance improvement. Our clinic offers clinical support, knowledge, and facilities to maximize the training and competitive potential of amateur and professional athletes. Tailor-made exercise and education programs include fitness assessments and support services, such as nutrition and dietetics, psychology, physiology, and physical training. We also treat sports injuries and provide check-up services for athletes at our Sports Clinic.

Expert treatment and facilitation of a quick recovery

The treatment procedures carried out by the specialists of Acibadem Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Clinic enable athletes to quickly return to their professional careers.

Sports medicine

Our Sports Medicine Clinic is staffed by two physicians of sports medicine and an exercise physiologist. Our physicians have experience as consultant and group physicians for the Turkish national football team and leading football clubs. They have also served as consultant and group physicians for other sports, including basketball, volleyball, handball, wrestling, rowing, and tennis. The services offered by our sports medicine team are as follows:

• Evaluating the medical examinations of football players
• Executing performance tests and referring patients to appropriate specialists for further testing as needed
• Determining predisposition to sports injuries through movement analysis in collaboration with applied biomechanics specialists
• Diagnosing injuries and illnesses in cooperation and consultation with other medical specialists
• Implementing post-injury or illness rehabilitation programs to ensure a safe return to sports with maximum performance
• Monitoring athletes’ performance by exercise physiologists, trainers, and coaches, and assisting athletes in reaching their maximum performance
• Educating players on doping-related health concerns and anti-doping matters
• Tailoring exercise programs against obesity and sedentary lifestyles

Exercise physiology

The exercise physiology discipline mainly applies to four groups of patients and visitors. The first group is composed of healthy athletes receiving preventive or performance-oriented services, such as performance assessment, exercise testing, prescription, and counseling. The second group is composed of amateur or professional active athletes in the process of returning to sports after an injury or surgery. The third group is those with a sedentary lifestyle or those involved in recreational sports who receive diagnostic and functional capacity testing and services in exercise planning. The final group is composed of patients afflicted with chronic diseases or conditions such as hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or obesity.

Cardiopulmonary medicine

At Acibadem Hospitals Group, we perform echocardiography, exercise, and rhythm laboratory services; non-invasive tests, such as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; and interventions, such as angiography, catheterization, cardiac electrophysiology, and ablation. For football players, we offer the following services related to their cardiological health:

• Pre-game screening and medical consultations before, during, and after game season
• Comprehensive medical treatment of identified problems
• Evaluation of patients with chronic illnesses who desire to exercise, including risk assessment, exercise planning, and determination of practice levels by sports medicine staff and an exercise physiologist

Physical medicine and rehabilitation

With 1,000 m² of indoor area and 350 m² of outdoor area, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Unit is designed to take care of every type of sports injury or health problem from diagnosis to the athlete’s return to the game. The PM&R team is responsible for the comprehensive medical evaluation of all athletes. Alongside orthopedists, sports physicians, and physiotherapists, the team strives to have players back on track in the shortest time possible and in the best medical and physical condition.

Physical therapy

At the Acibadem Sports Clinic, our team of physical therapists is highly experienced in all aspects of sports rehabilitation, with a specific focus on soccer, and additional qualifications in osteopathy, manual therapy, and exercise physiology. Seventeen treatment boxes in two of the main divisions of the unit enable all kinds of modalities across the wide spectrum of physical therapy. The Physical Therapy Unit is equipped with a rehabilitation and exercise pool that has accessories such as hydro massage, an infinity pool, a treadmill with customized gravity control, an isokinetic system, balance evaluation and enhancing systems, and many other modalities. The FIFA-recommended 36 × 8 m artificial grass field and 40 × 1.65 m running track are used by both football players and other athletes in the recovery and rehabilitation phases.

Applied biomechanics

The Applied Biomechanics Unit uses high-speed cameras and motion analysis systems that enable the scientific evaluation of walking and other athletic movement abilities, patterns, and skills. These are utilized not only by athletes but also by patients with a myriad of orthopedic and neurological disorders. These analyses allow our team to do the following:

• Explore the kinematics and biomechanics of the affected athlete and provide a diagnosis, resulting in an accurate treatment plan
• Monitor and evaluate athletes regularly, allowing them to identify any athlete prone to injury and take the necessary preventive measures
• Prescribe the necessary exercises and dynamic orthosis to athletes based on the data gathered from the analysis. Scientific research and analyses can also be conducted using the data
• Provide specific experience and expertise in the assessment of walking and running and the use of corrective materials like insoles for the correction of identified problems

Algology

The Algology Department assists in the treatment of soccer players through continuous nerve blocks, epidural interventions, symptomatic blocks, intra-discal and intervertebral applications, and neuro-ablative and neuro-modulative techniques. Our Clinic has the necessary equipment and infrastructure for algology: an intervention room, stimulation devices, a lesion generator, cryotherapy, an ozone generator, a scope, and an operating room staffed 24/7. Both athletic and sedentary people visiting for algology usually suffer from neck and back pain due to vertebral problems.

Dietetics and nutrition

Our Sports Clinic has a designated dietitian to educate patients, amateur athletes, and professional athletes of all ages, in all fields of sports, and of both genders. A dietitian evaluates the daily nutrition of patients and provides recommendations as required. The dietician also consults with athletes in need of weight control and plans ergogenic/nutritional supplementation strategies to achieve optimum performance. The expertise offered includes general meal planning; consultation for weight loss, gain, or maintenance; monitoring and evaluation of body composition, hydration, and electrolyte balance; education around and planning for optimal nutrition before, during, and after practice, competition, and recovery; and education on the smart use of supplements, threats of doping, and anti-doping issues.

Psychology

Our Clinic also has a designated psychologist who provides mental support, consultations, and supplementary psychology services to athletes, mainly before and after operations or to enhance the athletic performance of non-injured athletes. Visitors include amateur and professional athletes of all ages and both genders across all sports.