What Pro Athletes Can Teach Us About Spine Health

When people think about sports medicine, they often picture elite athletes on the sidelines, surrounded by doctors, trainers, and coaches. They imagine high-stakes injuries, cutting-edge treatments, and fast-track recoveries. What many people do not realize is that the same principles used to keep professional athletes on the field can be applied to everyday people, especially when it comes to spine care.

I have spent years treating spinal conditions in people from all walks of life. Some are athletes, but most are parents, teachers, construction workers, nurses, and weekend warriors. One thing they all have in common is this: when they get hurt, they want to recover quickly and return to the life they enjoy.

This is where sports medicine meets spine surgery, and no one understands that connection better than my colleague and teammate at Altus Medical Group, Dr. Kevin Kaplan.

Meet Dr. Kevin Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a strong background in sports medicine and joint preservation. He completed his fellowship training at the world-renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, where he worked directly with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Kings, and Sparks.

He has cared for high-level athletes on and off the field, performing complex joint repairs and using minimally invasive techniques to restore function and reduce recovery time. What sets Dr. Kaplan apart is that he brings this elite-level thinking to every patient, whether they are a pro athlete or a school teacher with a herniated disk.

At Altus, we work side by side to treat complex spine cases that involve both joint and nerve components, and our collaborative approach is helping more patients return to motion with less pain.

The Connection Between Sports Medicine and Spine Surgery

Sports medicine focuses on getting people back to activity as safely and quickly as possible. It involves careful diagnosis, customized rehabilitation plans, and procedures designed to preserve strength, flexibility, and long-term function.

These goals line up perfectly with modern spine surgery.

In the past, spine care often meant long hospital stays, big incisions, and limited mobility afterward. Today, thanks to minimally invasive techniques, motion-preserving implants, and better rehab, we can help patients return to full activity faster and with less disruption.

Whether you are treating a shoulder injury in a baseball pitcher or a herniated disk in a nurse, the approach is the same:

• Identify the root cause of the problem
  
• Minimize tissue damage during treatment
  
• Restore function as naturally as possible
  
• Build a rehab plan that supports long-term recovery
  

This shared mindset has transformed the way we treat spinal injuries in active adults.

From the Playing Field to the Clinic

One of the most important lessons I have learned from working with Dr. Kaplan is that you do not need to be an athlete to benefit from athlete-level care.

Here are a few examples where sports medicine techniques improve spinal outcomes:

• Rehabilitation Focus: After surgery, we do not just rest. We move with purpose. Just like athletes start rehab immediately after an injury, our spine patients begin targeted exercises early in recovery to build strength and protect their results.
  
• Motion Preservation: In many cases, we avoid spinal fusion and opt for artificial disk replacement to maintain movement. This mirrors what we see in sports medicine, where preserving joint motion is key to performance.
  
• Customized Treatment Plans: No two bodies are alike. Dr. Kaplan and I work closely to tailor each treatment based on the patient’s activity level, spine mechanics, and personal goals.
  
• Minimally Invasive Surgery: Whenever possible, we use smaller incisions and advanced navigation tools to reduce tissue trauma and shorten recovery time, techniques that come directly from sports medicine philosophy.
  

A Real Case Study: Merging Orthopedics and Neurosurgery

Recently, we treated a patient in their forties who had both a lumbar disk herniation and degenerative changes in their sacroiliac joint. They were a physically active parent who wanted to avoid fusion and get back to running and lifting.

Dr. Kaplan evaluated the joint component, while I focused on the spinal nerve compression. Together, we built a dual-treatment plan that included a targeted decompression and a joint stabilization technique often used in high-level sports medicine.

The result? The patient was walking the same day and began a light training routine within two weeks. They avoided a spinal fusion and returned to full activity within six weeks.

This is what collaboration looks like when you combine orthopedic and neurosurgical skill sets.

Bringing Pro-Level Care to Everyday People

The big idea here is that you do not have to be in a professional locker room to receive professional-grade care.

Dr. Kaplan and I believe that everyone deserves a recovery plan that is:

• Smart
  
• Personalized
  
• Focused on mobility and strength
  

Whether you are recovering from a sports injury or battling chronic back pain, we approach your care like we would for an athlete: with precision, speed, and a clear goal to get you back to the life you love.

In many ways, spine care is becoming more athletic. We are not just trying to fix bones or relieve nerve pressure, we are trying to help people stay mobile, agile, and strong for decades.

A Shared Mission for Better Movement

Working with Dr. Kaplan has reminded me of one very important truth: motion is the measure of success.

Whether we are helping a quarterback recover from a torn labrum or a teacher return from spinal surgery, our mission stays the same, get people moving, get them strong, and help them stay that way.

That is the new model for spine care. It is smarter, more precise, and more focused on your goals. And it is built on the teamwork between orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who bring out the best in each other for the benefit of our patients.

If you are dealing with spine pain and want a recovery plan designed to get you back to full speed, do not settle for an old-school approach. You deserve a team that treats your spine the way a pro athlete treats their body, with purpose, precision, and a plan to win.