A sports medicine consultation is intended for professional athletes and physically active people who want to assess their health, choose the right level of physical exertion and pursue their sporting goals safely. At Baltic American Clinic, the doctor assesses your individual needs and helps you create or adjust a training programme.
Consultations tailored to your level of physical activity and your goals.
Recommendations on training intensity and how to increase your training load.
Assessment of your physical fitness and training needs.
Recommendations after a break, illness or injury.
When should you see a sports medicine doctor?
A sports medicine consultation is recommended if:
- You are starting to exercise actively. You want to choose a training load that matches your health and physical fitness.
- You are increasing your training intensity. You are preparing for a competition, a marathon or another goal that requires greater physical exertion.
- You want to improve your sporting performance. You want to plan training, load and rest more effectively.
- You tire quickly when exercising. You notice reduced endurance, longer recovery or declining results.
- You have recurring discomfort caused by exertion. You have muscle or joint pain after training.
- You are returning to sport after an injury or illness. You need to assess how to resume physical activity safely.
- You exercise despite health problems. You want to find out what level of physical exertion is right for you.
- You want to adjust your training programme. Your current training load no longer matches your abilities or goals.
If you develop chest pain, fainting, unusual shortness of breath or a strong, pounding heartbeat during exercise, stop the activity and seek a medical assessment. If you have acute or life-threatening symptoms, call 112.
What does a sports medicine doctor assess?
Physical fitness and training load
The doctor discusses your physical activity, how often and how intensively you train, your sporting experience and the results you are aiming for. The doctor assesses whether your current load matches your abilities.
How your body responds to exertion
How you feel during exercise, fatigue, recovery time and possible signs of exercise intolerance are discussed. If needed, further health tests are recommended.
Risk of injury and overload
Previous injuries, recurring pain and other factors that may limit physical activity are assessed. The doctor gives recommendations on adjusting your training load or on a consultation with another specialist.
Sporting goals and individual needs
Your sport, type of training, age, health and personal goals are taken into account. This helps to choose the right physical activity strategy.
How does a sports medicine consultation work?
Assessment of your health and sporting experience
The doctor asks about your medical history, previous injuries, the medicines you take, your physical activity habits and current complaints.
Defining your training needs
Training intensity, frequency, recovery and your sporting goals are discussed. A clinical assessment is carried out as needed.
Individual recommendations
The doctor helps you create a new training programme or adjust your current one, taking into account your health and physical abilities.
If needed, further tests or consultations with other specialists are recommended.
What further tests may be needed?
Further tests are not necessary for every patient. The need for them depends on your health, your complaints and your physical activity goals.
Baltic American Clinic provides the following services related to the health assessment of people who exercise:
Heart testing during exercise
The clinic performs cycle ergometry and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). These tests help to assess how the heart and the body respond to physical exertion, and CPET also assesses the respiratory system and physical capacity.
A cardiologist decides whether these tests are needed and which method is most suitable.
Health check-up programme for people who exercise
The clinic offers a health check-up programme for people who exercise, including laboratory tests that help to assess your body’s condition and physical activity needs.
These services are not automatically included in the sports medicine consultation. The need for them is decided individually.
How to prepare for a sports medicine consultation
Usually no special preparation is needed. To get the most out of the consultation, we recommend that you:
- Think about your sporting goals. What results you want to achieve and over what period.
- Prepare information about your training. How often, how long and how intensively you train, and your rest days.
- Bring previous test results. Especially if you have reports from heart, exercise or other sport-related tests.
- Tell us about past injuries. Mention whether any pain or limited movement has remained after them.
- Mention the medicines you take and other conditions. This information matters when assessing whether exercise is safe for you.
If you have training data from a sports watch or another app, you can show it to the doctor.
When should physical exertion be limited?
Intensive exercise may temporarily not be recommended if you have:
- An acute infection or fever. Your body may need time to recover.
- A new or not fully healed injury. Increasing the load too early may make your condition worse.
- Uninvestigated heart or circulation symptoms. Chest pain, fainting or unusual shortness of breath during exercise.
- Marked pain or functional limitations. They prevent you from performing sporting movements safely.
- An unstable chronic condition. Physical exertion may be adjusted until your health is stable.
The doctor assesses individually whether physical activity can be continued, reduced or temporarily stopped.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sports medicine consultation only for professional athletes?
No. It can also be useful for amateurs, beginners and people who want to increase their physical activity safely.
What is the difference between a sports medicine doctor and a rehabilitation doctor?
A sports medicine doctor focuses mainly on exercise tolerance, the health of people who exercise, training planning and achieving sporting results. A physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) doctor assesses functional impairments and draws up a medical rehabilitation plan after illness, injury or surgery. In some cases the specialists’ areas of expertise may overlap.
Do I need an exercise test before I start exercising?
Not everyone does. Whether a test is needed depends on your age, health, symptoms, cardiovascular risk and the planned training load.
Can a sports medicine doctor create a training programme?
Yes. At Baltic American Clinic, the sports medicine consultation includes an assessment of your individual needs as an active person and recommendations for a new or existing training programme.
Can I exercise if I have muscle or joint pain?
It depends on the cause of the pain. If the pain is severe, gets worse during exercise or started after an injury, it is advisable to stop the activity that triggers the pain and see a doctor.
When can I return to sport after an injury?
The timing depends on the type of injury, tissue healing, recovery of function and your sport. The doctor helps you assess how to resume physical activity gradually and safely.
Do I need a referral for a sports medicine consultation?
No referral is needed for a paid consultation at Baltic American Clinic.
Price of a sports medicine consultation
The price of a sports medicine consultation is set according to the Baltic American Clinic price list in force.
If further tests, consultations with other specialists or procedures are recommended, they are charged separately according to the price list in force.
The scope of the tests needed and the expected costs are discussed during the consultation.