It wasn’t until he was nearing the end of medical school that Dr. Luis Salazar realized that sports medicine was his calling.
“My brother was an athletic trainer for the Cleveland Indians and that exposed me to a lot in regard to the care provided to professional athletes,” he said. “I saw it as an opportunity to blend science, sports, disease prevention and medicine and take care of all aspects of the athlete and their care.”
Dr. Salazar is board-certified in family medicine and fellowship-trained in primary care sports medicine. He enjoys the intricacies of foot and ankle injuries and his special interests include caring for athletes of all abilities; ultrasound medicine; and the use of biologic treatment options. He also participates in Exercise is Medicine, a global health initiative committed to the belief that physical activity promotes optimal health and is integral in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions.
He earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his sports medicine fellowship at The Ohio State University Medical Center. Dr. Salazar has experience treating NCAA and NAIA collegiate athletes, including his work with Division I athletes at the University of Kansas as part of Kansas Team Health. He enjoys engaging in teaching future physicians part of the faculty for the Sports Medicine fellowship at the University of Kansas Health System.
“My practice is pretty vast,” he said. “I take care of anybody who moves, not only athletes at all competitive levels from elementary to collegiate and Olympic level and professional, I’ve had experience in all aspects across a lot of age groups.”
What advice does Dr. Salazar have for his patients?
“Patients need to be their own advocates and demand the care that they need. They need to push us as physicians to not be stagnant. It’s not the physician’s way, it’s what the best care for them as a patient is,” he said. “We need to listen to them, value their time and offer options, but we also need to be truthful and up front. Find the care that you need. If it’s not me, that’s fine but we need to demand the most that we can.”
