Sports Medicine.

A head injury resulting in suspected concussion requires considerable expertise to diagnose, treat, and heal the brain.

Our providers begin with an assessment of concussion symptoms following the injury. Whether on the field or in the office, we determine the severity of symptoms through a checklist to determine our starting point for your recovery.

We will evaluate your memory, ability to focus, mental alertness, and problem-solving capabilities, as well as testing your balance and coordination.

After the initial assessment, we will also provide counseling for you and your loved ones to determine lingering effects of your concussion and to help everyone understand the recovery process.

Then, we support your safe recovery with guidance on resuming normal activities, along with monitoring of symptoms to ensure a successful return to play.

Offering both diagnostic and therapeutic benefits, ultrasound-guided injections help your provider pinpoint the area that is causing your pain and apply a numbing solution to stop it. This precision ensures more effective pain control and improved healing, as well as the ability to treat very small or deep tissue structures not easily reached by other injection methods.

We provide minimally invasive platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to utilize the restorative power of your own blood platelets to stimulate a healing response in damaged joints, tissue, or tendons and to aid in pain control for mild to moderate osteoarthritis in areas like the knees, hips, and shoulders. 

PRP is created by running blood through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, and then injecting these activated platelets directly into affected areas to promote regeneration through growth factors and cell-signaling molecules.

PRP therapy in sports medicine is often used to heal joints that have a labral tear or tendinopathy. Labral tears are common in the cartilage around the hip and shoulder joints, and PRP changes the cell-signaling environment to calm down inflammation and promote healing. PRP therapy for tendinopathy is typically effective in healing damaged tissue by regenerating collagen fibers and improving the stress response.

By harnessing the healing properties of your body’s own platelets, we can help you get back in the game.

Knee pain caused by osteoarthritis can cause considerable stiffness and interfere with a healthy, active lifestyle.

Most people with osteoarthritis have lower than normal levels of hyaluronic acid in the fluid surrounding their joints, which provides cushioning and lubrication. Knee gel injection – also known as viscosupplementation – is a minimally invasive treatment option in which your doctor applies hyaluronic acid directly to the affected joint to improve range of motion and make movement more comfortable. These injections can help relieve joint pain that isn’t well managed with medication and other conservative treatments alone, and may help delay the need for surgery.

Common side effects are mild and include pain, warmth, and swelling at the injection site. Recovery time is minimal and typically involves avoiding vigorous exercise for 12 to 24 hours post-injection. Physical therapy after injection may be helpful to maximize the benefits of the injection. It can take 6-8 weeks for maximum improvement.

When injuries or aches and pains put you on the sidelines, our sports medicine experts are here to help you get back to doing what you love. With customized treatment plans to fit your needs, our physical therapists will help reduce your pain, improve your strength and range of motion, and teach techniques to help avoid future injuries. Sometimes, physical therapy is all you need to heal – making medication, more aggressive treatments, or even surgery unnecessary. Physical therapy equipment includes elastic resistance bands, weights, wobble boards, foam pads, and balance discs.

Common injuries treated by our sports medicine PTs include muscle strains, ligament sprains, bursitis, arthritis flare-ups, and concussions.

Treatment is typically divided into three stages:

• Stage one aims to reduce pain and inflammation following injury, with ice therapy, massage, and light stretching often incorporated as needed.
• Stage two builds strength and increases flexibility, with exercises often intended to improve your balance and stability as you prepare to return to training for your sport.
• Stage three utilizes athletic drills and exercises to support the needs of your specific sport, with an evaluation of your mechanics and the development of a customized plan to get you back in the game.

Maintaining an active lifestyle is excellent for physical and mental health, but physical activity and organized sports can often result in sprains, strains, and other injuries that need more than an ice pack and elevation to improve. That’s why our sports medicine providers are here for you – with the expertise to understand which medications will help you heal.

Common medications used in sports medicine include pain relievers like acetaminophen, anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, and stronger drug options that require a prescription. Together with heat and ice therapy, stretching, and therapeutic massage, medicine can help you get back to what moves you.

This operation removes or repairs a piece of cartilage in the knee. The meniscus is a rubbery pad that serves as a shock absorber for the knee joint. Sudden twists, turns, or physical contact can tear the meniscus, making this a common injury in athletes. The meniscus also weakens with age, and meniscus tears are frequently part of the aging process.

Most people with a torn meniscus opt for surgery, because the knee is otherwise unstable and may buckle, sway, or feel “locked.” Meniscus surgery involves a few small incisions and takes approximately one hour, while recovery typically lasts a few weeks. This procedure aims to reduce pain, increase mobility and balance, and make an active lifestyle possible.

Surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is intended to restore stability and strength after a tear. The ACL runs diagonally from the femur (or thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone), keeping them in alignment and providing stability for the knee joint as it moves side to side. ACL tears are one of the most common knee injuries, especially in athletes playing sports like basketball, football, soccer, hockey, and skiing. Tears frequently happen when an athletes twists or falls, and often aren’t the result of a collision.

Not all tears require reconstruction, but surgery is recommended in the following cases:

• If you are young and active.
• If you’re experiencing persistent knee pain.
• If your knee is often buckling during routine activities like walking.
• If you’re an athlete who wants to continue competing.

Reconstruction involves using sample tissue from another part of your body or from a cadaver. Your torn ACL will be removed, the area will be cleaned out, and the new ligament will be attached to bone plugs anchored to your femur and tibia. Your surgeon will ensure the graft is secure and you have good range of motion before stitching and dressing your wound, and you can typically return home the day of surgery.

Recovery from ACL reconstruction involves pain medication, icing, and eventually, physical therapy. You will use a knee brace for at least one week, crutches for up to six weeks, and be advised to restrict activity for several months. Athletes typically return to their sport in six to 12 months, and studies indicate up to 90 percent of ACL reconstructions result in a return to full strength and range of motion.

The rotator cuff is made up of the muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint in place. A rotator cuff tear can happen suddenly from an impact injury like a fall, may develop slowly with repetitive motions like pitching in baseball, or can be part of the normal aging process.

Surgery on the rotator cuff may be minimally invasive (arthroscopic), open, or a combination approach. The procedure may involve repairing torn tendons or muscles around the shoulder and/or shaving bone spurs that pinch the shoulder. Rotator cuff surgery is intended to restore normal function and mobility of the shoulder and relieve pain that isn’t alleviated with other treatments.

Shoulder dislocation may result in severe pain and significant swelling. Our sports medicine experts can evaluate your shoulder area for deformity, dislocation, and potential broken bones following an injury.

After evaluation, there are several options to treat a dislocated shoulder.

• A closed reduction involves carefully maneuvering the shoulder bones back into the correct position without any incision. If pain or swelling are significant, you may be given a muscle relaxant, sedative, or even undergo general anesthesia before the bones are manipulated. After the dislocation is corrected, pain is typically lessened considerably and immediately.
• Surgery may be a good option if you’ve experienced repeated shoulder dislocations despite strengthening and physical therapy, or if you are a young athlete who wants to reduce the risk of repeated injury.  
• Immobilization with a splint or sling following a closed reduction, along with effective pain medication, will help the shoulder bones and tendons heal. After healing, rehabilitation can strengthen the area and restore range of motion.

If your knee, shoulder, or elbow injury does not improve with nonsurgical treatments or a conservative approach to healing, our experts may recommend arthroscopy of the joint.

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows a surgeon to insert a miniscule camera into the affected area through a small incision; view the injured cartilage, bones, and soft tissues; and perform a repair with small tools inserted through another minor incision. This approach reduces the risks involved with surgery, leads to faster recovery, and allows you to get active again sooner.

Some common injuries which arthroscopy can treat include ACL, MCL, and meniscus tears in the knee; rotator cuff tears and impingement in the shoulder; and pitcher’s or tennis elbow, as well as elbow dislocations and fractures.