The Orthopaedic Clinic has been providing expert sports medicine care to the region for over 30 years. Our vibrant sports medicine program has been responsible for getting thousands of athletes back to competition. Sports medicine involves taking care of athletes of all types — the elite college or professional football player, young pitchers, rodeo cowboys, swimmers, exercise buffs, weekend warriors and everything in between.
Our sports medicine team at The Orthopaedic Clinic is made up of fellowship trained and highly experienced sports medicine surgeons, physical therapists and certified athletic trainers. We believe that a comprehensive, team approach to athlete care is essential in getting injured people back to the activities they love.
Sports medicine care has evolved much over the years and more options are available now than ever before for treating injured athletes. Here is some information on some of these cutting edge treatments:
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Advances in surgical techniques have allowed procedures to become less and less invasive. Most sports medicine procedures including ligament reconstruction, cartilage tears and rotator cuff tears can now be treated arthroscopically. These minimally invasive options use smaller incisions and allow quicker and less painful recovery than traditional techniques. The surgeons at The Orthopaedic Clinic are well-trained in the latest techniques in arthroscopic and minimally invasive surgery.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
During the past several years, much has been written about a preparation called platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and its potential effectiveness in the treatment of injuries. Many famous athletes — Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, Kobe Bryant and several others— have received PRP for various problems.
Although blood is mainly a liquid called plasma, the platelets in blood contain over 1,500 pro-teins called growth factors which are very important in the healing of injuries. PRP is acquired when a patient’s blood is taken, spun down to concentrate these healing factors and then re-injected into the site of injury. Some con-ditions that may be successfully treated with PRP are chronic tendon injuries, ligament or muscle tears and knee arthritis.
Although it is not exactly clear how PRP works, laboratory studies have shown that the increased concentration of growth factors in PRP can potentially speed up the healing process. Research studies are currently being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of PRP treatment. At this time, the results of these studies are inconclusive because the effectiveness of PRP therapy can vary but there is much promise for biologic treatments such as this in the future.
Cutting Edge Joint Replacement
Most people don’t think of joint replacement as a sports medicine procedure. However, there are many young patients out there who have worn out joints and arthritis but want to remain active. Advances in joint replacement technology and techniques are allowing surgeons to do less invasive and partial joint replacement procedures to help keep these young patients active. While these options may not be right for everyone, the surgeons at The Orthopaedic are well versed in partial joint replacement procedures and other cutting edge arthritis treatments.
Today, with athletes demanding quicker recovery and people being more and more active as they age, the pressure is on sports medicine doctors to be innovative in their treatment options. The doctors at The Orthopaedic Clinic have great experience in managing sports injuries of all types and are ever evolving in their knowledge and practice to bring the best and most current sports medicine care to their patients. Come see us for all of your sports injury needs and let us help you “get back in the game!”