Sports Medicine Program

Our Sports Medicine Program offers comprehensive diagnostics, a personalized care plan and a team who is here to listen closely and help you get back to the activities you love. 

Overlake Medical Center & Clinics is home to an expert sports medicine team. Our Sports Medicine Program is made up of a team of physiatrists, also known as Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specialists, with subspecialized training in sports medicine. Their focus is helping people move more easily, reduce pain, return to optimal function and avoid surgery if possible. 

Our care team includes experts in different areas who work together to provide comprehensive care. We’ll start by listening closely to what you're experiencing and your goals for care. Then we’ll use a combination of physical examination and advanced diagnostics to understand exactly what’s causing your pain and build a personalized care plan tailored to your needs and goals. 

Whether you’re dealing with a recent sprain or strain, coping with a long-term condition like arthritis or tendinitis or simply want to optimize your athletic ability, our team is here to answer your questions and provide expert and compassionate care.

Sports Medicine Conditions We Treat

We provide care for people with pain and injuries that affect many parts of the body including: 

• Shoulder injuries such as adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), bursitis, impingement syndrome, rotator cuff problems and shoulder dislocation. 
• Elbow injuries including tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow and injuries affecting the ulnar collateral ligament.
• Impact and overuse injuries of the wrist including carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Hand and finger injuries including trigger finger and arthritis in the thumb. 
• Tendonitis and bursitis of the hips and gluteus muscles. 
• Quadriceps and hamstring injuries.
• Knee pain including problems with the patella tendons, cartilage and meniscus. 
• Plantar fasciitis (pain and inflammation of a band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes). 
• Nerve pain and injuries such as carpal tunnel.
• Tendinopathy and tenosynovitis. 
• Other sports-related injuries and conditions

Sports Medicine Treatments and Services

Diagnostics

Some people come to our team with a detailed diagnosis. Others may not know exactly what’s causing their pain. Your care team will start with a detailed evaluation of your symptoms and may do one or more of the following tests:

• A comprehensive examination to better understand exactly where you are feeling pain and which movements cause it.
• Imaging tests such as X-rays, MRIs and ultrasound.

Treatments

Once our team has a clear and detailed diagnosis, they’ll build a care plan tailored to your specific needs. Your plan might include: 

• Physical therapy to help relieve pain by stretching and strengthening muscles and correcting muscle imbalances.
• Percutaneous ultrasonic needle tenotomy (Tenex), which helps break up scar tissue and promote healing. 
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which can help speed up healing and tissue repair and reduce pain and inflammation. 
• Injections, such as ultrasound-guided cortisone injections, hydrodissection, trigger point injections and others as needed.
• Referral to chiropractors, massage therapists and other allied health professionals, for patients who may benefit from those services.
• Referral to surgery, if it may be a good option for you. 

A Care Plan Focused on Your Needs and Goals

We’ll start your care by learning about your lifestyle and your health goals. We pride ourselves on listening closely, to understand the pain you’re experiencing and how it's holding you back. Our appointments are longer than many other healthcare settings, which gives us the time to get to know our patients and understand what’s most important to them. From there, we’ll build a care plan that aims to get you back to doing what you love – whether that’s competitive sports, hiking, skiing, gardening or playing with your grandkids. 

A Leading Care Team, Here for You

Our team of doctors has different areas of expertise including sports optimization, sports injuries and joint injuries. They work closely with our expert physical therapists and, when needed, other doctors like neurologists and surgeons, to provide every aspect of care. This includes a monthly conference where all of these team members come together to discuss patients with complex conditions, and work together to provide the best possible care. 

Experts in Physical Therapy

Many of our patients want to start their care with physical therapy, before considering surgery or other treatments. Overlake is home to physical therapists with deep expertise in caring for people with a wide variety of injuries. Our physical therapists will work closely with your doctor to create a treatment plan just for you, and they’ll work together throughout your care to monitor your progress and adjust your care plan as needed.

Your care will likely include a home care plan made up of stretching and strengthening exercises to help manage and overcome your pain. You’ll also have access to functional movement training, where physical therapists help you build the strength needed to do specific movements like gardening or playing pickleball. Some of our physical therapists are certified in the McKenzie Method approach, a specialized method for treating spine and joint problems. 

Leading-Edge Diagnostics and Medical Treatments

Our team is on the pulse of the latest advances in sports medicine to help you get the best results, including:

• Diagnostic ultrasound: Unlike MRI and X-rays, ultrasound can capture images while a person is moving. We often use this tool for people who experience pain when doing specific movements. It also provides real-time diagnostic information during your visit, rather than needing to schedule another appointment for imaging. 
• Percutaneous ultrasonic needle tenotomy (Tenex): This advanced treatment helps break up scar tissue and increase blood flow to help tendon injuries heal. Doctors use a local anesthetic (numbing one part of your body) to do this procedure, which typically takes about 20 minutes.
• Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP): During this therapy, doctors inject your own plasma cells into an injured area using an ultrasound. It can help speed up healing and tissue repair and reduce pain and inflammation. 

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