Sports Medicine

leading specialists in managing and preventing sports-related injuries

The AZ Sports Medicine team of experts can handle whatever sports injury has you sidelined, whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior. From tennis elbow, runner’s knee, and impingements to strains, sprains, and fractures. Simple injuries to more complex or chronic conditions such as rotator cuff tears, labral tears, torn meniscus, and problems with plantar fasciitis.

We start with a thorough physical examination and, if needed, use the latest in diagnostic tools to determine your problem. Once we have identified the issue or issues, we develop a personalized treatment plan, focusing on the least invasive approach first. Our goal is to relieve pain, correct the problem, and get you back to playing again as soon as possible.

Head, Neck, and Shoulder

Active people like you can experience any number of problems in the head, neck, and shoulder areas due to injury or overuse. The specialists at AZ Sports Medicine are experienced with and equipped to treat:

• Neck Pain/Injury – Any part of your neck—muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, or nerves—can be the source of pain. Most often, the pain is caused by muscle strain or tension from overuse. Falls and whiplash are other common causes of neck pain, but other injuries may occur.
• Concussion – Caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, this type of traumatic brain injury can change the way your brain normally works and functions. Concussions can also result from a fall or a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to quickly move back and forth.
• Rotator Cuff Tendonities/Impingement – The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that attach to the shoulder joint bones, allowing the shoulder to move and keeping it stable. Rotator Cuff Tendonitis occurs when the tendons become irritated and the bursa lining becomes inflamed.

Upper Extremities

An active lifestyle can give your upper body a real beating. Don’t let aches and pains get the better of you. In our Gilbert/Mesa and Scottsdale offices, we’re experts at treating:

• Biceps Tendonitis, Tendon Tear/Repair – The biceps muscle is located in the front of the upper arm. Repeated lifting, pulling, reaching, or throwing can lead to biceps tendonitis or tears.
• Elbow (Olecranon) Bursitis – Bursae are thin, slippery cushion sacs of lubricating fluid between bones and soft tissues. The olecranon bursa lies below the pointy elbow bone (olecranon). If the normally flat olecranon bursa becomes irritated or inflamed, more fluid accumulates and bursitis develops.
• Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) – Tennis, other racquet sports, or a number of other activities can lead to tennis elbow. This overuse condition is an inflammation of the tendons joining the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow, leading to elbow pain and tenderness.
• Wrist Sprains/Tendonitis – A sprain is a ligament (a tissue band connecting bones) injury. The wrist has many ligaments, and spraining occurs when the wrist is bent forcefully. Tendonitis is inflammation in a tendon or tendon covering, caused by a series of small stresses repeatedly aggravating the tendon.
• Hand/Finger Sprains/Dislocations – Sprains are injuries to the soft hand or finger tissues. Dislocations occur when adjoining bones in the hand or finger are displaced and no longer touch each other.

Torso: Back and Hip

When you have back pain or an injury, or your hips hurt, your sports performance can suffer. Whether your issue is a mild annoyance or creating debilitating pain, the AZ Sports Medicine team can identify the problem and help find solutions. Our back and hip specialists treat:

• Back Pain/Injury – Your back is an intricate structure of bones, muscles, and other tissues extending from your neck to your pelvis. Most sports place at least some stress on your back, some more than others. The lower back is the most common site of back injuries and pain. Common back injuries include sprains and strains, herniated discs, and fractured vertebrae.
• Hip Bursitis – Bursae are thin, slippery cushion sacs of lubricating fluid between bones and soft tissues. Hip bursitis occurs when the large bursa that covers the bony point of the hip (greater trochanter) becomes irritated.

Lower Extremities

A knee, ankle, or foot injury can keep you from running, jumping, or moving altogether. The AZ Sports Medicine experts have experience caring for.

• Runner’s Knee – Runner’s knee refers to conditions that cause pain around the front of the knee. These include anterior knee pain syndrome, patellofemoral malalignment, and chondromalacia patella.
• Ankle Sprain – Most often, this soft-tissue injury occurs when ligaments connecting bones pull, stretch, or tear. Pain, swelling, bruising, and difficulty walking on the affected foot or ankle are the most common symptoms.
• Knee Tendonitis/Bursitis – Knee bursitis occurs when the knee bursa (thin, slippery cushion sacs between bones and soft tissues) become irritated or inflamed, causing more lubricating fluid to accumulate.
• Ankle/Foot Tendonitis – Ankle/foot tendonitis is caused by a series of small stresses repeatedly aggravating any tendons located in and around the ankle or foot, leading to inflammation.
• Plantar Fasciitis – This common source of pain on the bottom of the heel occurs when the strong band of tissue that supports your foot arch becomes irritated and inflamed.

Strains, Fractures, and Overuse

As an athlete, you are demanding of your body. Sometimes, even with the best training regime, injury can occur. The professionals at AZ Sports Medicine help identify and treat sports-related overuse injuries including:

• Strains – Injuries of muscles and/or tendons (fibrous cords of tissue attaching muscles to bone) can result from any sport or form of exercise, even walking. Typical symptoms include pain, muscle spasm, muscle weakness, swelling, inflammation, and cramping.
• Fractures – Also known as broken bones, fractures are classified as complete or partial fractures. We treat fractures with water-resistant casts with Gore-tex® and the Exos system of casts that can get wet. These are also re-moldable.
• Growth Plate Overuse – Growth plates are areas of developing cartilage tissue near the ends of long bones. Long bones do not grow from the center outward, but at their ends around growth plates. Because growth plates are the last portions of bones to harden, they are vulnerable to injury.

Leading-Edge Techniques

At AZ Sports Medicine, we use the most advanced diagnostic technology and procedures, including

• Musculo-Skeletal Ultrasound – Non-invasive, painless ultrasound technology can often help diagnose many musculoskeletal issues. Ultrasound technology allows us to see numerous tendon, muscle, and soft-tissue injury problems. We are also able to utilize ultrasound with cortisone injections, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections.
• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy – A treatment option for various orthopedic injuries and conditions traditionally requiring surgery or treatments. Concentrated platelets found in PRP contain bioactive proteins, including growth factors and signaling proteins crucial to starting and speeding tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins start connective tissue healing in tissues, bone, and articular cartilage regeneration and repair.
• Wrist Sprains/Tendonitis – A sprain is a ligament (a tissue band connecting bones) injury. The wrist has many ligaments, and spraining occurs when the wrist is bent forcefully. Tendonitis is inflammation in a tendon or tendon covering, caused by a series of small stresses repeatedly aggravating the tendon.
• Hand/Finger Sprains/Dislocations – Sprains are injuries to the soft hand or finger tissues. Dislocations occur when adjoining bones in the hand or finger are displaced and no longer touch each other.
• Hand/Finger Sprains/Dislocations – Sprains are injuries to the soft hand or finger tissues. Dislocations occur when adjoining bones in the hand or finger are displaced and no longer touch each other.