The misnomer with sports medicine is that it has to be a sports injury for us to see it in clinic. That’s not the case. We see a lot of varied presentations.
Dr. Ryan Wagner, sports medicine physician, ThedaCare Orthopedic Care
If your image of sports medicine begins and ends with specialized treatment for athletes, think again. Sports medicine specialists work with anyone who has an orthopedic injury or condition. This ranges from elite athletes to everyday runners and walkers to parents and grandparents on the go.
Sports medicine offers a broad range of treatments for many types of issues and injuries, says Dr. Ryan Wagner, a Sports Medicine Physician with ThedaCare Orthopedic Care.
Understanding Sports Medicine
“The misnomer with sports medicine is that it has to be a sports injury for us to see it in the clinic. That’s not the case. We see a lot of varied presentations,” Dr. Wagner says. “It ranges from infants all the way up to geriatric patients.”
People coming in for treatment include those with chronic or long-term issues such as knee pain. Individuals with a new problem or injury, such as a fracture or concussion, also see sports medicine physicians.
These specialists provide concussion management and offer many non-operative treatment options for pain and injury. These include bracing, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical and occupational therapy.
They can also provide injections. These include steroid/cortisone shots, platelet-rich plasma, and viscosupplementation, often referred to as gel shots.
- Steroid injections: Can help relieve pain and inflammation in a specific area of your body. They’re most commonly injected into joints — such as your ankle, elbow, hip, knee, shoulder, spine, or wrist.
- Platelet-rich plasma: Uses a patient’s own blood cells to accelerate healing in a specific area.
- Viscosupplementation: Injects hyaluronic acid into the knee joint to reduce pain and swelling.
Return to What Matters Most
“We have a lot of options to help you — whether you want to get back onto the court or you want to get back to playing sports on the weekends with your kids or grandkids,” Dr. Wagner says.
ThedaCare Orthopedic Care’s sports medicine physicians work closely with their colleagues in Orthopedic Surgery and Pain Management. Collaborating has become even more seamless with the opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Orthopedic, Spine and Pain.
“We send a lot of patients back and forth. A lot of the presentations we see overlap with each other,” Dr. Wagner says. “It’s been a great partnership to be able to communicate in one single location.”
Need to make an appointment for orthopedic and sports medicine needs?
You can also visit Orthopedic Walk-in Care at ThedaCare Medical Center-Orthopedic, Spine and Pain.
Open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to noon.
