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Sports Medicine

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Get Back to Being Better

Active people of all ages and activity levels experience injuries from time to time. Rochester Regional Health’s goal is to get you back as quickly as possible. You benefit from a comprehensive sports medicine program and a team of expert providers that includes athletic trainers, exercise physiologists, neuropsychologists, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, primary care sports medicine physicians, and sports medicine orthopaedic physicians.

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Our cutting-edge and knowledgeable specialists provide you with the expertise trusted by Division 1 sports teams in Rochester. With personalized treatment plans and a caring team, we’ll work tirelessly to keep you at the top of your game.

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Common Sports Injuries

An injury can happen anywhere at any time, and if untreated, can have a long-lasting impact on our favorite activities. Our sports medicine team provides you with exceptional medical and surgical care for a wide range of common sport-related issues, including:

  • ACL tears – ACL tears or sprains are one of the most common knee injuries and often occur during sports like football, skiing, running, soccer, basketball, and tennis. The symptoms of an ACL tear or sprain include pain, swelling of the knee, and instability. Most commonly, ACL injuries are treated by surgery and physical therapy.
  • Broken and fractured bones - A broken bone is a fractured bone, and vice versa. A fractured bone occurs whenever there is a loss of continuity in your bone, and common causes include overuse, trauma, and diseases that weaken your bones. Typically, a broken bone needs to be reset and placed in a cast so it can heal properly.   
  • Bursitis – Bursae are fluid-filled cushions for your joints, and when they become inflamed you may experience pain, swelling, and stiffness. Most commonly noticed in the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, treatment includes rest, pain relievers, and ice. 
  • Cartilage injuries – Cartilage is tough and flexible, but still relatively easy to damage. Acting as a cushion between the bones of your joints, you may experience joint pain, swelling, and stiffness if your cartilage is injured. 
  • Concussions – A concussion is a brain injury – with or without loss of consciousness. Symptoms of concussions include confusion, dizziness, headache, loss of memory, nausea, ringing in the ears, and temporary loss of cognition. Our Concussion Program can help diagnose a concussion and develop a customized care plan specifically for you. 
  • Degenerative arthritis - When the cartilage (protective tissue) at the ends of your bones wears down over time, you may experience joint pain. Degenerative arthritis does not have a cure, but pain can be reduced with the help of medications, physical therapy, and sometimes with the help of surgery.
  • Hip injuries- The large muscles of the thighs, lower back, and buttocks work to protect your hips from injury. Sprains, strains, tendonitis and tendinosis are very common in athletes like baseball players, cyclists, golfers, and runners, and can lead to pain and loss of hip function in extreme cases.
  • Ligament and tendon injuries – Damaged ligaments can severely limit movement in any form and may present as sudden, severe pain, swelling, and joint looseness. Compression, ice, braces, and anti-inflammatory painkillers are viable treatment options, and your provider can tell you if surgery is necessary.
  • Rotator cuff tears – A rotator cuff tear occurs when the tendons that connect the muscles to the bone around your shoulder tear. Most commonly, repetitive movement is the cause, and you may experience shoulder pain and shoulder weakness. Rest, medication, physical therapy, and corticosteroids are the most common treatments, but sometimes surgery is necessary.
  • Sprains and strains – Sprains are injuries to ligaments and strains are injuries to muscles or tendons. Depending on the severity of your injury, symptoms may include bruising, limited movement, pain, and swelling. You should see your Sports Medicine provider if you cannot move or put weight on the affected body part, or are experiencing numbness or pain directly over the bones of the injured joint.
  • Tendonitis – An overused or injured tendon may swell, causing tendonitis. Often affecting the elbow, fingers, thighs, or wrists, tendonitis symptoms include pain that worsens with movement, swelling, heat, or redness, and a lump that may develop along the tendon. Your Sports Medicine provider will examine and diagnose tendonitis.

Common Sports Injury Treatments

Each athlete’s injury and recovery goals are unique. With cutting-edge surgeries, innovative non-surgical options, and close coordination with our whole team, we offer professional athlete level care in a community setting. Our sports medicine team works closely with you, your referring doctor, and our regional network of skilled specialists to provide the lasting relief you need. The treatments for these injuries and conditions may include:

  • Arthroscopy: a surgical procedure that doctors use to view the interior of your joints without making a large incision through your skin
  • Bracing, casting, and splinting: used to limit movement, reduce pain, provide support, and provide compression
  • Diagnostic ultrasound: a non-invasive way to diagnose injuries to ligaments, muscles, and tendons, as well as guiding fluid aspiration procedures
  • PRP injections: injecting PRP into injured or non-healing tissue can speed up healing
  • Visco-supplementation injections: injected into the joint, hyaluronic acid acts as a lubricant to enable bones to move more smoothly

Our Sports Medicine Services

  • Personalized diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation plans

    Based on your issue or injury, our team will create a specific, individualized care plan for treating your pain and getting you back in the game.

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  • Comprehensive Concussion Program

    Our expert team customizes care plans to help patients and athletes of all skillsets recover completely, quickly, and as safely as possible.

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  • Athletic Training Program

    Rochester Regional Health’s athletic trainers treat athletes at the Rochester Institute of Technology, State University of New York at Alfred State, and several high schools throughout the region. We offer preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehab for injuries and medical conditions.

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  • Interventional Orthopaedics & Regenerative Medicine

    If you’re suffering from an injury but aren’t ready to consider surgery, Rochester Regional Health has non-operative treatment options available to reduce pain, improve functionality and enjoy a better quality of life.

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Innovation in Sports Medicine

Our Sports Medicine team is the first in the region to perform the MACI procedure—a knee repair that regenerates the patient's own cartilage and cells to heal. From school-aged children to weekend warriors and professionals, the MACI procedure provides long-lasting pain relief and improves the patient's overall function.

Varsity basketball player Courtney Johnson’s sudden chronic knee pain forced her into giving up sports and jeopardized walking for the rest of her life—until she found out about the MACI procedure.

David's Concussion Story

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a forceful blow to the head, whiplash, or a body check. Symptoms can begin immediately or a few days after the incident. Quick, appropriate treatment can speed up healing and your return to activity. Our concussion program features experts across various medical professions – including vestibular and neuropsychology teams - working together to evaluate, diagnose, and treat all types of concussions. 

Lacrosse player David LaSpina suffered a serious concussion during a game in 2016. Rochester Regional Health’s concussion team helped him get back on the field.

Meet Our Expert Sports Medicine Team

Our sports medicine experts have spent years working closely with professional, collegiate and high school athletes around the country and here at home. Our providers coordinate a care team that includes athletic trainers, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, nutritionists, neuropsychologists and nurses — all designed to get you back to your sport and back to your life!

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