OC Sports and Wellness has an entire branch dedicated to sports medicine. Sports medicine evaluates physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise.
Prolotherapy Injections
Prolotherapy is a mixture of normal saline, lidocaine (a numbing solution) and a sugar (dextrose) solution that is injected into worn, degenerative joints, partially torn tendons and ligaments. The purpose of injecting joints, tendons and ligaments is to stimulate a healing process that your body knows well.
Prolotherapy was discovered decades ago and has been a successful treatment for painful and stiff joints and partially torn tendons and ligaments. I have been treating patients since 2007 and most patients improve with 1-3 injections. The treatment goal is pain relief and an increase in function of the joint, tendon or ligament that is treated.
Candidates for prolotherapy include adolescents and adults who have injuries that are not healing with rest, physical therapy and other treatment modalities. Patients who undergo Prolotherapy injections are encouraged to continue (or begin) therapy to help to strengthen and stabilize the injured joint, tendon or ligament.
Hyaluronic Acid Injection
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) injections are uniquely prescribed for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Knee OA is a degenerative condition that affects millions of Americans. Knee pain can have many causes; OA is simply one possible cause of knee pain. Knee OA can be diagnosed with x-rays or an MRI of the knee joint.
HA is a naturally occurring joint lubricant that seems to decrease with age. Commercially available HA is a viscous, clear substance that is injected directly into the knee joint; often with the use of ultrasound guidance. The use of HA to treat knee OA has been around for decades. HA injections are safe and well tolerated. Medicare will reimburse for HA injections for knee OA. Other insurance companies may cover HA injections, too.
Platelet Rich Plasma Injections
Platelet rich plasma or PRP is an injection therapy used to treat painful or injured joints, tendons and ligaments. PRP injections are comprised of a concentrated platelet solution that is obtained from a simple venipuncture. PRP injections have been used for decades in the dental and veterinary fields. It was not until the early 2000’s that PRP injections started being used in patients with musculoskeletal pain and injury. Today, PRP injections are also widely used in the aesthetics field due to its ability to stimulate new cell growth.
Since its introduction into the sports world, PRP injections have been widely used to treat painful joints and tendons. Clinical research has shown that PRP injections can reduce pain and improve function into the areas that it is injected. Similar to Prolotherapy, PRP injections not only reduce pain but also reduce the need for many elective orthopedic surgeries.
Musculoskeletal Ultrasound — aids in diagnosing a soft-tissue injury
An ultrasound is a machine used to visualize the structures beneath the skin. Most of us are familiar with the use of ultrasound to image growing babies and the structures of the heart. However, over the past 20 years, ultrasound is commonly being used to visualize tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. With ultrasound imaging, damaged tendons, ligaments, and muscles can be assessed in the doctor’s exam room. A patient’s injury can be evaluated in real-time and prompt treatment can be initiated. While x-rays remain the best tool to image bones…
Concussion Diagnosis and Management
Anytime an athlete has a direct head injury and develops immediate symptoms of a concussion, they then have met the criteria of having a concussion. There is a long list of symptoms that can result from a concussion. The most common symptoms are headache, confusion, fatigue, and poor focus.
V02/Fitness Testing
Did you know that your fitness is the best indicator of your health and longevity?
At OC Sports and Wellness, we have state of the art medical grade testing system. You don’t have to be an athlete to measure fitness. In fact, all patients should have fitness testing on an annual basis. Similar to monitoring cholesterol level or blood sugar levels, chronologic assessment of your fitness provide valuable insights of your heart, lung and musculoskeletal systems.
Our Lab Testing can support your care
As an integrative medicine practice, we oftentimes see patients that just feel “not quite right” – where there is no one dominant symptom that can point us in the right direction. Examples can range from chronic bloating, unexplained headaches or migraines, chronic fatigue, insomnia, to any number of vague symptoms.
