Sports Medicine

Prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries due to athletic activity.

Sports Medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries due to athletic activity. Many of these disorders are treated with arthroscopic surgery, a minimally invasive surgical method that utilizes a camera to look inside a joint and specialized instruments to carry out any necessary surgery in that joint.

The practice of sports medicine is a team approach with input from orthopaedic surgeon, non-surgical sports specialists, rehabilitation specialist, athletic trainer, and physical therapist. The internationally recognized Sports Medicine Center at the Rothman Institute is one of the world’s most trusted practices for the treatment of sports related injuries. Pioneers of advanced surgical equipment and innovative surgical techniques, our specialists evaluate over 40,000 sports injuries and perform more than 3,500 sports surgeries for athletes of all levels per year.

Why the Rothman Sports Medicine Team?

Rothman Institute’s Sports Medicine team is the leading provider of sports medicine orthopaedic care in the region. Our team provides care for all levels of athletes including the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles, USA Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team, Villanova University, Saint Joseph’s University Hawks,  Rutgers University-Camden Raptors and dozens of regional high schools as well as the Philadelphia Marathon, Distance Run, and International Cycling Race. 

Team Coverage Program

If you are an athletic director, athletic trainer, or anyone who is tasked with finding coverage for an athletic program, team, or large scale sporting event, the Rothman Institute Sports Medicine Team can help you. Our team of physicians can provide medical coverage, clinics, and educational seminars for your athletes, coaches, and families.

Please contact Rich Sharpnack, Sports Medicine Services Manager, at rsharpnack@velocitysp.com for more information.

Women's Sports Medicine Program

The Women’s Sports Medicine Program at the Rothman Institute is the first of its kind in the Philadelphia metro area and one of only several such programs specializing in the comprehensive care of the female athlete in the country.  Our team consists of experienced and dedicated orthopaedic surgeons, non-operative sports medicine physicians, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, nutritionists, nurses, and physical therapists. This multidisciplinary approach allows for the optimization of performance and health for female athletes of any age and activity level. Our program’s mission is to provide high quality comprehensive physical, medical and psychological care attuned to the unique health needs of our female athletes.

You can learn more by visiting the Women's Sports Medicine Program page here.

 

Cartilage Restoration Program

 

This is a center where patients can go the have their disabled joint biological resurfaced, realigned, and stabilized without having the joint replaced by artificial materials such as metal and plastic.  It is well know that the outcomes of patients under the age of 50 undergoing artificial joint replacement are not as good as we would like.  Therefore we feel the future of Orthopaedics is to try to restore a joint back to its original anatomy by realignment, ligament reconstruction, and cartilage restoration.

You can learn more by visiting the Cartilage Resoration Program page here.

When to Seek an Evaluation

You should see a doctor for an injury when...

• You have severe pain and cannot put any weight on the injured body part
• The area over or around the injured joint is very tender when you touch it
• The injured area looks crooked or has lumps and bumps (other than swelling) or is altered in its shape or size as compared to the opposite extremity.
• You cannot move the injured joint
• You cannot walk without feeling significant pain
• Your limb buckles or gives way when you try to use the joint
• Your have numbness in any part of the injured area
• You see redness or red streaks spreading out from the injury
• You have pain, swelling, or redness over the injured area
• You are in doubt about the seriousness of the injury or how to care for it

Of course, if you are injured during the course of a sporting event it is always best to seek the advice of your team physician.Sports Medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries due to athletic activity. Many of these disorders are treated with arthroscopic surgery, a minimally invasive surgical method that utilizes a camera to look inside a joint and specialized instruments to carry out any necessary surgery in that joint.