Today’s athlete can be a little league baseball player, a working mother interested in staying fit, or a senior citizen who golfs. From torn ligaments, to sprains and strains, Puget Sound Orthopaedics (PSO) surgeons have extensive experience in treating all kinds of conditions caused by sports related injuries. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a high school, collegiate, or professional athlete, you can benefit from Puget Sound Orthopaedics sports medicine specialists to help you get back into the game.
Overuse injuries: These injuries occur over time, typically when an athletic activity is repeated often and the body does not have enough time to recover and heal between playing.
Stress fractures: Occur due to repetitive stress when the body is no longer able to absorb the shock and pressure of an action. Fatigued muscles transfer the stress to the bone causin
g tiny cracks in the bone.
Soft tissue injuries: Caused by overuse or sudden trauma (fall, twist or blow to the body), these injuries affect the muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Sprains and strains: Strains and sprains are common injuries when a ligament or tendon is hyper-extended leaving the tissue stretched or torn.
Tendinitis: An overuse injury caused by small repeated stresses to the tendon that cause inflammation or irritation of a tendon or the covering of a tendon.
Shin splints: Pain along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia) caused by inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around the tibia.
Throwing injuries: Overuse injuries in the shoulder or elbow caused by repeated overhand motion that puts stress on the shoulder or elbow.
Burners and stingers: A painful electric shock feeling that spreads from the shoulder to the hand starting in the nerves of the neck after they have been stretched or compressed after an impact. These injuries tend to be temporary and symptoms can go away quickly.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Arthroscopy: A surgical procedure using an arthroscope, a small camera. The camera is inserted through a small skin incision and displays images on a video monitor. The surgeon uses those images to guide small instruments to the injury to make repairs.
Knee arthroscopy: an arthroscopic procedure is used for many knee related repairs, such as removal or repair of a torn meniscus, reconstruction of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, removal of inflamed synovial tissue, trimming of damaged articular cartilage, and more.
Shoulder arthroscopy: an arthroscopic procedure is used for many shoulder repairs, such as rotator cuff repair, bone spur removal, removal or repair of the labrum, repair of ligaments, and more.
Meniscal repair: The knee meniscus are two wedge-shaped pieces of cartilage between the thighbone and shinbone. They act as shock absorbers and are tough and rubbery to help cushion the joint and keep it stable. The meniscus can tear in four different ways and often occurs during sports when contact is involved. The type of tear determines if surgery may be needed. In a meniscus repair the tears are repaired with suturing using an arthroscope.
Ligament and tendon repair: tendons and ligaments are cords of fibrous tissue. Tendons connect muscle to bone and ligaments connect bone to bone.
ACL reconstruction: An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can be either a sprain or a tear of the ligament. This key ligament holds together the femur and tibia and is pivotal in providing stability and motion in the knee. ACL injuries have different grades depending on the severity of the sprain or tear and may require surgery to fully regain function of the knee. Severely torn ACLs are replaced using a graft to reconnect the thigh and shinbone. The torn ACL is removed and the graft is placed and adhered to the bone with screws.
Fracture repair: a fracture is a break in the bone. Bones can break in many different ways. When surgery is required to rejoin and realign the broken bones, pins, plates, screws or external fixators may be used.
Stress fractures occur due to repetitive stress when the body is no longer able to absorb the shock and pressure of an action. Athletes are most susceptible to this injury and it typically occurs in the bones of the lower leg and foot. Stress fractures can be hard to detect because they are not caused […]
Sprains and strains are common injuries. They occur when a ligament or tendon is hyper-extended leaving the tissue stretched or torn. Most injuries are mild and are treatable with rest and ice. The difference between a sprain and a strain depends on which tissue is under duress. When a ligament is injured the term is […]
See what our patients and their families have to say. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive orthopedic care in a compassionate and caring environment.
"I have had the best care throughout all my procedures. I have recommend Dr. Vaughn many times. Over the last few years I have had a new right hip, new left knee and treated most recently for a broken arm. I trust the doctors and the wonderful staff at the Gig Harbor and the Tacoma office. Thank you to all." - Marjorie
"Dr. Hassan is fantastic, and I would recommend him to anyone." - Betty
"Dr. Ghidella has taken great care of me through this difficult journey. I would recommend him to anyone who needed orthopedic surgery." - Kristina
“Dr. Bargren is always helpful and explains things very well. I always feel like he is giving me his full attention.” - Anonymous
"I cannot express how happy I am with Dr. Smith. He is so kind, so mellow, and so understanding. He listened to everything I had to say. I went to him as a second opinion following foot surgery from another doctor and he has surpassed everything I could have hoped for. His professionalism just amazed me. I've gotten amazing results from him doing my surgery, hardware removal, and fixing my foot. I'm so happy I went to see him. A kind, gentle, caring man AND the entire staff is just amazing. Will recommend this place to everyone." - Kathi
"I felt like Dr. Gray was genuinely concerned about my musculoskeletal problem. He also took an interest in guiding me about other health issues. I have already recommended him to a friend." - Sheri
“Puget Sound Orthopaedics is the most positive place I have ever worked. My co-workers and our providers all work together to give the best patient care. We are all a great team.” – Alissa F.
Dr. Martin is a very good doctor. He takes his time and listens to your problems. My surgery was a success. I recommend him very highly! - John
"Your staff were very courteous and welcoming! Dr. Blair answered all my questions in a very thorough and patient manner." - Michael
"Dr. Coray is an excellent doctor. I have total trust in him!" - Larry
"I believe Dr. Krumins is an extremely good listener and can quickly and accurately assess issues related to my condition. I have a very high degree of confidence in his competency." - Lorraine
“I am very impressed with Dr. Jenkins. He really put me at ease with what to expect. I would recommend him very highly to anyone who needs shoulder work!” - Nancy
"Dr. Hassan was great; easy to talk to and explained everything that needed to be done." - Denise
“Dr. Blair is always professional, always interested in my conversation, very reassuring and direct. He is willing to spend as much time as necessary to ensure I know all the options.” - G. Evans
“I love working at Puget Sound Orthopaedics. My job is challenging and my co-workers are great to work with. Everyone is willing to help you grow.” - Lorie W.
"It was good to talk to someone who explained the options on knee care and replacement alternatives to me so well, not filled with technical jargon, but in terms easily understood."
"Dr. Yearian is the best! And Joyce, his medical assistant, makes every appointment an enjoyable experience. Thank you for taking care of me!"
"Dr. Arroyo is very personal and puts me at ease about my concerns." - David
"I would recommend Dr. Gray to anyone seeking a professional doctor who cares about his patients' well-being." - Quentin
"Dr. Bargren shows concern and empathizes with my issues. He asks questions and listens when I talk. I have the utmost confidence in his abilities and knowledge. He is a great doctor and a warm, friendly care provider. He always takes time to explain things clearly." - Gary
"My appointment with Lindsay was good. She is very thorough and concerned with how you are feeling, what your limitations are, and the level of pain you are experiencing." - Tania
"Dr. Gray and his staff are terrific. I am very confident in how he addressed and treated me." - Jim
"I just love Dr. Thomas. He's very friendly with a wonderful sense of humor." - Colleen
“Dr. Hassan was very kind and full of information that I understood about my injury. He even took time to show me my x-rays.” - Toni
"Doctor Vaughan is great! I would recommend him all day long!" - Thomas
"I wouldn’t trust anyone else. Dr. Arroyo was very professional, concerned for my problem, and thoroughly explained all my options, including my best option and length of recovery." - Constance
“I have been with Dr. Michael Martin and Nick Harrison for many years and I would not trust the care of my back to any other clinic nearly as much.” - Wendy
"Dr. Bede explained my condition and showed me the x-rays, explaining what he was doing in a manner that I understood." - Jerry
"Dr. Arroyo was awesome, friendly and helped my son quickly with his broken arm." - Simon
"Dr. Vaughn has done knee replacement on both of my knees. He is very courteous and has answered every question I have ever had. I would recommend him to everyone." - Elaine