National Leaders in Pediatric Sports Medicine
At UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s, our sports medicine physicians are committed to delivering the highest level of care for young athletes. In addition to providing exceptional care to our patients across northern Ohio, we our sports doctors work diligently to advance the field with ongoing pediatric sports medicine research and evidence-based medicine. Our team is among the world’s best, working alongside other pediatric sports medicine specialists with leadership positions across national organizations, including:
- Board of Directors of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
- Executive Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sport Medicine and Fitness
Our sports medicine physicians also participate in research projects to improve health outcomes for sports injuries – from prevention to treatment through rehabilitation. As leaders in pediatric sports medicine, we’re driven by the desire to help children and teens return to active play in a safe manner that protects not only today’s young athlete, but also tomorrow’s adult.
Conservative Approach, including Minimally Invasive Surgery Techniques, Optimize Recovery
If a sports injury does occur, our pediatric sports injury specialists understand that many sports injuries can be effectively treated without surgery, and we only recommend a surgical procedure when absolutely necessary. In many cases, a period of rest, pain management and stretching are effective ways to alleviate pain and promote healing. Our team, led by board-certified and fellowship-trained sports medicine doctors, have the experience and expertise to know the difference.
When surgery is necessary, our sports medicine specialists and surgeons are highly trained and experienced in the most advanced and least invasive techniques. This includes endoscopic and arthroscopic surgery. These procedures require much smaller incisions, often resulting in reduced risk and pain, less blood loss and a faster recovery.
Leading-Edge Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s has invested in advanced technologies to assist in the accurate diagnosis of any sports injury. Using the newest computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide extremely detailed images of bones, joints and muscles, these images are interpreted by highly skilled orthopaedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians and radiologists who are experienced in working with children.
In addition, we provide zero gravity treadmills to facilitate physical therapy sports rehabilitation. By reducing gravity’s impact, our patients can use these treadmills to rehabilitate sports related injuries with less pain and less impact. We also offer video data analysis to support athletic performance and rehabilitation.
Focus on Sports Injury Prevention Education
The best way to optimize performance is to avoid injury altogether. Our pediatric sports medicine doctors at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’ sare dedicated to educating our community in northern Ohio on ways to reduce the chance of sports injuries. As part of an academic medical center, our patients benefit from the latest findings and techniques related to sports injury prevention. This includes new studies on muscle injuries and ACL injury prevention.
Convenient, Community-Based Pediatric Sports Medicine Expertise
At UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s, we pride ourselves in bringing the expert sports medicine care you need to a convenient location close tow here you live. In addition to appointment availability at locations across the region, our sports medicine physicians travel regularly to local schools and sports arenas throughout Ohio.
Chosen by some of the most elite teams in the country, our team provides medical care at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating National Championship and for the U.S. women’s soccer team. We have provided medical services at a variety of nearby athletic events, including:
- U.S. Junior National Figure Skating Championships
- Ohio Youth Soccer Association North Bothwell Cup
- Ohio Youth Soccer Association North State Cup
- Elite Gymnastics Rainbow Classic
- Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Swimming and Diving Championships
Dedicated Program for Better Understanding, Prevention and Treatment of Concussion
Concussions are all too common an occurrence in youth sports. We work in collaboration with the Case Western School of Medicine to develop protocols for concussion management and concussion treatment, and to learn how to safely return youth to activity after a concussion. Our ongoing concussion research team reviews neuro-cognitive data, which helps with diagnosis. This research helps us to develop evidence-based treatment guidelines. Our findings are used not only at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s, but they are also helping to advance concussion diagnosis and treatment at other sports medicine practices across the country.
Through our concussion program, patients have access to renowned neuropsychologists. For concussion patients at UH, we ensure your child sees a neuropsychologist within 24 to 48 hours.