Sports Medicine Services

The sports medicine team at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is highly trained to help you recover from any injury that may limit your activity level. Our board-certified, fellowship-trained doctors are highly skilled in both primary care and sports medicine, and each holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine. So whether you are a college athlete, weekend warrior, or someone who enjoys daily walks, our team can help you keep moving.

From middle school to well beyond retirement, we provide sports-related injury prevention and care for non-surgical sports-related injuries. Our team works with you to help determine the source of your injury and recommend specific strength and conditioning programs to help prevent re-injury going forward. While helping you heal, our team can guide you through the process, referring you to physical therapy, or occupational therapy as needed.

Although nearly 90 percent of injuries can be healed without surgery, we can expedite a referral to an orthopedic surgeon when surgery is necessary. The sports medicine specialists at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health can also help you reach peak fitness and performance, with insight on injury prevention, nutrition, sleep, mental preparation, and more. 

Our goal is to provide individualized treatment to get you back to sports, work and school as safely and quickly as possible. We are proud to offer treatment for the following sports-related conditions:

• Ankle sprains
• Finger and hand sprains
• Knee injuries
• Muscle strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Rotator cuff tendonitis
• Shoulder injuries
• Stress fractures
• Sports concussions

In addition to the above, our doctors have extensive experience treating chronic conditions that can affect performance such as asthma, diabetes, or infectious mononucleosis.

Our primary care sports medicine specialists have a broad range of experience, allowing them to provide the best care for your injuries. Treatments we offer include:

• Occupational therapy
• Orthopedic therapy
  
• Nutrition guidance
  
• Physical therapy
  
• Therapeutic joint injections, including ultrasound-guided injections
  

Concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries resulting from rapid impact to the skull that jostles the brain. It is especially important to have your child seen by a provider if a concussion is suspected, as a young athlete’s brain is still developing.

Signs and symptoms can vary greatly from mild to severe and may develop at the time of injury or appear days later. Your student athlete may or may not lose consciousness. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of a sports-related concussion to watch for include:

• Headaches
• Mood changes: sadness, nervousness
• Not feeling like yourself
• Sensitivity to light and/or sound
• Sleep changes
• Trouble with concentration or memory

If you suspect a sports concussion, call your child’s primary care provider or go to the Emergency Services department for a medical evaluation. You may also be referred to our Sports Concussion Program for comprehensive testing and diagnosis. 

Our sports medicine specialists see patients in several convenient locations throughout Washington state. Find a location near you.