Orthopedic Sports Medicine & Team Physicians

Florida Orthopaedic Institute’s team of highly skilled physicians serves hundreds of Tampa Bay residents every week. We have the largest and most advanced sports medicine program in the region. In addition, our surgeons are all fellowship-trained in advanced arthroscopic and reconstructive techniques, with many years of experience.

Our team of doctors have served as the team physicians for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Mutiny, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Tampa Bay Storm, University of South Florida, The University of Tampa, Saint Leo University and many high schools throughout Hillsborough County.

Our compassionate team of healthcare professionals uses a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure the most advanced treatment for all your sports-related injuries. Just as every athlete focuses on his or her particular sport, our team is dedicated only to sports medicine, and this ensures the best possible care and outcome.

We understand your desire to get back into the game and will do everything we can to make that happen safely. Because of their dynamic nature, sports injuries require specialized methods of treatment. So whether you’re a weekend warrior or a high school, college, or professional athlete, if you suffer an injury, you need to see a physician with the highest level of experience. Regardless of the injury or level of competition, Florida Orthopaedic Institute team’s training and experience is focused on a single goal: getting you back in the game.

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OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:

• Advanced X-rays, MRI, CT and ultrasound diagnostic imaging
• Chiropractic treatment
• Concussion evaluation and management
• Education and training for coaches, trainers and students
• Injections
• Injury prevention
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Pre-screening athletic physicals
• Surgery – Minimally invasive techniques, advanced ligament and tendon reconstruction, cartilage repair and restoration, bone and soft tissue repair and reconstruction
• Team physician and athletic trainer event coverage for professional, college and high school teams, triathlons, marathons and local sporting events

When Should You Seek an Evaluation?

You should see a doctor for an injury when you:

• Have severe pain and cannot put any weight on the injured area.
• Have the area over or around the damaged joint is very tender upon touch.
• Find that the injured area is altered in its shape or size as compared to the opposite side
• Can’t move the injured joint.
• See that the injured area looks crooked or has lumps and bumps, other than swelling.
• Can’t walk without feeling significant pain.
• Try to use the joint and it buckles or gives way.
• Have numbness in any part of the injured area.
• See redness or red streaks spreading out from the injury.
• Have pain, swelling, or redness over the injured area.
• Are in doubt about the seriousness of the damage or how to care for it.

If you are injured during a sporting event, seek the advice of your team physician.

Sports Medicine Conditions

Sports-Related Concussion Treatment

Concussions are the most common of all traumatic brain injuries and often result from sports injuries, car accidents or falls. Symptoms can range from a mild headache, difficulty concentrating and amnesia, to complete loss of consciousness. At Florida Orthopaedic Institute, we offer the most scientifically validated computerized evaluation and specialized treatment for this type of injury. This helps ensure an appropriate time period prior to return to sports, and the lowest risk possible for repeated concussions or long-term problems.

We use ImPACT® (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) to help evaluate and document multiple aspects of neurocognitive functioning, including memory, attention span, brain processing speed, reaction time, and post-concussive symptoms. ImPACT’s research-based computer tests help our physicians evaluate an athlete’s recovery following concussion with user-friendly injury documentation to track the injury from the field and through the recovery process.

Heat Injury/Heat Prostration

There are many potential dangers posed by warm and humid weather, especially in Florida. Known in a category called heat injuries, they include heat prostration, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Sometimes, heat injuries result in minor, easily correctable problems. In more serious cases, they can produce life-threatening complications.

RESEARCH AND PREVENTION

We conduct research to find effective and practical ways to reduce sports-related injuries, improve current treatment options, develop new surgical techniques and instrumentation and speed up the rehabilitation of injured athletes.

As leaders in the field, our team of physicians continuously train other orthopedic surgeons and health care providers in the latest and most advanced techniques for ligament reconstruction and cartilage repair.

ADVANCED THERAPIES

Through new advanced therapies, patients can take advantage of their own ability to heal by using healthy cells found naturally throughout the body. Laboratory and clinical research suggest that it is possible to use these cells to restore and repair damaged or aging cells and effectively regenerate tissue. These therapies have shown promise in orthopedic medicine, burn treatment, nerve restoration and treatment of heart conditions, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.

Another emerging technique takes advantage of the numerous growth factors naturally found in platelets, and is used to treat patients with the following musculoskeletal problems:

• Osteoarthritis
• Tendon strains and ruptures such as tennis elbow, hamstring strains, rotator cuff tears and Achilles tendon ruptures
• Ligament sprains and tears such as anterior cruciate ligament tears and ulnar collateral ligament sprains

Research studies and clinical practice have shown promise in these advance therapies’ ability to relieve pain by promoting long lasting healing of musculoskeletal conditions. Additional therapeutic uses are being explored.

OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM

Florida Orthopaedic Institute provides Certified Athletic Trainers (ATC) and Board Certified, Sports Medicine orthopedic surgeons and primary sports medicine physicians for recreational, scholastic and collegiate athletes throughout the Tampa Bay area. Additionally, we also work closely with physicians, coaching staffs and school nurses in evaluating athletic injuries, providing information on the management of injuries and returning the athlete safely to their sport through our Sports Medicine Outreach Services. We participate in USF’s Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma (S.M.A.R.T.) Institute and are a partner of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).

ORTHOPAEDIC URGENT CARE

We recognize that injuries can happen outside the typical workweek, which is we offer Saturday-morning and early afternoon clinics at our Orthopaedic Urgent Cares in Brandon and South Tampa. Please take advantage of this opportunity to receive medical care even if you attend a high school that is not under contract with us.

EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Research and education is at the forefront of the work we do. If you’re interested in having one of our sports medicine physicians speak to your school group, coaching staff, or organization please contact the Director of Customer Service and Marketing at (813) 978-9700.