Sports Medicine

We’re the team Mizzou Athletics trusts to care for the Tigers — and we can do the same for you.

Whether you’re a pro athlete or a weekend warrior, an injury shouldn’t keep you sidelined. Sports medicine specialists at MU Health Care offer advanced treatments to get you back in the game.

Our Approach to Sports Injuries

Our sports medicine doctors are experts who have undergone additional training to better diagnose and treat injuries to the musculoskeletal system. Our specialists are experienced in helping athletes at every level recover from sprains, ACL tears, broken bones, overuse injuries, concussions and more.

As an academic health system, we have sports medicine doctors specializing in overhead athletes, runners and other competitors. We’re also actively involved in advancing injury research and treatment techniques.

Because many sports medicine doctors at MU Health Care are former athletes, we understand how to work as a team. We can collaborate with your referring doctor, rehabilitation team, pain specialists, dietitians, athletic trainers and anyone else involved in your care.

Personalized, Convenient Care for Athletes of All Ages

Our treatment plans never take a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we partner with you to determine which treatments are best for your lifestyle, goals and recovery. Our pediatric and adolescent sports medicine specialists also provide tailored treatment plans for younger athletes.

With on-site services like X-ray, advanced imaging (e.g., CT and MRI) bracing, casting, physical therapy and pharmacy, we offer convenient athletic care in both Columbia and Jefferson City.

Sports Medicine Injury Clinics

If you have a sports or exercise-related injury, visit one of our walk-in Sports Medicine Injury Clinics in Columbia and Jefferson City. Designed for adolescents and adults, these clinics offer convenient daily access to our sports medicine experts. Our team may prescribe pain medications, bracing, a rehabilitation plan and other strategies to help your recovery. We can also arrange further advanced imaging if needed.

Expert Concussion Care

MU Health Care has the only dedicated sports concussion program in mid-Missouri. Our concussion care team includes a sports neurologist, orthopaedic sports medicine specialists, athletic trainers and physical therapists who specialize in concussion rehabilitation. We provide timely diagnosis of concussions and personalized treatment plans for athletes of all ages.

Conditions and Injuries We Treat

Arthritis
Back pain
Bicep and triceps tears
Bone stress injuries
Broken clavicles
Bursitis
Cartilage injuries and tears
Chronic exertional compartment syndrome
Concussions
Dislocations
Eating disorders in athletes
Elbow pain and injuries (tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow)
Exercise-induced compartment syndrome (ECS)
Foot and ankle pain (ankle sprains, torn Achilles tendon)
Hamstring injuries
Hand and wrist pain
Hernias
Hip pain (labral tear, femoroacetabular impingement)
Joint instability (patellofemoral instability)
Knee pain (torn ACL, torn meniscus, runner’s knee)
Ligament sprains
Meniscus deficiency
Muscle strains
Nerve entrapment syndrome (NES)
Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES)
Shoulder pain and injuries (rotator cuff tears, instability)
Stress fractures
Tendon injuries (tendinitis, tendinopathy)

Tests for Sports Injuries

We offer a wide range of diagnostic services all in one place, including:

X-rays
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, including dynamic MRI which can evaluate bones, joints and other structures in motion
Dynamic ultrasounds
Computed tomography (CT) scans
Electromyograms (EMGs), which measure electrical activity in nerves to diagnose nerve entrapment

Nonsurgical Treatments for Sports Injuries

Many sports injuries do not require surgery. MU Health Care offers the full spectrum of nonsurgical services available.

Soft Tissue Therapy

Soft tissue therapy of muscles and ligaments can increase blood flow to injured areas and promote healing. One type of soft tissue massage offered at MU Health Care is active release therapy, which aims to break down scar tissue.

Injectable Medicines

Anti-inflammatory steroid injections can help heal sports injuries and conditions like arthritic knees and ankles. These targeted injections can also help manage nerve pain, tendinitis, bursitis and other joint-related issues. In some cases, our team may recommend an injection to help diagnose your source of pain.

In addition to steroid injections, we also offer viscosupplementation, corticosteroids or even nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (e.g., Toradol or ketorolac).

Boosting the body’s natural ability to heal itself has also become a popular treatment for degenerative conditions and injuries including arthritis and torn tendons. Using concentrated amounts of platelets from your own blood, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections help manage pain and speed up recovery after an injury.

Our sports medicine specialists are trained to use point-of-care imaging (e.g., ultrasound) to improve the precision of delivery of medications or PRP where your body needs it most.

Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Services

PTs and athletic trainers can work with you to develop a plan for physical training and reconditioning after a sports injury. We also offer blood flow restriction therapy, a rehabilitation technology designed to help you regain strength with less strain across your joints.

Nutrition Services for Athletes

Our team can engage other health professionals like dietitians, if needed, to supplement your recovery after a sports injury. This can be especially effective for injuries caused by malnutrition or eating disorders.

Transitional Training

If you’ve finished rehab but want additional help reaching your goals before returning to your sport, we can support you. Experts in our Human Performance Program can design a transitional training plan after you’re done with rehab.

Surgery for Sports Injuries

If you need surgery for your sports injury, our surgeons use the latest techniques and minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. With outpatient surgery available for some procedures, you could be back home and recovering the same day.

Advanced Arthroscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery

Our specialists perform minimally invasive, arthroscopic surgeries for shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle injuries and conditions. Arthroscopy is even an option for complex repairs. Many of our surgeons are known nationally and internationally for their clinical expertise in treating shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle injuries.

During arthroscopic procedures, our team will insert a tiny camera through a small incision near the surgical site. Using special instruments, we can reconstruct torn ligaments and repair other injuries.

Biologic Joint Preservation

Thanks to advancements in regenerative orthopaedics, our team can repair damaged joints by transplanting or growing new cartilage. MU Health Care maintains a strong research program in joint preservation and tracks patient outcomes after surgery. Some people come from out of state and abroad for joint preservation treatment by our team.

Our patients can also participate in ongoing clinical trials of innovative treatments for cartilage injuries and conditions.

Limb Realignment and Osteotomy for Degenerative Joint Disease

If you have degenerative joint disease, our surgeons have the expertise to perform osteotomies that improve limb alignment. This surgery can help realign your joints to relieve pressure on the degenerative joint and extend the life of your joint. Our surgeons use the latest technology, including computer modeling software to personalize the surgery to you.

Hip, Knee and Shoulder Replacements

Sometimes, you may need to replace an injured hip, knee or shoulder with a prosthesis to restore your function and mobility after a sports injury. Our team regularly performs computer-assisted and robotic-assisted surgery to make joint replacements more precise for your unique anatomy.