Time is of the essence in treating and recovering from athletic injuries and illnesses. WellSpan Sports Medicine provides quick and efficient access to care.
“The most important thing to know is that we work to ensure patients have both ready and efficient access to our team,” said orthopedic surgeon Matthew Posner, MD, who came to WellSpan after serving 26 years in the U.S. Army. “We have several urgent orthopedic clinics, surgeons, primary care sports medicine providers and physician assistants who are ready to care for patients. Our sports medicine team also includes expert therapists and athletic trainers who serve as first-line providers, offering comprehensive services to patients of all ages with varying activity levels.”
Matthew Posner, MD
Posner said WellSpan Sports Medicine is a comprehensive program using multi-disciplinary and innovative approaches in healthcare. “We focus on illness and injury prevention through education, awareness and intervention, as well as efficient and effective treatment and rehabilitation of illness and injury,” he said. “WellSpan Sports Medicine serves as the hub of a wheel with many spokes that interconnect to allow for efficient, effective care coordination for patients.”
Posner said services include concussion management (comprehensive over several service lines), orthopedic surgical care, nonoperative sports medicine management and physical and occupational therapy. WellSpan also offers athletic training for local college, high school and club teams. Also available are adolescent gynecological services, primary care, nutritional services, walk-in urgent care, urgent orthopedic care, sports physicals and team physician game coverage.
The continuum of care extends to those of all health backgrounds through WellSpan’s WellFit program, which is a medically guided exercise program designed for patients striving to improve their overall fitness or wellbeing.
Among many treatment modalities, WellSpan’s Sports Medicine experts employ orthobiologics, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and blood marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), better known as stem cell therapy. “We incorporate PRP and BMAC into treatments as indicated by evidence-based medicine,” he said.
“PRP and BMAC are examples of regenerative medicine, a newer subspecialty. While there are many great applications for orthobiologics, patients should ask appropriate questions, do their own research and understand the risks, benefits and limitations of these treatment modalities for their particular injury or pathology.
“We also use Tenex as part of our sports medicine practice. Tenex and orthobiologics may be utilized as standalone procedures or used concurrently to improve treatment effectiveness. Both have a tremendous role to play in our minimally invasive approaches to certain injuries and pathologies.”
“Recovery from injuries starts and finishes with our physical therapists, occupational therapists and athletic trainers,” Posner said. “Whether a patient is seen in urgent care, on the athletic field, in the training room or in an office setting, our team of orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians and physicians’ assistants will evaluate and initiate various treatment strategies for our patients.”
Posner said further sophisticated radiological imaging and other testing may be needed, and surgical or non-surgical treatments may be employed, but patients always do better when their care takes them through WellSpan’s comprehensive therapy services, located throughout South Central Pennsylvania.