SPORTS MEDICINE
Our in-house Sports Medicine practitioners, deliver expert Sports & Exercise medicine services at our Cardiff clinic.
Our Sports Doctors specialise in the non-surgical management of sports injuries and musculoskeletal problems. The vast majority of these injuries do not require surgery and our sports doctors are perfectly placed to offer and oversee the latest, evidenced based care for these problems.
They provide expert assessment of your problem providing a diagnosis and determine the most appropriate management plan that guides you to the best possible recovery. Our sports doctors are highly trained in ultrasound imaging as both a diagnostic test and as an adjunct for providing the latest advances in joint and soft tissue injections.
Why should you see a sports doctor?
1) To get an expert overview of your condition. Muscle and joint pain can often mimic other medical conditions not related to the musculoskeletal system.
2) To confirm the correct diagnosis and correct path of treatment. They can liaise with other members of the team to ensure the latest, research-based care is being offered.
3) If you have had treatment previously but your condition is not improving.
4) The sports doctor can provide on-site ultrasound imaging and therapeutic injections. If you feel you need a scan to clarify your problem or an injection to aid recovery – our sports doctors can assess, advise and provide this if it’s right for you.
5) If you need onward referral for external imaging like MRI and CT or need to see a different specialist like a Surgeon or Rheumatologist.
The following services are provided on-site from our Sports Doctors
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is an injury diagnosis assessment technique that uses sound waves to create images of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints throughout the body. MSK ultrasound serves as an excellent imaging tool and is extensively utilised as an assessment technique by sport and exercise medicine professionals, offering an objective method to confirm clinical findings.
Our specialist musculoskeletal practitioners perform all of our ultrasound services at our Cardiff clinic. We use diagnostic ultrasound for imaging examination of the following conditions:
Tendinopathy (patellar, achilles, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis)
Muscle strains / tears
Shoulder rotator cuff injury / bursitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / wrist pain
Ligament injuries
At Pro Sports Medicine, we provide the most advanced, cutting edge injection therapies available in sport, exercise and musculoskeletal medicine. The Sports Doctor provides each injection via ultrasound guidance to ensure the whole treatment is targeted upon the specific focus of your symptoms. We only offer ultrasound-guided injections to ensure the gold standard of care is provided to our patients.
The Sports Doctor or physiotherapist will discuss which injection they feel is best suited to your problem and together, you can plan the best treatment going forward. Injection therapy options include;
Comprehensive assessment plus relevant injection if appropriate;
Time; 45 minutes appointment (Initial Assessment & US guided injection)
Cost;
Cortisone Injection (corticosteroid) – £350
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) – £395
Hydrodilitation / Hydrodistension injection – £395
**You will be required to pay the cost of the Sports Doctor consultation of £175 on booking. If an injection is appropriate, you will be required to pay the remainder of the fee following the appointment.
Pro Sports Medicine offers bespoke clinics to evaluate the physical health of their patients. A thorough clinic examination and extensive investigation of blood tests can evaluate the overall physical health of an individual and identify any at risk health areas or reasons why you aren’t operating at 100%
Usually, the doctor provides valuable piece of mind that the systems of the body are working well on a physical and biochemical level. However, prevention is better than cure and it is best to identify any subtle abnormalities early so they can be dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible to ensure a successful outcome.
Well-athlete
We at Pro Sports medicine understand it’s the fine margins that make the difference to athletic performance. We offer specific well-athlete clinics that expose our patients to the level of physical examination and blood profiling that is offered at the top level of sport. A physical and biochemical examination of the athlete ensures there are no deficiencies or hormonal imbalances that would effect athletic performance.
The well athlete assessment includes physical examination by the sports doctor and testing of the athlete’s blood for the following markers depending on individual need:
- Full blood count – Haemoglobin, white cell counts, platelets, iron
- Liver function – proteins, globulins, liver enzymes, bilirubin
- Renal function – sodium, potassium, urea, creatinine
- Thyroid function – TSH, T4
- Hormone function – testosterone, oestrogen, prolactin, growth hormone
- Vitamins and minerals – Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, folate
- Bone profile – Calcium, Phosphate
- Lipid profile – cholesterol, HDL, LDL
- Prostate profile – PSA
- Menopause profile – oestrogen, LH, FSH
- Diabetes screen – glucose, Hba1c
A bespoke package of the above can be arranged based on the athlete’s needs.
At Pro Sports Medicine, our sports doctors have experience of managing concussion at the highest levels of rugby, football and boxing. We can provide accurate assessment of the injury and offer the latest evidenced based research on return to play protocols to ensure the safest return to sport and daily life as a whole.
Concussion is a type of brain injury that should be taken seriously. While concussion mostly occurs with direct blows to the head, particularly from sports like Rugby and football – concussion can also occur indirectly during non-contact sports or injuries sustained during daily life.
There is emerging research on how concussion should be managed in order to achieve the safest and speediest recovery. The Welsh Rugby Union and Football Association recommend that all individuals suspected of sustaining a concussion should be referred to a medical practitioner for assessment and again seen by a Doctor with experience in concussion management prior to return to play.
Concussion management and return to sport is not a service offered under the current NHS contract and not all doctors have the experience or expertise in managing sport related concussion. Furthermore, certain cohorts of patients like children/adolescents, those with a history of recurrent concussions, individuals with headache disorders, mental health problems and learning disabilities are particularly vulnerable to complications from concussion and/or prolonged symptoms.
