Treatments

Why Do So Many Parents Bring Their Children To Us?

Top-Quality Care

At University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, our physicians provide outstanding treatment, offering a complete approach with state-of-the-art techniques and technologies to get young athletes back in the game. When you bring your child to the Rainbow Sports Medicine Center, you know you are providing them with some of the very best healthcare in the world.

Accurate Diagnosis with Advanced Imaging Techniques

Using the most advanced diagnostic testing and imaging, we accurately identify the nature of your child’s injury. We use this information to guide our decisions about the most effective treatment possible.

The Sports Medicine Center uses leading-edge imaging techniques, including the newest CT and MRI scanning machines. The sophisticated images are interpreted by highly skilled radiologists, familiar with children’s anatomies.

During our evaluations, we are trained to recognize warning signs of serious disorders that should be thoroughly checked out before a child plays a sport.

The Most Effective Treatments

Medical Therapy

Many kinds of sports injuries can be effectively treated without surgery. Among the techniques we use are:

• Splinting/casting to immobilize the injured part of the body
• Medication – Drugs may be used to help reduce pain and inflammation Stronger medicines maybe used if necessary. These are usually given by injection (a shot)
• Traction – to stretch muscles and tendons
• Use of crutches or a wheelchair
• Ultrasound –sound waves that apply deep heat to increase blood flow and relax spasms
• Restricted motion – to allow injured tissues to rest

Surgical Therapy

When surgery is necessary, you can be assured that our surgeons are specialists in taking care of children’s injuries. They offer a full spectrum of the newest, most advanced surgical techniques including:

• Arthroscopic and endoscopic surgery: These sophisticated surgeries use much smaller incisions than conventional surgeries. This innovative type of surgery results in reduced risk, less blood loss and faster recovery than with a traditional operation
• Transarticular drilling
• Antegrade debridement
• Retrograde grafting and stabilization
• Cartilage transplants

Complex Operations

When an injury involves organs outside the musculoskeletal system, such as the heart or the brain, our staff teams up with other highly skilled Rainbow pediatric surgeons to ensure the best possible outcome for your child.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy (PT) helps restore movement, improve flexibility, correct misalignments, expand range of motion and increase endurance.

Many sports injuries require physical therapy to restore strength to the injured part of the body, usually through special exercises and stretches. We are proud to offer a comprehensive range of rehab services with some of the most technologically advanced rehabilitation and exercise equipment on the market, TRUE? and personnel who are skilled in creating superior programs for young patients.

Special Programs, Consulting and Educational Services

To improve performance and optimize patients’ recovery, the Sports Medicine offers the following programs:

• Performance training
• Injury prevention and safe return to play
• Sports readiness
• Strength training
• Conditioning for sports
• Nutritional analysis and counseling

In addition to working closely with you and your child, we often involve her coach, athletic trainer and/or primary care physician to speed recovery from the existing injury and to help prevent similar and other injuries in the future.

Family-Focused Caring

Because we focus solely on children, we have a wealth of caregivers dedicated to helping your child get through any medical procedures or hospitalization without undue anxiety. Our Child Life specialists can help your child and family with:

• Preparation for tests, surgeries, and other procedures
• Support during medical procedures
• Therapeutic medical play using special dolls, stuffed animals and medical equipment
• Activities to continue normal growth and development of infants, children and adolescents in patient rooms and/or Activity Centers
• Sibling support
• Emergency room interventions
• Pre-admission tours and information
• Outpatient consultation with families