Sports Orthopedics
Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute offers top-of-the-line medical care to help get you back in the game after a sports injury or other orthopedic issues. Dr. David Carfagno and his team use state-of-the-art equipment like Musculoskeletal Ultrasound to make an accurate and precise diagnosis. Once a clear diagnosis is made, the team is able to use orthobiologic injections such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) or Hyaluronic Acid Injection to help heal and keep you pain free. We also offer Personal Training and hands-on techniques with Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) and Stretch Therapy to deal with lingering musculoskeletal injuries.
Available Services
Musculoskeletal
Ultrasound
The Musculoskeletal Ultrasound scanning is extremely safe and does not use ionizing radiation. It gives a clear, real-time image that the Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute uses to see movement of a soft tissue structure, diagnose problems and as a tool for guiding procedures such as injections, needle biopsies and fluid aspiration.
Some of the issues the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound images are typically used to help diagnose include tendon tears, muscle tears, early changes of rheumatoid arthritis, nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel syndrome and hernias.
The ultrasound procedure is non-invasive, usually pain free and is a good alternative to an MRI.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. The concentrated platelets found in PRP contain huge reservoirs of bioactive proteins that initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins work to heal connective tissue, promote bone regeneration and repair, stimulate the wound healing process and the development of new blood vessels.
PRP injections can be performed in tendons and ligaments all over the body. Sports injuries, arthritic joints, lower back, degenerative disc disease and more specific injuries including tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, ACL tears, shin splints, rotator cuff tears, plantar fasciitis and iliotibial band syndrome may all be effectively treated with PRP.
Patients can expect to see a significant improvement in symptoms. This may eliminate the need for more aggressive treatments such as long-term medication or surgery as well as a remarkable return of function.
*A consultation is required to see if you’re a candidate for this procedure.
Hyaluronic Acid Injection
Do you suffer from pain and stiffness in your knee? If you answered yes, you might have a medical condition called Osteoarthritis (OA).
Some of the ways to treat OA include using exercise and physical therapy. When that doesn’t curb the pain, getting a hyaluronic acid injection might be your next option.
This is a nonsurgical procedure that helps supplement the properties of the synovial fluid in your knee joint, helping lubricate and cushion the joint movement to reduce pain.
The Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute Team is ready to help get you back to the active lifestyle you’re used to living.
Gait Analysis
Gait Analysis is a biomechanical evaluation of running and walking form. This type of assessment provides actionable data that describes the quality of movement that can help identify musculoskeletal and neurological deficits.
When you come to Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute to take our gait analysis test, we’re using Noraxon’s motion capture technology to give a research grade data to provide those high quality assessments.
When a person is armed with this type of information, corrective exercise programs can be tailored to their specific needs to improve balance, coordination, strength and performance in their sport or to live an active lifestyle.
Bracing
If you’re recovering from an orthopedic injury, let the team at Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute put you in the right brace. The process begins by doing a consultation with Dr. Carfagno or one of his healthcare providers.
Once they determine what brace is needed for your injury, you will do a fitting. The team at SSMI wants to make sure the brace they put you in is the right one when wearing it on a daily basis.
They will then send it out to their bracing company where it will be processed and delivered to the office or right to your front door.
SSMI Pre-Operative Surgical Sports Medicine Clearance Program
Many surgeons trust the expertise provided at Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute to offer the medical clearances needed for their patients prior to surgery.
The institute offers a one-stop shop for patients to get a clearance done safely and efficiently without having to go to multiple doctors. Our physicians are up to date on all the guidelines in regard to pre-operative clearances and will make sure each patient is ready before going into the operating room.
This program includes a consultation and an EKG to determine surgical clearance. We also have a comprehensive follow-up with you.
*A referral from your surgeon is required.
Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT)
Dr. David Carfagno combines Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) with physical, myofascial and stretch therapy as well as therapeutic hot/cold packs, gait, Hypervolt and exercising training. He also likes to provide re-education to maximize healing and prevent further injury and pain.
There are different types of OMT — soft tissue, direct osteopathic techniques and indirect osteopathic techniques.
Soft Tissue Techniques include stretching, kneading, and inhibition. These involve pressure being applied to muscles and soft tissue to relax the muscles and improve circulation and function.
Direct Osteopathic Techniques include muscle energy. This involves the patient flexing a muscle against the physician’s pressure, then relaxing their muscles while the physician coordinates the treatment to release tension and increase the range of motion of a region.
Indirect Osteopathic Techniques include Indirect Treatment and Jones Strain/Counterstrain.
Indirect Treatment or Myofascial Release involves holding a musculoskeletal structure in a position of ease, balancing it in three planes of motion and continuing to make minute positional correction until the tissues around that structure relax.
Jones Strain/Counterstrain involves positioning a part of the body so that a tender point will be pain-free, holding that position for a period of time and allowing the tissues to relax.
Stretch Therapy
Whether you’re a professional athlete, weekend warrior or recreational athlete that likes biking, hiking and walking, stretch therapy should be part of your regular workout plan.
In fact, stretching is an important part of functional movement!
Here at Scottsdale Sports Medicine Institute, we have a certified stretch specialist that uses a gentle, pain-free method of assisted stretching using traction, oscillation and circumduction to open up the fascia and joint capsules.
Stretch therapy can treat a variety of different physical problems that are connected to tight muscles and help improve performance and prevent injuries.
