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MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Graphics and animation on common injuries available on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Mayo Clinic fall sports injury experts include, but are not limited to:

• Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His specialties include sports medicine, fitness, and strength and stability training. Dr. Laskowski has served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the Chicago Marathon medical staff and the 2002 Winter Olympics medical staff at the Olympic Polyclinic in the Olympic Village.
• David Dodick, M.D., a neurologist with Mayo Clinic in Arizona and president of the American Headache Society. Dr. Dodick can discuss head injuries including concussions.
• Michael Stuart, M.D., vice chair of orthopedic surgery and co-director of the Sports Medicine Center. He can discuss arthroscopy, knee ligament reconstruction, partial knee replacement, concussions and doping. He was a team physician for the U.S. men's Olympic team in 2010.
• Richard Berger, M.D., Ph.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the biomechanics and nerves of the hand and wrist, including injury and repair. He discovered and pioneered treatment of the wrist injury that nearly ended Major League Baseball player Jayson Werth's career.
• Diane Dahm, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Mayo's Sports Medicine Center and Sports Performance Training Program in Minnesota who has served as an Olympic and professional sports team physician. She is an expert on ACL injuries, reconstruction and sports activities following knee arthroplasty and shoulder trauma.
• Jay Smith, M.D., of The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. is an expert on sports injuries including shoulder injuries and biomechanics. He has been a team trainer for the Minnesota Twins.
• Michael Joyner, M.D., is an anesthesiologist and specialist in exercise science with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Joyner is an expert on aging athletes, the relationship of environment to training, performance-enhancing drugs and how genetic variation and gender affect competition.
• Max Trenerry, Ph.D., specializes in sports psychology with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He can discuss the role of psychological factors in athletic performance and how to keep children interested in sports. Dr. Trenerry is also a soccer coach who routinely talks to parents and coaches about what is appropriate in coach-athlete relationships.
• Mary O'Connor, M.D., is chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. O'Connor specializes in women's health, hip and knee replacement and bone damage and treatment. She was a member of the Olympic rowing team in 1980 when the United States boycotted the games.

For interviews with any of these experts or to obtain multimedia resources, contact Bryan Anderson at 507-284-5005 or email newsbureau@mayo.edu.

Graphics and animation illustrating many common sports injuries are available for journalists to download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

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About Mayo Clinic:

Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

Media Contact: Bryan Anderson, 507-284-5005 (days), newsbureau@mayo.edu

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Many years ago, I injured my right wrist while working for a previous employer.  At the time, I was told that I had a small cartilage tear.  I wore a splint for a couple of months, and I had a cortisone injection.  I didn’t have any additional problems with the wrist until about a year and a half ago.  I began to notice pain again in the same area that had bothered me when I initially injured my wrist.  I sought treatment locally in Indiana, but I was not completely comfortable with the diagnosis that my local physician gave me.  I was planning an upcoming trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and I decided to explore my options at the Mayo Clinic.

I have seen Dr. Michael Stuart in the Orthopedics department at the Mayo Clinic for several years for my knees.  I respect his expertise and opinion, and I decided to seek his recommendation for a hand and wrist physician at the Mayo Clinic.  He highly recommended Dr. Richard Berger.

I was fortunate to get an appointment with Dr. Berger during my visit to the Mayo Clinic, and he worked me into his schedule on a very busy surgery day.  After I met Dr. Berger, I was immediately impressed with him.  He spent well over an hour with me during my first visit, and even stayed after the Clinic had closed for the day to explain to me what was wrong with my wrist and the treatment options.

After my consultation with Dr. Berger, I learned that I had a split tear of the UT (Ulnotriquetral) ligament in my right wrist.  This is a relatively new injury that has only recently been discovered and documented in medical journals.  Upon further research, I was pleased to learn that this problem is one of Dr. Berger’s specialties.  He discovered the injury, developed the surgical repair, and the post-op protocol.

I had one more consultation with Dr. Berger before surgery, and once again, Dr. Berger took his time with me despite a very busy schedule.  He explained the surgical procedure in great detail, and never made me feel that I was any less important than the rest of his patients that I know were waiting to see him.

I had surgery on my right wrist on May 21, 2012 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  The UT ligament was repaired, and I am now in the recovery process.  There is no doubt in my mind that I went to the correct surgeon and the correct medical facility for my care.  I would not have wanted anyone else to have done the surgery and the post-op care.

Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN is a world-class facility.  I have been very fortunate and blessed to have received care under the direction of the Clinic physicians and staff.I have also seen other physicians at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for other medical issues.  Those physicians have been just as helpful and professional as Dr. Michael Stuart and Dr. Richard Berger.  Thank you to Dr. Stuart and Dr. Berger.  Thank you also to Dr. Stephen Wisniewski (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation), Dr. Jay Smith (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation), Dr. Robert Trousdale (Orthopedics), Dr. G. Richard Locke, III (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), and Dr. Leo Maguire (Ophthalmology).

Written by: Traci Reed (Learn more from her video interview below.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Fmj3Yekqw

Related Diseases

• UT (Ulnotriquetral) Tear

Related Departments

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Orthopedic Surgery

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Another technique is an injection of platelet rich plasma (PRP), a concentrated dose of healing platelet cells that exist in the patient's blood. In a recent study published in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic researchers reported that the combination of tenotomy and PRP injections produced significant improvement in patients with long-standing tendon injuries.

"These disorders can be hard to treat, and patients tend to receive one therapy or the other, depending on what a doctor happens to offer. Our study was the first clinical study to investigate the combination of both treatments in injured tendons," says study author Jay Smith, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

The study included 34 patients with a wide range of tendon and soft tissue injuries, from rotator cuff tendinitis to plantar fasciitis, an inflammation on the bottom of the foot. In the first stage of the two-part treatment, researchers used high-resolution ultrasound technology to guide a needle to the injured area, and the physicians repeatedly poked the tendon with the needle, inducing minor bleeding within the tissue.

"The needle breaks up nonhealing, degenerative tissue and induces bleeding, hopefully converting a chronic, degenerative injury into an acute injury that has healing potential," Dr. Smith explains. Afterward, patients received an injection of concentrated platelets from their own blood. The platelets release growth factors into the area to start the healing process.

Researchers found maximum benefits tended to occur within four months after the procedure. More than 70 percent of patients had better use of their tendons, and 76 percent reported improvement in pain. In addition, researchers found some indication of tendon healing, which was detected with sophisticated ultrasound imaging.

"Larger studies are still necessary to determine whether the combination is particularly helpful for certain injuries or types of tendons, but this investigation showed these therapies together are safe and effective for some people who have an ongoing tendinopathy," says Dr. Smith.

Media Contact: Bryan Anderson, 507-284-5005 (days), newsbureau@mayo.edu

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