Sports Medicine

Why choose UCLA Health for sports medicine?

At the UCLA Sports Medicine Center, our outstanding team includes orthopaedic surgeons, primary care sports medicine physicians and physical therapists. Together, we specialize in diagnosing, treating and preventing all types of sports injuries.

In our state-of-the-art facility, we use advanced imaging techniques to diagnose injuries and conditions accurately so we can deliver treatments that work. When you choose UCLA Health for sports medicine, you’ll benefit from:

Comprehensive therapies: Our expertise extends beyond diagnosing and treating athletic injuries. We focus on injury prevention, successful rehabilitation and lifestyle changes to help you feel your best and perform at the highest possible level. Our primary care sports medicine physicians also offer nutritional and lifestyle guidance. They help you understand how your diet can enhance your strength, endurance and athletic performance.

Experience with athletes: Our experts work with athletes at the professional, collegiate and high school levels. We understand the challenges of sports-related injuries as well as the unique concerns specific to athletes. Our providers talk to you about your goals for returning to your sport. Then they create a customized treatment plan that helps you reach and exceed your goals.

Expertise in reconstructive surgery: Our surgeons restore function, relieve pain and increase mobility using the latest minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures. We perform techniques that require as little recovery time as possible so you can get back in the game quickly and safely.

Expertise in point-of-care ultrasound procedures: Our primary care sports medicine physicians restore function, relieve pain and increase mobility using modern techniques including ultrasound-guided injections and use of orthobiologics. Injectable treatments include corticosteroids, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA), also known as visco-supplementation. We also offer treatments to increase blood flow to injured areas, which include percutaneous needle tenotomy and barbotage procedures.

Nationally recognized care: The UCLA Sports Medicine Center is part of one of the top-ranked orthopaedic programs in the nation. Many of our doctors have earned national recognition for excellence in sports medicine. You’ll have a team of renowned experts in orthopaedic surgery, sports medicine and physical therapy dedicated to helping you recover.

Trusted partner of elite athletes: As the medical care providers for UCLA Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, Sparks and USA Basketball, we provide world-class orthopaedic and sports medicine care to top athletes. These partnerships reflect our commitment to delivering the highest level of sports medicine expertise to elite athletes and all patients. If we’re trusted to treat them, imagine what we can do for you.

Our areas of care

As leaders in sports medicine, we understand the importance of comprehensive care for athletes. To fully recover from a sports injury – and to come back stronger than before – you need an expert team that focuses on all aspects of your care. That’s why our services include diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and injury prevention. We offer:

Accurate diagnostics: Effective treatments begin with a precise diagnosis. We use the latest imaging techniques that allow us to see muscles, ligaments and tendons in greater detail. This technology helps us diagnose conditions accurately and deliver treatments that help you move without pain.

Nonsurgical treatments: Many sports-related injuries don’t require surgery. Our specialists have experience with all types of nonsurgical treatments, including medication, ultrasound-guided therapies and injections.

Minimally invasive surgery: If you need surgery, you’re in good hands. Our orthopaedic surgeons pioneered arthroscopic techniques that get you back in the game with the least recovery time and less pain than traditional surgery.

Physical therapy and rehabilitation: Our sports medicine physical therapists are specially trained to treat athletes and active people. We work with you to return to the activities you enjoy, maximize your recovery and prevent future injuries.

Injury prevention: Our experienced primary care sports medicine physicians and physical therapists are experts in athletic conditioning and injury prevention. We evaluate how your body moves and recommend ways to reduce stress on your joints. We help you make changes to your training routine, focusing on ways to improve your balance, strength and agility.

Sports injuries we treat

Our orthopaedic team has experience treating the full range of sports injuries. These conditions may result from acute or chronic injuries, overuse, accidents or trauma. We have successfully treated the most complex and severe injuries using surgical and nonsurgical techniques. Our expertise includes:

Shoulder injuries

Several injuries can affect how the ball-and-socket shoulder joint works, causing pain, stiffness and decreased mobility. We specialize in relieving pain and restoring function to people with all types of shoulder injuries. Our shoulder experts treat:

Shoulder (A-C joint) separation, when the collarbone separates from the shoulder blade
Rotator cuff injuries, which affect the muscles and tendons in the shoulder joint
Frozen shoulder, which results from inflammation, pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint
Dislocation, when the upper arm bone comes out of the socket
Impingement syndrome (swimmer’s shoulder), which happens when tendons in the rotator cuff are pinched due to inflammation
SLAP lesions and labral tears, which are injuries to the labrum, a ring of cartilage in the shoulder joint socket

Elbow injuries

These injuries usually result from overuse. Some of the most common elbow injuries we treat include:

Biceps tendon and triceps tendon tears
Tennis elbow
Golfer’s elbow
Little Leaguer’s elbow
Ligament or cartilage injuries

Hip injuries

Athletes such as runners, ballet dancers and gymnasts are at an increased risk of injuries to the hip. Several hip conditions can cause pain and limited mobility. We treat all hip injuries, including:

Hip labral tears (injuries to the cartilage in the hip joint)
Hamstring avulsion injuries
Hip pointer, a bruise on the hipbone
Tendonitis

Knee injuries

Many athletes experience knee pain at some point, either from overuse, sudden stops or changing direction, a fall or a collision during a contact sport. Our experts specialize in innovative treatments for all types of knee injuries. We also help people who previously had knee surgery. Some of the most common knee injuries and conditions we treat are:

Patella and quadriceps tendon tears
Ligament tears, including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL tear), medial collateral ligament (MCL tear) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL tear)
Cartilage injuries, including meniscus tears and loose bodies
Knee dislocations, which happen when the thighbone pulls away from the shinbone in the knee joint
Kneecap (patella) dislocations and instability in the kneecap
Patellar tendonitis

Foot and ankle injuries

Treating the complex structure of the foot and ankle requires specialized expertise. We have vast experience helping athletes and active people with a wide range of conditions that affect the lower leg and foot, including:

Foot and ankle fractures, sprains, muscle strains and instability from a previous injury
Ankle impingement
Achilles tendon ruptures
Plantar fasciitis, inflammation of tissues that connect the toes to the heel
Tendonitis

Sports medicine treatments we offer

At the UCLA Sports Medicine Center, we deliver customized treatment plans with your health, lifestyle and goals in mind. Our experts focus on easing pain, restoring mobility, decreasing recovery time and preventing future injury. We offer:

Expert physical therapy: Athletes demand a lot from their bodies. Our physical therapists help athletes and active people maximize their recovery, come back stronger and prevent future injuries. They use a combination of hands-on techniques, plus stretching and strengthening exercises to help you heal without surgery.

Nonsurgical treatments: We offer a wide range of nonsurgical and minimally invasive treatments for sports injuries. Your physician may recommend corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid (HA) injections to relieve pain or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to speed healing. We also offer ultrasound treatments to increase blood flow to injured areas, which include percutaneous needle tenotomy and barbotage procedures.

Minimally invasive surgery: Our orthopaedic surgeons specialize in arthroscopic techniques. Arthroscopy uses small incisions, a tiny camera and specialized instruments to repair damage inside joints. Minimally invasive procedures result in less pain and shorter recovery time than traditional (open) surgery. At UCLA Health, we pioneered arthroscopic techniques to treat many injuries in the shoulder, elbow, hips, knees, ankles and feet.

Meet our team

Our team includes experienced orthopaedic surgeons, primary care sports medicine physicians and physical therapists. We collaborate to bring you effective treatments while working with you to prevent another injury.

Our expert team provides medical services in both our Westwood and Santa Monica offices. We are the medical care providers for UCLA Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angele Lakers, South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks and multiple local high schools. In addition, we see and treat athletes of all ages and skill levels.