Conditions & Injuries

The elbow is crucial for almost all of our upper body movements. When it’s injured, it can compromise your quality of life. We treat many common causes of elbow pain, including:

• Arthritis: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints wears away, leading to inflammation, pain and stiffness.
• Capitellar cartilage lesion and osteochondral defect lesions: This occurs when the capitellum, a cartilage-covered area on the outside of the elbow, is injured.
• Cubital tunnel syndrome: This occurs when the ulnar nerve — which triggers that “funny bone” sensation when you bump your elbow — is compressed.  
• Distal biceps rupture: This occurs when the tendon that attaches the biceps muscle to the elbow is pulled away from the bone.
• Elbow arthritis: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the elbow joint breaks down.  
• Elbow dislocation: This injury occurs when the bones that meet in your elbow become separated.  
• Elbow fracture: This is a broken bone in the elbow, often caused by a traumatic injury.
• Elbow injuries in the adult throwing athlete: Sports that require throwing, such as baseball or softball, can cause significant wear-and-tear on the elbow joints, leading to injury.
• Elbow injuries in the adolescent throwing athlete: Adolescents ages 11 to 15 account for the largest percentage of softball and baseball players in the country, which is why we often see sports-related elbow injuries in young people.
• Elbow instability/dislocation: This injury is characterized by the elbow joint chronically popping or sliding out of place.
• Elbow sprain or strain: This occurs when the muscles or tendons in the elbow are overstretched or, in some cases, ruptured.
• Lateral and medial epicondylitis: Also known as “tennis elbow” or “golfer’s elbow,” this condition causes pain on the inside or outside of the elbow.
• Nerve injury: An injury to the nerves in your elbow can cause pain and inflammation.
• Olecranon bursitis: This condition is characterized by inflammation and fluid buildup in the olecranon bursa, a fluid-filled sac on the tip of the elbow.
• Osteochondritis dissecans: This occurs when the blood supply to the elbow’s cartilage or bone is disconnected.
• Radial head fractures/olecranon fractures: Often caused by trying to break a fall, these fractures are located in the forearm bone near the elbow or on the boney part of the elbow.
• Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury: A common injury in athletes who throw a ball, this condition affects the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on the inside of the elbow.

Chances are, if you have foot or ankle pain, you feel it every time you attempt your daily activities. Our specialists diagnose and treat common foot and ankle problems, such as:  

• Achilles tendonitis/tears: This condition is characterized by inflammation or a rupture of the tendon on the back of the ankle that connects the heel bone to the calf muscle.
• Ankle cartilage lesions/osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions: This is an injury that affects the cartilage and bone in the bottom of the ankle.
• Arthritis: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints wears away, leading to inflammation, pain and stiffness.
• Damaged cartilage: The cartilage in the feet and ankles help absorb shock and prevent joint damage from high-impact physical activity. When it becomes damaged, you may notice pain, swelling, grinding or stiffness.
• Fracture or stress fracture: We treat broken bones in the feet and ankles.  
• Heel pain: This can be caused by plantar fasciitis, arthritis, a stress fracture, tendonitis or nerve irritation.
• Lisfranc injuries: This injury occurs when at least one of the foot’s metatarsal bones is dislocated from the tarsus.
• Peroneal tendon injury: The peroneal tendons are located in the ankle. Injury to these tendons is often related to over-exercising.
• Plantar fasciitis: Plantar fasciitis causes inflammation and pain in the bottom of the foot. It can also occur with a heel bone spur, which is a hard calcium deposit on the bottom of the foot.
• Sprain: A sprain occurs when a muscle, tendon or ligament is stretched or torn.
• Turf toe: This occurs when there is a sprain in the area where the big toe meets the foot.

Hand and wrist pain can be caused by a traumatic injury or even daily overuse. We treat common issues, such as:

• Arthritis: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints wears away, leading to inflammation, pain and stiffness.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome: This condition occurs when there is a pinched nerve in the wrist, which can cause pain and weakness.
• De Quervain’s tenosynovitis: This occurs when the tendons at the base of the thumb are inflamed or overused.
• Forearm fractures: These fractures are often the result of trying to break a fall, a direct blow to the arm or an automobile accident.
• Finger or wrist dislocation: This is an injury where the bones that meet at the fingers or wrist become separated.
• Fingertip injury: Fingertip injuries can lead to soft tissue, nail and/or nailbed damage.
• Ganglion cyst: This benign, fluid-filled cyst appears as a hard bump on the wrist or hand. It may be painful or appear to get larger when you move your hand or wrist.
• Hand or wrist fracture: We treat broken bones in the hand or wrist, often caused by a traumatic injury.
• Hand or wrist sprain/strain: This occurs when the muscles or tendons in the hand or wrist are overstretched or even ruptured.
• Nerve injury: An injury to the nerves in your hand or wrist can cause pain and inflammation.
• Stenosing tenosynovitis: Also known as “trigger finger” or “trigger thumb,” this condition affects the tendons that help the fingers bend.
• Thumb sprain: This injury is caused by damage to the thumb’s main ligament.  
• Triangular fibrocartilage complex injury (TFCC): This injury affects the cartilage in the wrists. TFCC is often caused by falling directly on your hand or wrist.

Head injuries, particularly concussions, are a risk for every athlete who plays a contact sport. A concussion is caused by a direct blow to the head or to another part of the body that causes the brain to shift rapidly inside the skull.

Sports concussions can have a variety of symptoms, including:

• Convulsions (involuntary contraction of the muscles)
• Excessive sleepiness or difficulty sleeping
• Intense headache
• Loss of consciousness (only occurs in about 10 percent of concussions)
• Memory loss, confusion or trouble concentrating
• Moodiness, personality changes or depression
• Nausea or vomiting
• Neck stiffness
• Trouble using your arms, speaking or walking

If you or a loved one experiences a high-impact injury or hit, seek medical care immediately. If you leave a concussion untreated and then experience another head injury (even if it is minor), you could experience “second impact syndrome,” which can be fatal in some cases.

Hip pain can affect your movement and everyday life. Our hip specialists help treat the following conditions:

• Femoroacetabular impingement: A condition in which extra bone grows along one or both of the bones that form the hip joint — giving the bones an irregular shape. Because they do not fit together perfectly, the bones rub against each other during movement. Over time this friction can damage the joint, causing pain and limiting activity.
• Hip fractures: This occurs when a bone is broken in the upper part of the thigh (femur).
• Hip strains: When the hip joint is overstretched or torn, a hip strain can result.
• Gluteus medius tears: This injury is characterized by a tear in the rotator cuff on the outside of the hip.
• Labral tears: This occurs when the cartilage that lines the outside rim of the hip joint socket is torn. 
• Proximal hamstring tears: This injury is caused by a tear in the proximal hamstring on the back of the leg.
• Snapping hip: This condition is characterized by snapping or popping sound when walking, swinging the hip or standing up from a seated position.
• Sports hernia/athletic pubalgia: This injury is caused by a tear or strain in the soft tissue of the groin or lower abdominal area.
• Thigh muscular strains: Common in athletes, this injury occurs when the thigh muscles are overstretched and torn.
• Trochanteric pain syndrome/bursitis: This condition is characterized by outer hip pain, causing inflammation in the fluid-filled bursa sac that cushions the outside of the hip joint.

We help patients of all ages regain function and reduce pain from a knee injury. Our knee specialists treat the following conditions:

• ACL injury: This occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in your knee is partially or completely torn.
• Arthritis: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints wears away, leading to inflammation, pain and stiffness.
• Avascular necrosis: This condition occurs when there is little or no blood flow to the bone in the knee, which can cause bone tissue death.
• Cartilage lesions/injuries: This occurs when the cartilage that cushions the knee joint is injured.
• Chondromalacia: This condition is a wearing or injury of the cartilage cushion.
• Dislocation: When the patella (kneecap) is pushed out of place, you may experience pain and difficulty standing or walking.
• Fracture: A broken bone in the knee is often caused by a trauma, such as a fall, car accident or sports injury.
• Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome: The IT band runs along the outside of the thigh, from the hip to the shin. IT band syndrome is a common overuse injury, particularly in runners, that causes pain and inflammation.
• Infection: Septic knee is a very serious infection of the knee joint. The knee can become infected through a wound or surgical incision, or the infection may spread from another part of the body.
• Malalignment: This means the knee joint is not properly stabilized by the knee ligaments, often as the result of a ligament tear.
• Meniscal tears: Meniscus tears can happen during a rotating movement while bearing weight.
• Meniscal deficiency: This is caused by a breakdown in the meniscus, which are rubbery disks that serve as shock-absorbers in the knee.
• Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in adolescents: This condition develops in joints, when a small section separates from the bone.
• Other ligament injuries: These include injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), lateral collateral ligament (LCL) or the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the knee. These injuries cause pain, weakness and instability in the knee.
• Patellar instability in adults and children: This occurs when the kneecap is dislocated or slides out of place, often after a fall or hard hit to the knee.
• Patellar tendonitis: The patellar tendon is just below the kneecap. Patellar tendonitis, often caused by overuse, can lead to pain and inflammation.
• Prepatellar bursitis: This condition refers to an inflammation of the front of the knee or prepatellar bursa.

Shoulder issues can be caused by age-related wear and tear, sports or an injury. Our shoulder specialists treat the following conditions:

• AC joint shoulder separation: This occurs when the collarbone (clavicle) is separated from the top of the shoulder.
• Arthritis: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint wears away, leading to inflammation, pain and stiffness.
• Bursitis: This occurs when there is swelling in the bursae, which are fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joints.
• Collarbone fracture: A break of the collarbone (clavicle), which is found between the shoulder blade and the ribs.
• Frozen shoulder: Also known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder makes it difficult to move the shoulder joint.
• Impingement: This occurs when the shoulder blade rubs on the tendon, causing pain and irritation.
• Labral tears: This is caused by a tear in the cartilage that lines the outside rim of the shoulder socket. 
• Proximal humerus fractures: This occurs when the humerus bone in the shoulder is broken.
• Shoulder dislocation: This happens when the head of the upper arm bone is separated from the shoulder blade socket.
• Shoulder injuries in the throwing athlete: Overhand throwing or repetitive overhand motions — such as in baseball, softball or tennis — can place significant stress on the shoulder joint, which can lead to injury.
• Shoulder instability: This means the shoulder is easily and repeatedly dislocated.
• Tendonitis: This occurs when the tendons in the shoulder are irritated or inflamed, often as a result of overuse.
• Torn rotator cuff: When the shoulder’s rotator cuff is torn, you may experience a dull pain in your shoulder and upper arm.