A Family of Swimmers Dr. Raab met his wife Jamie in college at Stanford University, where she as an NCAA Championship winning swimmer. Of course, with a shared love for swimming, years later it would only make sense to raise a house full of 5 swimmers. One daughter even went on to follow her mom’s footsteps at Stanford by winning an NCAA Championship of her own. ...
I was coming off a knee injury a couple of years ago when a friend of mine suggested MPOWER. She had previously gotten worked on here and she felt that MPOWER would be good for me. I started working with Dan and that went well and I’ve been coming back...
I visited Elite when I dislocated my shoulder and tore my labrum. I already knew Dr. Martin and felt she was my best option to treat these injuries. I reached out to her and was able to be seen very quickly. When I came in, it was easy to explain...
My journey with Elite began after being diagnosed with a bulging disc. It was a painful injury that limited my active lifestyle. I did crossfit, but the back injury prevented me from continuing CF and normal daily activities. Sitting at my desk, picking something up off the floor or lifting...
I started coming to MPOWER after suffering a bone bruise MCL injury this past year. I wanted to get my knee feeling right so I would be in a position to play again if I chose to. Prior to coming here, my progression was a lot slower than I was...
I had just finished my 16th season of competitive cycling when I was involved in a car accident. Following the incident, I noticed my times were going down and I was having more knee pain than normal. I went for an MRI and found out that my left quadricep tendon was...
According to Mayo Clinic, stretching has proven to help improve your muscle flexibility and increase performance. If you’re about to begin intense physical activity, you’ll want to first create a pre-workout routine that incorporates stretching relevant to the work you’ll be putting in. Stretches are categorized into two types, static stretches and dynamic...
You’ve probably been told that good posture is important, but have never been explained why. Sitting and standing up straight can impact your overall physical health. Benefits of Good Posture By keeping your spine properly aligned, you can minimize the risk of injury to your back, shoulders, and other areas. This...
Choosing your next pair of shoes comes down to more than just picking out the trendiest option. These shoes will be the foundation every step you take, affecting your feet, ankles, back, and more! This is why it is vital that you pick the right pair. Benefits of Proper Shoes...
While ACL tears are associated with athletics, they can happen to just about anyone. Age, gender, and activity level are variables that may increase your risk of tearing your ACL. Suddenly stopping or changing directions are among the leading causes of ACL tears, explaining the higher rate of injury in...
While you may love the game, you should know the dangers behind the sport you play when it comes to protecting your spine. In a 2008 study investigating spinal injuries in sports, Boden & Jarvis found that sports account for over eight percent of new spinal cord problems each year. This...
Scoliosis is a spinal condition that causes the spine to curve sideways, forming a C or S shape and leading to back pain or impaired movements. Severe cases of scoliosis may limit normal functionality and even affect breathing. However, most cases of scoliosis are minor in nature. Conditions range from...
Dr. A. Brian Thomson Ankle arthritis is a degenerative joint process involving the ankle joint that leads to stiffness and pain with exercise and activities of daily life. It can be caused by prior trauma or injury, leg deformity, chronic instability, and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout....
Warning signs that you need a joint replacement aren’t exactly clear-cut. Unlike a break or muscle tear, conditions that lead to a joint replacement often involve a gradual lifestyle change where the cartilage in your joints break down. It could be years before you really start to feel the impact...
After a joint replacement, you may want to return to the activities you love right away. However, your new joint may not be ready to handle that level of stress quite yet. Here’s what you can expect from your return to sport following a joint replacement: Post-Operation Both hip replacements...
Lingering joint pain is a frustrating experience felt by millions of Americans. It is a debilitating condition that limits your everyday activities and often requires seeking out treatment. If you are undergoing pain that limits your quality of life, it may be time to consider arthroplasty, also known as a...
The first fear that runs through an athlete’s mind following an injury is the length of the recovery period. In golf, injuries like back pain, knee injuries, and tendinitis can force athletes off the green for an extended time. Your best option is to ensure you are getting the best treatment so...
Golf is a sport of repeated motions that can lead to injury if you aren’t prepared. Injuries like back pain, knee pain, and tendinitis are common and cause for missing time on the green. Fortunately, you are able to mitigate the risk of enduring these injuries by preparing on and...
To become a better golfer, you’ll need a more developed golf swing. It may seem obvious, but many people try to just hit the ball as far as they can without learning the fundamentals. A swing is a complex series of movements that if performed incorrectly can lead to poor...
On a beautiful day, there’s no better way to spend your afternoon than by playing a round of golf. For centuries, this prestigious game has held competitions all over the world, crowning some of the greatest athletes in the history of sport. Unfortunately, as with all sports, golfers have been...
If you’ve ever been to see an orthopedic specialist, you’ve probably heard the term “scope” of the knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle or hip. But what exactly does it mean to scope a knee? What is Arthroscopy? Arthroscopy is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure used to examine and treat an injured or damaged...
Our bodies are like a machine. The fuel we put in it, our daily maintenance, and how we utilize our body are all factors that can affect our quality of life and longevity. The problem is, in our western society, we are constantly on the go and often don’t give...
The joint where the foot meets the big toe—the 1st metatarsal-phalangeal joint (MTP)—is a common site of pain for athletes and non-athletes alike. This condition is called hallux rigidus, and pain can range from a mild nuisance to disabling. Here are five important things that you need to know if you have...
I want to take a moment to share with you my experience with Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Over the years, I have participated in sporting activities which occasionally beat up my body. In the late 1990s, I had my first knee surgery. That is when I first met...
Titleist Performance Institute, or TPI, is the world’s leading educational organization dedicated to the study of how the human body functions in relation to the golf swing. The screen can identify restrictions in the way your body moves within your swing so that we can accurately prescribe/develop a program to...
As winter gives way to spring and the smell of fresh cut grass fills the air, people will emerge from their winter hibernation and begin the trek to baseball and softball parks. The crack of a bat, the pop of a ball hitting a mitt, and the chant of “here,...
There is little debate that Tommy John or UCL injuries are a problem at both the major league and amateur levels of baseball. However, there are some myths floating around the ballparks that are worth addressing. Many of these misconceptions are addressed in the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) recent...
Ultimately the goal with pitchers of all levels is to prevent injury to the arm. Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center’s Dr. Burton Elrod explains that with high level athletes (amateur or professional) there is a fine line between maximum performance and injury. The goal is to maximize your ability...
In competitive volleyball, many points are won or lost at “the net”. The area at and under the net is the most common part of the volleyball court to see injuries, some minor but some potentially catastrophic to the young athlete. Not only does playing at the net require jumping...
Pain and Disability due to disc disease in the neck is a serious problem and now there is a new and better option for some patients. There are approximately 1.1 Million patients each year in the U.S. that suffer from symptomatic cervical disc disease. Disc problems in the neck can...
Although we are still in the grips of winter, the prospect of spring beckons us golfers to rush out on the first day of warmer weather and hit the links; however, playing golf with an unprepared or deconditioned spine makes us vulnerable to injuries throughout the season. Just as our...
After nearly a decade of Orthopaedic practice devoted to Joint Replacements, one of the most frequent questions I am asked by patients is “How will I know when it’s time for knee replacement surgery?” Truthfully, my response is simply, “You will know when it’s time.”Let me explain…. Arthritis of the...
Aaron Brill age 24 grew up in South Florida and has played baseball since he was a very young child. He played baseball in college and now plays short stop and second base in Canada for the Canadian American League (the Can Am League). But Aaron was recently sidelined due...
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. The labrum is the cartilage ring around the socket. The labrum adds to the stability of the hip joint by making the socket deeper and providing a suction seal to the joint. The labrum can be torn from either repeated wear and...
The hip joint has a cartilage ring around the socket portion of the ball and socket of the joint called the labrum. The labrum adds to the stability of the hip joint by making the socket deeper, however labral tissue in the hip can be torn from either repeated wear...
Sprained ankles are the most common sports-related injury, with about 25,000 occurring daily. They account for 45% of all basketball injuries, 31% of soccer injuries and also frequently occur in football players, gymnasts, and runners. So what exactly is an ankle sprain, what do you do for it, and when...
There has been a lot of publicity regarding CrossFit and injuries lately. As with any new popular or trendy health fads, there will inherently be a group who jump on the band wagon and a group that speak out against it. Lately I have heard, in an increasing amount, that...
The rotator cuff is made up of a set of four relatively small tendons in the shoulder called the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. Their job is to keep the ball of the shoulder joint in place. This task may sound relatively simple, but consider the enormous forces that...
The role of Vitamin D supplementation in osteoporotic and osteopenic patients has been well known for quite some time. In fact, Vitamin D supplementation along calcium supplementation and weight bearing exercises are regarded as first line treatment in osteopenia and mild cases of osteoporosis. In recent years, studies have shown...
A Sports Medicine Specialist is a physician with significant specialized training in both the treatment and prevention of illness and injury. The Sports Medicine Specialist helps patients maximize function and minimize disability and time away from sports, work, or school. He or she is a physician who: Is board certified...
Many people are all too familiar with the aches and pains of arthritis, but what exactly is arthritis? One common misconception is that arthritis is the result of something that grows in or on a joint over time. If that were the case, curing arthritis would be as simple as...
Youth sports are booming here in Nashville. More and more children are becoming involved in travel and year round athletics. There also seems to be an evolving trend of young athletes specializing in a particular sport at a much earlier age. With the growing childhood obesity epidemic in America, I...
Stem cell therapy is becoming a hot topic in sports medicine. Professional athletes have been getting this type of treatment for the past several years. As these treatments have been discussed in the news media, my patients have started to ask, “Could this be right for me?” The answer is...
ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tears have become a common injury among today’s athletes at any level (high school, collegiate, and professional), but is 4-6 times greater in females. During ACL rehab, it is very pertinent to address common risk factors that lead to ACL tears in females. Those risk factors...
Keep Your Head UP and Stay IN the Game: A Guide to “Heads Up Tackling” Fall season is upon us and most are welcoming the cooler weather and of course, football. In the past several years increased awareness to the potential injuries of football have been highlighted and brought to...
As a proud parent of young daughters pursuing the sport of volleyball, it gives me great pleasure to discuss the complexities of the shoulder joint and how any overhead sport athlete can run into trouble. We have recently entered the exciting and competitive world of Club Volleyball, which places demands...
Baseball season is here, but hopefully the “Boys of Summer” have been already hard at work during the off-season to protect their backs. Baseball and softball are still some of the most popular sports that our young athletes pursue and injury prevention must be pursued in a pro-active fashion, not...
Injuries to the spine during intense works outs are common and these injuries seem to be increasing in frequency in our practice at Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Luckily, the majority of spinal injuries can be treated without surgery and athletes can use their injury as an opportunity for...
Why be an orthopedic fellow? To become an orthopedic surgeon you must graduate from college, apply and be admitted to medical school, complete 4 years of medical school, and complete a rigorous 5 years of medical and surgical residency in orthopedic surgery. The residency programs in orthopedic surgery are some...
Recently, Elite welcomed students from Lipscomb Academy’s IGNITE program. This program is a one-year commitment that allows students to learn outside of the traditional classroom in fields that interest them. Elite was very excited to demonstrate different aspects of the practice for these young, curious minds. The IGNITE students had...
Welcome to the official blog of Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Elite’s physicians and staff will frequently comment on a variety of topics including common musculoskeletal injuries, as well as their causes, and treatment and rehabilitation options. Please feel free to comment on any post. Thanks again for visiting...