Conditions we treat
Sports & Athletic Injuries
Runners, lifters, skiers and weekend athletes are a steady part of our week, and several of them wrote about their training in their reviews.
What the trials found about preventing sports injuries, what deciding to go back actually involves, and the two things that get checked rather than trained through. Sourced below, then how a visit here works.
The evidence
What actually stops a training injury
The question with the cleanest answer in this area is prevention. Pooling 25 randomised trials — 26,610 participants and 3,464 injuries — strength training reduced sports injuries to less than a third of the rate in the control groups. Proprioception training and programmes combining several elements both helped as well, and both acute injuries and overuse injuries came down; overuse injuries were almost halved.[1]
The same analysis found no benefit at all for stretching — it was the one exposure that did not work — and its authors are candid that the overall effect estimate across all the programmes was heterogeneous. Strength training is the part with the number behind it.[1]
A list of sports injuries would not tell you which one you have. The differential runs from a hamstring strain to a stress fracture to a growth-plate injury in a teenager, each with a literature of its own, and sorting between them is what an examination is for.
The standards
Deciding when to go back
Going back to sport is not a date on a calendar. The Bern consensus statement on return to sport describes the decision as complex and multifactorial — an exercise in risk management — taken every day by clinicians, athletes and coaches, and taken best collaboratively. Whoever is treating the injury is one voice in that, alongside yours and your coach’s.[2]
Shoulders are the joint we cover in the most depth, including what a scan of one actually shows and what the surgical trials found. Rotator cuff and subacromial shoulder pain
How we work
What happens when you bring it in
A first visit runs 45-60 minutes, so the medical history has room for how you train, what you are training for and what sets the problem off. That comes with an orthopedic and neurologic evaluation and a review of any imaging where it is appropriate. Plans usually pair hands-on treatment with stretches, exercises and weight training modifications you do between visits, and the treatment style is chosen with you rather than for you — full manual technique, or lighter drop-table and instrument options. If you need more rehabilitation than we provide, we will connect you with a trusted physical therapist in our area, and if what we find belongs with someone else you will hear it on the day.
A full office visit.
Your first visit will be roughly 45-60 minutes in duration and involve the following: full medical history, orthopedic & neurologic evaluation, review of imaging (when appropriate), additional referrals & co-management (when needed), and your first homework: lifestyle changes, rehab exercises and pain education to start at home.
Treatment on the same day
Almost always, we are able to treat on the first visit. If we find any red flags during your examination or another need for a referral prior to treatment, we will let you know and schedule accordingly.
And if it is not ours to treat
One of the biggest differences you’ll notice about our practice is that we are upfront and honest about what we can and cannot help you with. This means that we’ll make sure you’re being co-managed by all of the right providers in all specialties.
The treatments themselves
Which of these we offer comes out of the examination. Each one is described on the services page.
In patients’ own words
What patients who came in with a sports or training complaint said
Reviews from patients who mentioned a sport, a race or their training, quoted whole. The tag comes from the review text itself, so a patient appears here only because they wrote about it.
“Really love coming here! Dr. John has helped me with so many issues like shoulder, back and neck. I work out a lot and he has been able to even help me work thru making changes in my workout to help me keep moving forward. Highly recommend. They take insurance Parking is super easy”
Kat T.Google review · August 2025Read Kat T.’s review on Google “I scheduled a massage therapy appointment with Rich, and I left with my muscles feeling 10x better, and 15x smarter. I am a volleyball athlete. During my massage, Rich was able to tell what habbits I was doing wrong in volleyball based on the tightness of muscles. His knowledge was impressive, and it's not just on the sport of volleyball, but all sports. If you're an athlete, I can't recommend Rich and their team enough. I already plan on coming back in less than 3 weeks and hope to get an adjustment with Rebecca as well!”
Sam L.Google review · December 2024Read Sam L.’s review on Google “Noah is great to work with. Personable and knowledgeable. I’m training for the 2024 Grand Rapids Marathon and I was experiencing some pain and inflexibility that was starting to affect my runs. Noah listened and quickly identified the problem area. In addition to the targeted manipulation I found his recommended strengthening exercises very helpful in creating balance and stability - quickly. 10/10 highly recommend. Oh, and the online sign up was a breeze.”
Ryan D.Google review · August 2024Read Ryan D.’s review on Google“I am very happy with with Noah S. I had some body tension and muscle discomfort after skiing trip not long ago and Noah was available to see me the same day I called. He is super easy to talk to and very attentive. Overall, I'm very happy with his wok, knowledge, and availability.”
Yuliya K.Google review · April 2024Read Yuliya K.’s review on Google
Worth knowing
When to get urgent help
Most training injuries are not urgent and most get sorted where you are standing. Three situations are checked rather than trained through, and two of them have a published rule behind them.
Now — off it, and seen
- After any blow to the head, or to the body hard enough to snap the head about: convulsions or seizures, drowsiness or an inability to wake up, a headache that gets worse and does not go away, weakness, numbness or decreased coordination, repeated vomiting or nausea, confusion, slurred speech, or loss of consciousness. Concussion symptoms may not start right away — they can begin days or even weeks after the injury.[3]
Before you train on it
- An ankle or mid-foot injury you cannot put weight on, or where pressing on the bone in particular places hurts. There is a published decision rule for exactly that — the Ottawa ankle rules — and a systematic review of 27 studies in 15,581 patients found it accurate enough to exclude a fracture, with a sensitivity of almost 100%; a negative rule leaves under a 1.4% chance of an actual fracture, and using it should cut unnecessary X-rays by 30% to 40%.[4]
- A shoulder that has suddenly lost the ability to lift the arm, with or without an injury; one that is suddenly painful, red and warm; or one left an odd shape and unable to rotate after a fall. The UK commissioning guide sends all of those to be seen rather than treated.[5]
The head one leads this list rather than closing it because concussion symptoms can be delayed, so “I felt fine at the time” is not the reassurance it sounds like.[3]
The 5 sources this page cites
Every numbered claim on this page is tied to one of these, and every link goes to the source itself so you can read it rather than take our word for it.
- 1.Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(11):871-877. DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538. PMID 24100287. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2.Ardern CL, Glasgow P, Schneiders A, et al. 2016 Consensus statement on return to sport from the First World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy, Bern. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(14):853-864. DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096278. PMID 27226389. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 3.MedlinePlus. Concussion. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine. Last updated 24 November 2025. medlineplus.gov
- 4.Bachmann LM, Kolb E, Koller MT, Steurer J, ter Riet G. Accuracy of Ottawa ankle rules to exclude fractures of the ankle and mid-foot: systematic review. BMJ. 2003;326(7386):417. DOI 10.1136/bmj.326.7386.417. PMID 12595378. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 5.British Elbow & Shoulder Society, British Orthopaedic Association, Royal College of Surgeons of England. Commissioning guide: Subacromial Shoulder Pain. 2014. boa.ac.uk (PDF)
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and nothing on it is a claim about what our care will do for your sports & athletic injuries — read the full disclaimer.
The rest of the list
The other conditions on our list
Pages to read next. We are not saying any of them is connected to sports & athletic injuries.
Ask first
Tell us what is going on
If you can’t find a time that works, text us at (616) 747-8462 and we’ll do our best to fit you in. If what you describe is not ours to treat, we will say so and point you somewhere it is.
Somewhere it is — the physical therapists, pelvic floor therapists, counsellors, OB/GYNs and pain clinics we point people to.
- Monday9:00am – 6:00pm
- Tuesday – Wednesday8:30am – 6:00pm
- Thursday10:00am – 6:00pm
- Friday8:30am – 1:00pm
- SaturdayBy appointment
By appointment only
3888 Lake Michigan Dr NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534 · Get directions
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