Staying active is a lot easier when your joints and muscles cooperate. In a recent interview, Dr. Greg Takenishi of Sacramento Orthopedic Sports & Shoulder, an orthopedic sports surgeon in Sacramento, sat down to talk through how he keeps athletes and active people moving, from the injuries he sees most often to a regenerative treatment that uses your own blood to help tissue heal.
Dr. Takenishi serves as head team physician for the Sacramento River Cats and is part of the San Francisco Giants medical staff. The care he brings to weekend warriors and people who get hurt on the job is the same caliber he brings to professional athletes.
What does an orthopedic sports surgeon do?
An orthopedic sports surgeon treats sport-specific injuries and has advanced training in minimally invasive surgery. In practice, that covers a wide range of patients and problems:
- A basketball, football, or soccer player who twists a knee and tears an ACL.
- An avid golfer or weightlifter with chronic shoulder pain from a rotator cuff tear.
- A throwing athlete, like a baseball, softball, or volleyball player, with a ligament injury in the elbow.
The common thread is getting people back to the activities they care about, whether that’s competition, work, or everyday life.
The surgeries Dr. Takenishi performs most
Most of Dr. Takenishi’s surgical work centers on the shoulder, elbow, and knee, though it’s not uncommon for him to operate on the hand, wrist, hip, and ankle as well.
For an athlete with a meniscus or ACL tear, that often means a reconstruction. For the golfer, weightlifter, or construction worker with chronic shoulder pain, it might be a repair of a labral tear or rotator cuff tear. When arthritis has worn down the shoulder joint, he performs a shoulder replacement. And for the baseball player with an elbow ligament injury, there’s Tommy John surgery to get them back on the field.
Alternatives to surgery, including PRP
Not every injury calls for an operation. Dr. Takenishi offers traditional injections such as cortisone and gel injections that have been used for years. But the option he’s most excited about is platelet-rich plasma, or PRP.
“We can use someone’s own blood to help rejuvenate and cause some healing of their tendons, ligaments, and joints.”
Because PRP draws on the body’s own biology, it appeals to patients who want to support natural healing rather than rely on medication.
How PRP works and what to expect
PRP is typically an in-office visit, with everything done in one sitting. Blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and spun in a centrifuge, which concentrates the platelets. That concentrated PRP is then placed into the targeted area.
Healing takes time. Most patients see a response somewhere between eight weeks and six months as the body’s own repair process does its work.
PRP can be a fit across a wide range of ages and situations, including:
- Teenage athletes through adults in their 80s and 90s dealing with a joint problem.
- People who would rather not undergo surgery.
- Patients who want to lean on their natural ability to heal and avoid the potential downsides of medications like cortisone.
What sets Sacramento Orthopedic Sports & Shoulder apart
The practice brings more than 20 years of orthopedic care to professional athletes, weekend warriors, people injured on the job, and anyone who gets hurt at home.
“Anyone who comes into my office is heard, and they understand their musculoskeletal problem. We treat everybody like they’re a family member or a friend.”
That patient-first approach is paired with care that’s grounded in the most current medical literature, so the treatment plan is both personal and evidence-based.
Elevate your game
If pain or an injury is keeping you from the things you love, Dr. Takenishi and the team can help you move stronger and recover faster.
Elevate your game with Sacramento Orthopedic Sports & Shoulder. Learn more at sacorthosports.com or call 916-732-3005 to schedule a visit.