Sports Medicine Physicians
Sports Medicine Physicians are medical doctors with special training in preventing, diagnosing and treating issues and injuries that keep you from being active. They have primary training in internal, family, pediatric, or emergency medicine, and then complete additional subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine.
This broad scope allows a holistic view of pain, injury and illness. For example, a swollen knee can be from many different causes throughout the body. Having both primary care and specialty training allows sports medicine physicians to evaluate all of the body systems that may be involved.
Sports Medicine Physicians specialize in the non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, while Orthopedic Surgeons specialize in the operative treatment of these conditions. The Sports Medicine Physician can diagnose the cause, maximize non-operative treatment, engage other specialists, and work within the broader healthcare team. Whether the activity is sports, work or school, they have a diverse toolkit to empower recovery.
Conditions treated include:
- Acute injuries (such as sprains or strains, shoulder dislocations)
- Overuse injuries or chronic conditions (such as tendonitis/tendinosis, arthritis, plantar fasciitis)
- Concussion
- Exercise prescription (recommendations on safe conditioning and strength training programs)
- Injury prevention
Services offered:
- Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound
- Ultrasound-guided procedures
- Injection therapy: steroids, hyaluronic acid
- Shock wave therapy (Extracorporal Pulse Activation Technology)
- Joint or cyst drainage
- Trigger point, Dry-needling
- Medication prescription
- Bracing
- Pre-participation physicals
How Sports Medicine Works at Avid
Initial Visit
We assess new issues during a 60 minute combined visit with a Sports Medicine Physician and Athletic Trainer. During this session, we take a complete history, perform a detailed physical exam and diagnostic ultrasound as indicated. The second part of the visit consists of a functional assessment and development of a customized therapeutic program.
Return Visit
These sessions last between 30-45 minutes and focus on assessing improvement and refining the therapeutic program, including exercise progression, reviewing diagnostic studies and considering additional treatment options. Video visits are also offered for intermittent check-ins when coming to the office isn’t possible
Avid Sports Medicine Physicians
Dr. Veronica Jow, MD
Sports Medicine Physician
Dr. Jow is the founder and operator of Avid Sports Medicine. She created Avid as a space where patients could receive care for ALL aspects of movement-related injury under one roof.
Dr. Jow is a medical doctor who holds board certifications in Internal Medicine and Sports Medicine. While practicing sports medicine for the past 10 years in the Bay Area, she has taken care of the complete range of patients, from elite athletes, as the Associate Team Physician at UC Berkeley, to underserved patients, as a sports medicine specialist in Kaiser Richmond. Whatever the population, she strives to empower patients to recover through empathy, education, and partnership.
Our other specialties
Athletic Training
Athletic Trainers are certified healthcare professional who specialize in sports medicine.
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapists are movement experts who help people improve and maintain function and achieve goals.
Chiropractic
Chiropractors are healthcare practitioners with specific training in the musculoskeletal system, the combination of our bones, muscles and joints.
Sports Massage
Sports Massage is targeted bodywork and manual manipulation with the specific goal of improving athletic function.