Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine
Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Physical Therapy
While training for the Twin Cities Marathon last summer, Claire Walling felt every mile in her back and hip. She battled through the pain to finish the race, but Walling knew she needed medical help to fully recover.
Despite several visits to a physical therapist, Walling’s nagging pain persisted. The provider just wasn’t addressing the root of her problem. A friend suggested that she see Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, D.O., a sports medicine physician and physiatrist at Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine in downtown Minneapolis.
Finnoff diagnosed Walling with femoroacetabular impingement, a condition that causes bones in the hip joint to rub together during movement. He explained how he arrived at that diagnosis and ruled out others. Then he arranged for a cortisone shot and appointments with Emily Beyer, the Minnesota Lynx team physical therapist and one of the leads for Mayo Clinic’s Running Performance Program. Three visits later, Walling was running pain-free, armed with stretches, exercises, and drills to prevent future trouble.
The effective care Walling received from Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis wowed her, and she loved the convenience of being able to walk to appointments right from work. “I was really impressed with how detailed Dr. Finnoff was in answering questions. He took a lot of time with me and squeezed me in to an appointment with Emily,” Walling says, adding that her physical therapy care was excellent, too. “She really made the most of our time together.”
While the Mayo Clinic team treats athletes from amateur to pro, they also help everyday folks with diverse musculoskeletal issues. In fact, the majority of patients at the downtown Mayo Clinic location include regular people of all ages and stations, from the weekend basketball player with achy knees to the gardener with a sore shoulder.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine
Surgical team
Dr. Christopher Camp, an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, believes the mini-Mayo Clinic setting in Minneapolis helps clinicians provide comprehensive, thorough care to patients without them needing to travel to Rochester. Mayo Clinic’s team approach comes to life in the clinic, with radiologists, athletic trainers, physicians, physical therapists, and sports medicine specialists collaborating seamlessly on patients’ concerns.
“We have very high-level, world-class care that is used for professional athletes, but you don’t have to be a professional athlete to use it,” Camp says. “Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine is a way for all people to have access to the same facilities, care providers, and equipment that the pros have.”
Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine providers treat patients for musculoskeletal conditions like tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and back trouble; they also specialize in preventing injuries and enhancing performance. Its care team develops a plan to help patients meet their goals, all while consulting with in-house experts and performing the appropriate diagnostics and treatments in Minneapolis. Surgery is the only component completed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Through such collaboration, the care team helps older adults stay active, gets the weekend warrior cyclist back on her bike, and guides patients’ recovery from repetitive-use work injuries. “The Mayo Clinic name represents multidisciplinary care. That’s what we have done for 150 years,” says Camp, who notes that it’s a hallmark of Mayo Clinic to spend time educating patients about their conditions and options. “We work in a team to make sure everyone is on the same page, we all know the plan, and it fits with the patient’s goals.”
Patients find the Minneapolis location convenient for all of their appointments. Many work downtown and see their clinicians before or after work, or during a break. Patients don’t need a referral—they can just call Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine or go to the web site to make an appointment—and the clinic is in-network for most insurance plans.
Camp finds it rewarding to treat a broad range of patients and help them do the things they love. One recent patient, a seamstress, came to see him with a torn rotator cuff. She had seen a physician at a different hospital, who recommended a shoulder replacement. She sought a second opinion at Mayo Clinic, where physical therapists worked on helping her regain some range of motion, allowing Camp to repair the tear instead of replacing her shoulder.
“She’s on her way back to being able to work again as a seamstress,” he adds. “She’s doing extremely well, her pain is improved, and she’s thrilled.”
