Blog Archive

At Sports Health Northwest in Portland, Oregon, we treat all different types of injuries involving the upper and the lower limbs. We commonly see injuries arising from a variety of sports. One of the most common sources of injuries that we see involves the sport of pickleball. Pickleball has really...

Meet our exceptional nurse practitioner, Leah Gaedeke MSN FNP-BC, who brings over two decades of expertise to our Sports Health Northwest clinic in Portland, Oregon. Leah has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Washington State University and her Family Nurse Practitioner and Master of Science in Nursing from George...

At Sports Health Northwest in Portland Oregon, we are proud to announce that our sports medicine specialist, Dr. David Westerdahl, was selected to be included in the Portland monthly 20th annual list of the metro areas top medical providers as chosen by their peers. Portland Monthly selected doctors for the list...

At our sports injury clinic in Portland, Oregon, we frequently see individuals who are struggling with a variety of injuries or ailments that limit their ability to be active. We commonly see individuals who are looking for medical help with recovering from intense workouts or an event that left them...

At Sports Health Northwest we see a lot of sports injuries, including weight training related injuries. In the winter months, many individuals in the Portland, Oregon area move indoors for their workouts which results in more weight training, and unfortunately, more weight training related injuries. At our injury clinic, we...

At Sports Health Northwest, we offer a variety of treatment options for individuals of all ages and injuries.  Dr. David Westerdahl has been providing ultrasound guided interventions for over 15 years.  One treatment option he commonly gets asked questions about is platelet rich plasma, also known as PRP injections. While...

All around the country, including near my practice in Portland, Oregon, many adults and teens experience neck pain with a similar prevalence as low back pain. It’s been estimated that approximately 10% of the adult population has neck pain on any given day. Most people with neck pain will recover...

At my sports medicine practice in Portland, Oregon, I routinely see teenagers and adults with low back pain. While these injuries can result from sports activity, many other etiologies for back pain can occur commonly. These include injuries at work, trauma from motor vehicle accidents, waking up with pain, and...

In Portland Oregon, we love getting outdoors to walk and hike and we love our dogs.  Throughout the year and especially on nice days people are out walking their dogs.  When I drive to and from my office, it’s impossible not to notice people walking dogs of all sizes and...

It’s summertime in Portland, Oregon, and what a wonderful summer it is. The Tour de France has just started, and I see many cyclists out enjoying the nice weather. Portland is known for its year-round outdoor activities and having a wonderful biking community with people of all ages and diverse...

Portland, Oregon is known for a multitude of outdoor activities that can be done year-round. Fishing is one of the many wonderful outdoor recreations in our area. From salmon to sturgeon to offshore fishing there are many ways to enjoy the rivers, lakes and oceans of the Pacific Northwest. Recently,...

Tips for Bone Health At Sports Health Northwest, we see individuals with many different types of bone injuries from fall related fractures to overuse or stress fractures to erosive arthritis.  There are many etiologies of bone pain. At our sports injury clinic in Portland Oregon, we commonly get asked about...

  Do you have hip pain, knee, pain, or even back pain? In the past it’s been said when it comes to exercise, no pain, no gain.  While many people still adhere to that concept what we’ve recently learned is that people who don’t exercise regularly are at greater risk...

Concussions are a common injury among student athletes, and parents often wonder how they can help speed up their teenager's recovery. At our sports injury clinic in Portland, Oregon, we often get questions about when a student athlete can safely return to school and sports activities after a concussion. In...

Did you know that an ankle sprain can increase your risk for other injuries, including injuries of the knee, hip, and low back? A recent study published in the American College of Sports Medicine (ASCM) journal Medicine & Science Sport & Exercise showed that one in five individuals that sought...

As 2023 begins many of us spend time reflecting back on what we accomplished during the past year what personal and professional challenges we faced, and how we responded and overcame those challenges. As we look forward to the new year ahead, and think about new possibilities, we likely consider...

Many of our patients have been expressing frustration and concern about weight gained during Covid and a desire to lose weight.  A common theme has been how difficult it is to lose the extra weight.  An individual who gains just 10 pounds has with each step, essentially added 50 pounds...

At our sports injury clinic in Portland, Oregon, several common questions we hear about PRP are:   --Is PRP effective? --Is PRP a permanent fix? --Is one PRP treatment enough? --What does PRP cost?   PRP was first defined about 50 years ago and has been used in medical procedures...

Bursitis, what is it and why does it happen? Did you know that bursitis is a very common cause of joint related pain and swelling in areas such as the knee and the elbow? There is a large bursa along the bony part of the elbow called the olecranon bursa. while...

On a recent family trip to Glacier National Park, where we spent a large amount of time and energy hiking and enjoying the outdoors, I was amazed at the beauty, fun, effort, and dangers of hiking.  We had a wide ranging group of “hikers” in that some were old, some...

On any given day, we utilize our hands for many different actions at work, home, and sports activities. Hands are so important that the main function of our shoulders and elbows are to position our hands in space for gross motor and fine motor movements.  Hands have many small bones, joints,...

Recently, I’ve seen several teenagers in my office who are heading into their senior year of high school in a couple months with injuries that could jeopardize their readiness for fall sports season.  As part of their visit, we discussed their goals, sport, and injury and how to optimally get...

In the not-too-distant past, I would wake up early a couple times a week to swim with a master’s swim group at 5am.  That 4:20am alarm was something I couldn’t ever seem to get used to.  Though I’m a morning person and enjoy starting my day with a workout and...

I’ve noticed lately how nice it is to see more and more smiles when I go places.  Though admittedly, it was a bit tough to take off the mask when going to busy restaurants or large stores, the reward of seeing more faces, and facial expressions such as smiles and...

Having spent several years as medical director for the A1A marathon and being a marathon runner myself, I’ve seen and experienced a lot of running injuries and experienced many over the past decade.  From blisters to plantar fasciitis to runners knee, and even shin splints, I’ve seen and had my...

Have you ever wondered if you should get a second opinion about an orthopedic problem before surgery?  Maybe your inner voice is nudging you about obtaining a second opinion because you’ve doubted a diagnosis?  Have you asked yourself when is getting a second opinion ok?  Well, the answer is unless...

With the recent increase in Covid 19 cases due to Delta and Omicron variants, some patients and active individuals are asking about the timing for safely returning to sports after recovering from Covid 19 infection.  While there is consensus guidance on this that we’ll discuss, the individualized approach is more...

Recently, a 22-year-old patient came to see me for a wrist injury after falling off his skateboard while skating to work.  His injury was 10 days prior, and he initially went to the nearby emergency department where after an x-ray, CT scan, and waiting 5 hours, he went home with...

Injuries in golf may seem less likely than in a fast paced or contact sport like football or basketball. However, to be good at the game, golf players need to practice regularly and develop a powerful, consistent swing. This means performing repetitive motions that can put added stress on the...

Every year, millions of Americans see a doctor to get treatment for a shoulder problem. The most common shoulder injuries are caused by the overuse of the muscles when doing sports and recreational activities that call for repetitive movements. However, they can also be the result of trauma from an...

Have you recently suffered a sports injury? Are you considering retiring or getting fed up playing sports while in pain? Maybe you have a lingering knee or shoulder injury that, no matter what you do, will not get better? During a 10-year span, 6.6 million knee injuries end up in emergency rooms...

If you’ve recently suffered an injury or are considering treatment sometimes called regenerative medicine, then you may be looking for a sports medicine specialty clinic that utilizes PRP. PRP (or platelet-rich plasma) can be a restorative and potentially life-changing treatment. It has helped many people recover from injuries and achieve things they...

Did you know that over 3 million people are injured in car accidents every year in the United States? In sports, over 2 million athletes of all ages and sports suffer injuries every year. Emergency rooms see over 8 million patients annually for slip, trip, and fall injuries. Injuries sustained in these...

Are you recovering from an injury? Or do you want to end your daily bouts with that nagging shoulder pain? When we talk about pain, we can further spread it out to different types and categories. Sports-related injuries are common for children, teens, and young adults. For the elderly, there are debilitating effects...

Ultrasound Guided Lavage Benefits Patients with Calcific Tendonitis Do you have very intense pain around your shoulder at the rotator cuff region? Has your doctor diagnosed you with calcific tendonitis? You might be wondering what this means. Calcific tendonitis essentially means that there is a build-up of calcium in your...

A2M injections are growing in popularity in the fields of sports medicine and other motion therapy fields. Primarily used to help treat arthritis, these injections also help protect against various proteins that lead to non-arthritic joint pain as well. In order to see if you should schedule an appointment with...

Did you know that 10-20% of orthopedic surgeries involve a meniscus tear? It’s the most common knee injury for athletes and non-athletes alike. It’s also one of the most complicated injuries to treat. The meniscus’ location makes it difficult to access, and unlikely to heal by itself. Even the surgical option isn’t perfect,...

Hip pain is one of the most common joint problems experienced by adults in the United States. Often the cause of hip pain is aging and the onset of osteoarthritis. However, if you are under the age of 65, active, and experiencing pain or stiffness in your hips, it could be...

Do you suffer from an injury that just does not seem to go away? Then you probably need to see a doctor specializing in musculoskeletal injury treatments like a sports medicine doctor. Doctors are not just for top athletes. There are many reasons to see a sports medicine doctor. These doctors have specialized...

Recent scientific advances in the field of orthopedics have recently discovered that the human body potentially holds its own healing power when it comes to alleviating chronic joint pain. This is done so by injecting stem cells directly into the site of the painful joint. Mesenchymal Stem Cell injections are...

Are you experiencing shoulder pain while playing sports, or even just trying to carry something light? The shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body and pain can pop out even if you have not suffered an injury. It’s important to recognize when the pain is temporary, or whether it’s...

Too often athletes brush off a sports injury, hoping for it to get better over time even when it affects their daily lives and athletic performance. Does this sound like you? If you have an injury that isn’t improving, it’s time to see a sports injury specialist before permanent damage...

Do you have important personal or business travel plans? Are you traveling to Canada, Hawaii, Japan, Europe, or the middle east? Do you need Covid testing before or after travel? If so, Sports Health Northwest can help. Many countries have specific testing requirements before entry and it’s important to understand...

Large Group Covid 19 Testing in Portland Oregon  While it’s been difficult to gather in groups for work and play over the past year, we are now more prepared than ever before to begin resuming activities this spring and summer like school, in person classes, labs, conferences, work off sites,...

Treating sports injuries resulting from swinging a tennis racket or repeat action injuries from using a jackhammer at work often result in surgery because the pain and disability eventually persist beyond standard treatments. When topical medications and anti-inflammatories no longer alleviate the joint and soft tissue pain, you may want...

PRP Therapy ExplainedThe acronym PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma. Platelets are readily available in the human blood. The injection of the patient’s own concentrated platelets in the form of Platelet Rich Plasma into an injury site has been shown to jump start and accelerate healing in that region. This form of...

Here’s What You Need to Know About Treating Chronic Tendon PainTendon pain has a lot of sources. You may have injured a tendon like your hamstring playing sports or your rotator cuff by lifting a heavy object. Tendon injuries an also occur as the result of an overused muscle connected to the...

It is estimated that about 25 percent of adult’s experience knee pain that limits their mobility and function. For most of them, osteoarthritis is the culprit. Fifty percent of adults over 60 years old have x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis . A lot of people receiving conventional treatment with medications either do not...

Did you know that your body naturally produces hyaluronic acid? Hyaluronic acid is a key component of the thick, natural fluid that keeps our joints lubricated and cushioned to ensure they work smoothly. Osteoarthritis is a form of degenerative joint disease that causes joint pain and immobility and occurs when...

Shoulder Calcific tendinitis Treatment – Success Story  I recently saw a pleasant 53 year–old female patient in my Portland sports injury clinic who has been struggling with right shoulder pain for several months. It was causing daily low-grade pain and would flare up for a few days to a couple...

A 40 year–old patient, Marco, recently came in to see me about his right knee. He is very active and likes to hike and bike the many trails near Portland. He also enjoys running and he used to play soccer in high school and college and considers himself to be...

The elbow is a complex joint. This is because it provides not only flexion and extension, but also rotation allowing us to rotate our hand palm up or down. The three bones making up the elbow joint just , the ulna, radius and humerus, work hard to provide stability and...

Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries. Just one step off an uneven surface, an unexpected slip, or a step too close to the curb, and you can become one of the 25,000 people who sprain their ankle every day in the U.S.  To heal as quickly as possible, you need to...

Does your elbow hurt? If you’ve had an injury to your arm, especially in the elbow area, you may need to do more than rest it and apply ice or heat. An elbow injury doctor can help with all kinds of sports injuries, as well as problems from day-to-day life. Here...

Each year, almost nine million Americans suffer injuries while playing sports or engaging in recreational activities. In about half of these cases, medical attention is required. Too often, sports injuries leave sufferers confused and doubting. Should they go to the ER or their primary care physician? When is it appropriate to see a sports...

Why it is essential to get back in shape before playing sports Over the past six months, the loss of sports seasons and consistent training schedules, has resulted in a de-training effect for many student and adult athletes, which could have an unfortunate and lasting impact on our student athletes...

Fifteen years ago, when I was training at the Cleveland Clinic to be a sports medicine doctor, a talented orthopedic surgeon, who also happened to be an NBA team physician, recommended a book to me. Its title was What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Knee Pain and Surgery by Ronald P....

If you like to play sports, then you are no stranger to the occasional pains and injuries. Minor issues will often resolve on their own. But, once in a while, you will suffer from an acute or chronic injury. You need not ignore such a problem since it can grow...

As an active sports medicine specialist, parent of two very active teenagers who play sports year-round, and living in an active community like Portland, Oregon, I am frequently asked about sports safety and when might see the return of sports, especially organized youth sports. Common questions I hear include: “My...