Sports Medicine Surgery

Determining if surgery is necessary

After a sports injury, the sports medicine physician who cares for your student-athlete may provide a diagnosis and treatment plan. If they are concerned that your student-athlete might need surgery, they will initiate a referral to our surgery team.

We have multiple clinic locations throughout the Kansas City area for your convenience.

In many cases, we may recommend you begin physical therapy sessions to ease pain and strengthen the surrounding muscle groups prior to seeing the surgeon or between your consultation appointment and your surgery date. 

If your student-athlete does need surgery, you’ll visit with one of our sports medicine surgeons and discuss the options for treatment, which may include a surgical procedure. The surgeon will explain the details of the surgical procedure as well as the plan for recovery.

Choosing the best home for your student-athlete's care

For the Children's Mercy Sports Surgery team, youth and adolescent athletes are our entire focus. We are in the unique position of understanding student-athletes' concerns and goals as they work to balance their athletic, academic and personal needs throughout the recovery process.

Recovering from surgery

Your care team will give you detailed instructions about how to care for your injury after surgery. It’s important to follow these guidelines for a healthy recovery.

• Medications, cold therapy, and physical therapy exercises can all help you manage pain after surgery. When you use a combined approach to pain management, like we recommend, you can often reduce your use of narcotic pain medications while still keeping your pain under control. Your care team will help you understand all these pain management tools and can answer any questions you have at your appointments, by phone or via the patient portal. 
• Most student-athletes can begin physical therapy exercises at home the next day after surgery. Within a week, you will come see a physical therapist to assess your progress and help you continue to work toward recovery.
• You will follow up with your surgeon 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, then 6 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after surgery. At each appointment, the surgeon will assess your range of motion, strength and function in the injured area and determine if you’re ready to take on more activity.
• You may be able to begin the transition back to sport after your 24 week appointment, depending on how you’re progressing.

Mental wellness and sports nutrition after surgery

It can be incredibly frustrating for an active athlete to be sidelined for weeks or months with an injury. Student-athletes in particular often struggle with mental wellness when their school, practice and social routines are disrupted by an unexpected injury.

Children’s Mercy has a Sports Family Therapist who is available to meet with athletes who are experiencing anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns related to their involvement in sports. Talk with your sports medicine physician for a referral to the sports therapist.

We also offer customized nutrition plans to aid in injury recovery through our Sports Nutrition Clinic. A board-certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) will work with your family to create a plan to help your body rebuild and repair muscle tissue after an injury.