Musculoskeletal Sports

The Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine (MSK-SM) rotation capitalizes on intra-professional teamwork as an important vehicle for patient care for commonly seen musculoskeletal conditions in the office setting. This rotation allows residents to develop skills in order to care for patients with injuries and disorders in their bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments and is potentially procedure rich enhancing this already valuable learning experience.

Residents join a team of Sports Medicine fellowship trained Family Physicians and Orthopedists and Physical Therapists to improve MSK examination skills, procedural and ultrasound skills, including joint aspirations and injections, and to understand sports and exercise advisory roles.

Residents care for patients who are referred to our MSK clinic, which is integrated within our family medicine clinic, under supervision of a musculoskeletal fellowship-trained family physician. Additional external sites include orthopedist offices, sporting events in the community, Urgent Care, and the operating room.

Our teaching approach is inherently developmental with a focus on skill advancement across three years. Resident education is first focused on large joints, such as the shoulder and knee, and advances to intermediate joints, and then to other specific areas of the MSK system. Residents work with athletes, covering sporting events, providing exercise coaching, and are expected to increase proficiency in pre-participation physical examinations. Additionally, residents work with the intra-professional team to support patients who are battling exercise overuse, fatigue, and addiction, with and without co-morbid eating disorders.

Goals and Objectives:

  • Learn to integrate MSK knowledge to improve your care for patients as a family physician.
  • Advance enhanced diagnostic abilities with specifics tests, maneuvers, imaging processes and interpretation including point of care ultrasound.
  • Learn to work as a team with Sports Medicine fellowship trained family medicine physicians and specialists from various fields.
  • Improve musculoskeletal examination skills, procedures skills, including joint aspirations and injections.
  • Gain an understanding about interacting with athletes, coaches, personnel, and family members.
  • Appreciate the role similarities and distinctions of the family physician in clinic, urgent care, the operating room, at sporting events, within ancillary services, and in the community.

Location(s): Family Medicine Residency Practice, Concord Medical Center, and various locations throughout the Contra Costa Community.

Distance from Family Medicine Residency Practice: 0.0 m – 10.0 m

Musculoskeletal Sports Sample Schedule, Education Experiences:

Sample PGY-1

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM Team Based Clinic MSK Clinic Physical Therapy Urgent Care Ortho Operating Room
PM Team Based Clinic General Orthopedic Panel Management Workshop Casting & Splinting

Sample PGY-2

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
AM Panel Management MSK Clinic Ortho - Hip & Knee Urgent Care Team Based Clinic Mobile Health Clinic
PM Ortho - Spine General Ortho Panel Management Workshop Team Based Clinic Urgent Care