Question & Answer with Dr. Kelly
March 13, 2014
John D. Kelly IV, MD, is the Director of Sports Shoulder for Penn Orthopaedics and an Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Kelly specializes in the treatment of sports injuries and his clinical interests include holistic orthopaedics and arthroscopic surgery of the ankle, shoulder, knee
What types of injuries do you tend to see?
I see a good amount of shoulder and elbow overuse injuries. When the weather warms up, people tend to ramp up their activity after being dormant for a while. Many will push themselves a bit too hard, too quickly. I see rotator cuff injuries, tears of the labrum, tennis elbow and arthritis.
What is your advice for individuals in pain?
I tell patients all the time to listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, see a healthcare professional. Far too often, people ignore the warning signs and end up injuring themselves far worse.
What are some warning signs to look out for?
If you start to have dull, aching pain you should definitely get it checked out. Other warning signs are reduced or limited mobility and pain at night.
How can Penn Orthopaedics help?
Obviously, if something is broken or torn, we can get you back to living pain-free. But it's also about education. If someone is experiencing pain, our goal is to help them avoid further injury. We work with the patient so that, hopefully, they don't experience these types of injuries again.