Condition

Sports Injuries

Get back in the game with real assessment, hands-on treatment, and a return-to-sport plan that holds.

Locations
Sports Injuries at Rehab Lab

A sports injury is not just a sore body part, it is a sign that something in how you move or load broke down. Treating the pain without fixing that pattern is how athletes end up reinjured the moment they ramp back up. Our job is to get you back to your sport and keep you there.

Dr. Wagner is a board-certified sports physician and former pro football player, so we read injuries the way an athlete needs, assess the whole movement, treat the tissue, and rebuild the strength and control to return at full speed.

Treated by people who get the athlete

When you compete, "rest until it stops hurting" is not a plan, it is lost progress and a deconditioned body that gets hurt again. We respect the goal of getting back, and we are honest about the timeline it actually takes.

We assess how you move under load, treat the injured tissue with ART, dry needling, and the right modalities, then progress you through real return-to-sport criteria, not a guess.

What return-to-sport care looks like

Good to know

Sports Injuries questions

Will I have to stop training completely?

Almost never entirely. We usually keep you training around the injury, modifying what loads it while we treat it, so you keep your fitness and come back faster. Total shutdown is a last resort, not a default.

How do you decide when I am ready to return?

We use objective VALD testing, strength, control, and tolerance to sport-specific load, not just whether it stops hurting. Pain-free at rest is not the same as ready to compete, and we will not clear you until the numbers say the area can handle your sport.

How soon after an injury should I be seen?

Within the first few days for anything that swelled, gave way, or stopped you playing. Early assessment gets the diagnosis right while the pattern is clear, starts appropriate loading sooner, and prevents the stiffness and compensations that set in during a week of waiting to see if it settles.

How do you decide when it is safe to return to play?

With measured strength and movement rather than how it feels, using objective testing to compare sides. Feeling ready and being ready are different, and the gap is where reinjury happens. We will tell an athlete and a parent plainly when the numbers say wait.

Can you work with my coach or athletic trainer?

Yes, and it makes the outcome better. Tell us who is involved and we will share what we found and what the loading plan is, so nobody is getting contradictory instructions. In-season care in particular only works when the training load and the rehab are coordinated.

Do you treat youth athletes differently from adults?

Yes. Growing bodies have open growth plates and different injury patterns, and the biggest driver of youth injuries is volume rather than any weakness. So we ask about the year-round schedule and the tournament calendar first, and we are direct with families when the real fix is rest.

Should I get an MRI before coming in?

Usually not first. A history and hands-on exam identifies most injuries and tells us whether imaging would change the plan. Getting scanned first often produces incidental findings that complicate the picture. If imaging is warranted, we will say so and help arrange it.

Which of your doctors have sports credentials?

Dr. Sam Wagner is a board-certified sports physician (DACBSP) with a Masters of Sports Rehabilitation Science. Dr. Mike Giammarco came to chiropractic from Exercise and Sport Science and has served as official chiropractor for the Milwaukee Wave and UW-Milwaukee athletics. Dr. Peda Moua is working toward Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician certification.

Ready to fix the cause, for good?

Book at our Wauwatosa or Appleton clinic and get a real plan from a doctor who treats you like a teammate.

Locations

Wauwatosa · Appleton · No referral needed