Service Providers: Radiology

The Sports Science Orthopaedic Clinic provide complete orthopaedic care to the general public and sports persons alike through vast experience of their team of leading Orthopaedic Specialists. Ideally situated within the Sports Science Institute of South Africa complex in Newlands, Cape Town, the SSOC offers unrivalled service to their patients.

Sports teams that are treated at the Orthopaedic Sports Clinic include:

• FIFA 2010 World Cup
• SA Olympic Team
• SA Paralympic Team
• WP Athletes
• Ajax Football Team
• SA Cricket Team
• The Pakistan Cricket Team
• SA Netball Team

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VARIOUS JOINT INJURIES YOU MAY SUFFER FROM

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Consulting Rooms

The clinic comprises several Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeons, each focussing on specific joint complaints (list of joints included below) and also provides access to fellow professionals (sports physicians, physiotherapists and biokinecticians) at the SSI, to promote rehabilitative care.

Ultrasound, MRI and X-Ray

The practice has diagnostic ultrasound facilities used in assessing soft tissue injuries (such as muscle tears, ligament strains) and the only Small Magnet MRI machine in the country. The Small Magnet MRI is able to give clarity in many difficult cases at a fraction of the cost of larger MRI machines. In addition to this, a standard x-ray facility is also available on the premises.

Grucox Lab

The clinic also has close links with the ultra high-tech Grucox Laboratory (a revolutionary facility focussing on the eccentric or resisting-force component of muscle rehabilitation) also located in the Sports Science Institute.

X-Rays, Radiographers and Radiologists

Simple x-rays are the basic imaging method for diagnosing disease. Plain film x-rays of the chest, sinuses, bones and spine are used as the primary method for diagnosing infections, trauma and diseases of bones due to wear and tear. Your x-ray will normally be taken by a radiographer. These are highly trained technicians. Radiologists are medical specialists and their function is to inspect and interpret the appearances on the film and report the findings to the referring GP or specialist. A radiologist first has to train as a doctor and then spends at least another four years, learning the necessary skills and knowledge to select the most suitable methods and materials for successful diagnosis and to minimize the risks to patients of the powerful equipment. Nowadays much of the radiologist's time is occupied in helping to decide upon the best management of patients' problems, and in performing and interpreting complicated procedures. The SSI radiology unit offers the services of a dedicated musculoskeletal radiologist, who specialises in the imaging of musculoskeletal conditions, orthopaedic problems and sports injuries.

How safe are x-rays?
The risks associated with medical x-rays are frequently exaggerated. It is estimated that the chances of contracting cancer as a result of an x-ray of the chest, for example, are similar to the risks of contracting cancer by inhaling the smoke of one cigarette - about one in a million.

If you are worried about any treatment or scans you may be having, speak again to your GP, your specialist or one of our radiologists. If they know of your concerns they will always make time to explain the examination or treatment in more detail.

M.R.I. - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This test is similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism and radio waves to build up a series of cross sectional images. MRI pictures are so precise that they often provide as much information as directly looking at the tissues. For this reason MRI has made many X-ray techniques obsolete and has the potential to reduce the number of certain diagnostic procedures. MRI uses no x-rays and the magnetic fields are not known to be harmful. However, it takes longer to obtain the pictures than a conventional x-ray machine, and although the price is coming down all the time, the cost of the equipment means that the tests are necessarily more expensive.

Bioskills Lab

"The clinic also has a Bioskills Lab which allows our specialist to teach other specialist new technical operations aswell as carry out their research. The Bioskills Lab has been used successfully with international medical conferences to allow live video streaming of operation and new surgical techniques to the conference audiences. The Sports Science Orthopaedic Clinic continues to be committed to research and teaching."

The Sports Medicine Centre is within walking distance to the Newlands Rugby Stadium. The centre serves as the specialist hub for the management of Western Province contracted players, with the ability to facilitate fast, efficient and effective diagnosis of medical and injury diagnosis.

The Western Province Rugby Football Union (WP Rugby) aims to establish a formal relationship with the Sports Science Institute of South Africa through the establishment of a Sports Medicine Centre and specialist Radiology/Orthopaedic Centre at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

The Orthopaedic service allows the opportunity to work side-by-side Orthopaedic specialists in knee, shoulder, elbow, hip, hand and ankle injuries, guaranteeing a second opinion when necessary.

The Centre will be available to visiting teams (International, Super14, Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup) and provide a quality service thus enhancing the status of medical services at Western Province. The Centre is also in close proximity to vital support services to WP Rugby namely the High Performance Centre, where specialized fitness testing takes place. The use of the Centre also ensures a direct link to the University of Cape Town Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Department, whereby we keep abreast of any new sports medicine developments which can be applied to the management of our players and teams. This link will further academic research as all the rugby specific data that has been collected can be published, thus allowing us to learn and modify any of the protocols that we have in place.