Nonsurgical Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Treatments

Treating musculoskeletal issues without surgery

Many orthopaedic injuries do not require surgery. Our orthopaedic physicians are specially trained to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal injuries without surgery. These include injuries to the joints, muscles, nerves, tendons, bones, and ligaments.

We use the latest diagnostic tools—including in-office ultrasound—and treatment technologies to help you get back on your feet faster.

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Get seen quickly without a referral

You do not need a referral from a provider to be seen. Simply call any of our office locations, and we will do our best to see you quickly.

If your injury does not improve or get better with nonsurgical treatment or requires a surgical consultation, we will help you get seen quickly by our orthopaedic surgery team.

Advanced diagnostics and treatments

When you choose Dartmouth Health, you’ll have access to the most advanced diagnostics and nonsurgical treatments to help you regain function quickly.

Some of our advanced non-surgical diagnostics and treatments include:

• Diagnostic ultrasound: When appropriate, a doctor will use an ultrasound in the office during your appointment to help pinpoint the source of your pain.
• Iovera® – nerve freezing procedure: This treatment uses freezing technology to block the nerves from sending pain signals. The treatment provides immediate relief without other medication. If the treatment is successful, results typically last 3 to 9 months. Iovera can be used before a total knee replacement to reduce post-operative pain. This minimizes opiate use and allows you to have a faster recovery. Iovera can also be used for chronic pain from osteoarthritis or other conditions of the knee, hip, and shoulder.
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: A doctor draws your blood, uses a centrifuge to separate the platelets, and then injects the platelet-rich plasma into the injured area. Proteins and growth factors from the platelets speed up tissue repair, reduce pain and promote healing. We use PRP injections to treat all joints and tendon issues.
• Prolotherapy injections: A doctor injects a concentrated dextrose solution into the painful joint, tendon, nerve, or ligament. Your body responds to the injection by repairing the injured tissue and strengthening the connective fibers.
• Shockwave therapy: A doctor uses a handheld device to deliver high-energy sound waves and radial pressure waves to the injured area. This triggers increased blood flow, which brings oxygen and nutrients to the injured tissue and helps with repair. Shockwave therapy is used to treat tendon, muscle, and joint injuries; bony injuries such as tendonitis; stress fractures; and arthritis. The treatment typically takes 5 to 10 minutes. Most patients need 3 to 5 treatments.
• TenJet® – minimally invasive tendon debridement: This is a needle-like device that is guided by ultrasound imaging. Tenjet uses a supersonic stream of saline to break down and remove damaged tendon tissue. Your doctor will use this procedure to treat tendon issues (tendonitis) of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle.

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Meet our nonsurgical orthopaedic team

Our team treats anyone aged 12 and older.

• Scott E. Klass, MD, MS
  Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and New London Hospital
• Kristine A. Karlson, MD
  Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
• Peter M. Loescher, MD
  Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital

Make an appointment

You do not need a referral from a provider to be seen. To make an appointment, call any of our office locations.