Southlake Orthopaedics, with two Birmingham-area locations, is a great place for athletes to get world-class treatment for injuries, seek rehabilitation or learn about conditioning. But you don’t have to be an athlete to take advantage of Southlake’s dedicated doctors, including our sports medicine specialists.
“Athletes come in all ages, shapes and forms,” Dr. Jonathan Isbell says. “Some of my patients are in their 60s or 70s and can’t play golf or pickleball or play with their grandkids.”
An orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Isbell specializes in sports medicine, arthroscopy and joint replacement, and he treats acute and overuse injuries.
“Sports medicine is really about the treatment of active people who have some sort of injury or a chronic, functional limitation that causes pain or keeps them from doing the things they enjoy,” Dr. Isbell says.
Musculoskeletal issues like joint and back pain are almost universal, due in part to aging, according to Dr. Isbell. “Almost everybody at some point in their lives is going to experience musculoskeletal pain, whether it’s from aging, overuse or an injury,” he says.
At Southlake, patients can learn about proper conditioning and how to prevent injuries. “It’s very important to be conditioned appropriately for any sport or activity,” Dr. Isbell says. Patients can also get treated for repetitive-use injuries, such as carpal tunnel or tennis elbow, and learn from therapists how to avoid such injuries in the future.
Southlake is a great choice for patients because Dr. Isbell and his colleagues practice “big-tent orthopedics,” he says. “We’re a tight-knit group, work closely together and share lots of patients,” he says. “We have no hesitation getting people to the doctors that will serve them best.”
Dr. Isbell takes a holistic approach to his patients. “Even if a patient comes in for one issue — a joint, for example — we look at them as a whole person,” he says.
He tries other treatments before doing surgery. “I try to use things that are more natural,” he says. “The body has amazing healing capacity, but sometimes there are things we need to do to initiate that.” He cites medications, injections, biologics and physical therapy.
“Even if they ultimately need a surgical procedure, that’s just so the body can ultimately do the healing,” Dr. Isbell says. “Surgery doesn’t heal you. It puts you in a position to heal.”
Dr. Isbell says his work with patients is very rewarding. “My job is to help people do the things they want or need to do — in life, in sports, in their career — and take them from a point where they can’t do those things to a point where they’re able to do those things without pain,” he says. “I’m not curing cancer but I’m making a difference in their lives.”
Watching patients along their “whole journey” from injury to recovery is “so gratifying,” he says.
Whether a patient presents with arthritis, osteoporosis, a sports injury or an orthopedic condition, the physicians at Southlake can help. Our many services include rehabilitation, orthotics, injections, testing and surgery. We offer personalized care using the latest technology.
To learn more, call 205-985-4111 or go online to southlakeorthopaedics.com.
