Medsport-U of M Sports Medicine Program

In all honesty, they kind of suck. Here’s why.
So I went to the doctor around the beginning of December. I’m an avid runner and I was experiencing some knee pain. I was really hoping the doctor could give me some suggestions and really identify the issue, but this guy gets paid whether or not I get better, so he really doesn’t give a shit and just wants me out of his office as fast as possible so he can go back to pleasuring himself to his bank account or whatever doctors do. So he just ships me right out to therapy.
So I explain my issue to the therapists. You work with 2 therapists, because U of M wants to sure that they’re constantly understaffed because if they hire enough team members to give patients individual attention, that means U of M has to pay them, and U of M loves money, so that aint gonna happen. The thing is they don’t really communicate to each other, or listen to the patient, or do anything really except say, «please do this for _​sets of _​because that’s what this book says.» I found myself having to reexplain issues with both of these team members and occasionally correct contrary statements. After 2 months of hitting the exercises hard, I’ve noticed moderate improvement, but still occasional pain. When I brought this up and explained we might not be attacking the correct issue, I felt like they just rolled their eyes at me and just continued doing what was being done for the past 2 months. So now, they’re talking about «graduating me» although the issue itself still isn’t fully corrected, which is just sheer laziness and pretty bad medical practice. I wouldn’t mind so much but I’ve been here previously for a somewhat related issue and made the stupid decision to come back, and I know a dirty little secret these guys don’t like patients to know.
Now as mentioned before, U of M loves money, so much so that it’s almost like they’ve hired top notch coordinators to make sure they can negotiate an A+ sized insurance rate with your medical insurer for their C– job. But you won’t know that until they mail you the bill. Now I don’t know about you folks, but if you overcharge me by 125% I’m expecting a space knee replacement straight from NASA engineers, not athletic advice from people who’s biggest bout of physical activity is solely walking from their car to work in the morning and then walking back in the evening and a print out of exercises you could probably find on google. If I were you I’d look elsewhere.

I was not thrilled with the service I received here. The group of therapists didn’t talk to one another so it was a constant repeat of explaining what was going on. They also take on too many patients at once — sometimes 4+ people at a time. Meaning no personal attention. Some of the PT’s seemed more interested in gossiping with other PT’s instead of actually working with patients. They also had me do these hot tub warm ups when i started PT for my foot each session. They never informed me my insurance wouldn’t cover that portion and i got slammed with a $ 1300 bill! I will never go back there.

A few months ago my mom had foot surgery to repair a break in her heel. About 3 weeks ago she was finally given the all-​clear to start weight bearing and physical therapy. We had heard good things about Medsport so she decided to start going there. It was definitely the right call. They’ve been great to her!
I stopped in yesterday during one of her appointments and observed the exercises they were doing with her and I was really impressed. You could tell they were really working on strengthening not just her foot but the whole leg which had been underutilized since she’s been off that side since August. The physical therapists were warm and encouraging. They pushed her without being overly agressive. After some stretches and exercises they also took some time to manipulate and massage her foot to really work the muscles deeply.
The facility is clean and spacious. When I was there there weren’t a ton of patients so it wasn’t crowded or overwhelming. The machines very from stuff you’ll see at your local gym to some state of the art equipment. They also offer aquatherapy which allows the patient to do work without a lot of the pressure on the injuries that normal workouts might put on them.
I’ve been really impressed with how fast my mom’s gotten back on her feet. She’s already walking without crutches around the house. A lot of it is her own determination to get back to normal by diligently working on her exercises at home but I also have to credit MedSport for their fantastic work as well. I have back problems and I’m already planning on asking my doctor for a referral to go do some PT there as well.

This is bloated, gold-​plated health care, and unless you have a gold-​plated insurance policy or bank account, you should be careful what you sign up for. Of course, it is nearly impossible to find out ahead of time what rates they have negotiated with your insurance company, what they will want you to do, and what your out-​of-​pocket expenses will be. In my case, after the doc’s initial consultation (during which he basically insisted on a new x-​ray, although the existing one was barely a year old and I noted no changes in my condition– a «shoulder impingement») they wanted me to come for two to three therapy sessions for three to four weeks. If you basically understand the exercises after the first session and can do them at home, there is no reason to pay to drive out there and have someone occasionally watch you in between managing other clients, unless you need the trouble and expense to stay motivated. (Going to all the sessions might be more appropriate if you have a more complicated or more acute condition than I did.) Personally, I could have bought a year’s membership in a pretty nice health spa for what I paid for my seven sessions. To say nothing of the fact that what they had me do produced no noticeable positive results, despite some rather imprudent initial therapeutic claims.

Medsport was able to help my husband before and after the surgery on his knee for a torn ACL. The therapists on his team worked him consistently and helped build up exactly what he needed before surgery, and get him back to the level of activity he wanted afterward.
I was there with him regularly since he wasn’t supposed to be driving at several points in his recovery, and then I was very pregnant at the end of his visits. Everyone was very accommodating and wanted me to be comfortable while I waited through my husband’s appointments. They were all around good people.

Depending on what kind of insurance you have, it might not be an option to go here. But if you have choices, I highly recommend U of M’s Medsport clinic. I went here earlier this year to work on a repetitive strain injury in my shoulder, and they were fabulous. It’s good for sports injuries, obviously, but they do a lot of work with children and older people and people like me, who need physical therapy unrelated to sports issues.
The clinic is pretty easy to find once you get in the Domino’s Farms complex, and parking is usually fine. The clinic itself is bright and modern, and the check in process is usually quick and easy, though expect to pay your co-​pay before you get the therapy, and they prefer to be paid in cash. Sometimes early in the morning, the credit card machine isn’t fired up yet.
They’ll assign you to one of 4 or 5 teams. You won’t necessarily get the same physical therapist every time you visit, but you’ll get folks on the same team who have shared your history and know where you are in your program.
The gym floor is actually a lot of fun. It’s kind of like a playground for grown-​up people. They have a half basketball court, exercise balls, and weight machines and cardio equipment of all kinds, all in excellent condition. They also have an extensive set of free weights ranging from 1 pound on up, and stretchy exercise bands.
My team worked my butt off, but they were kind and supportive and asked lots of questions about pain levels. I was able to gain a lot more range of movement and reduce the amount of pain I was experiencing in 11 weeks, and they sent me home with a set of weight training and stretching exercises to continue at home.