Sports Doc Talk

SportsDocTalk

Welcome to Sports Doc Talk. We're Will Sanchez and Dr. Grant Garcia, an orthopedic surgeon, and we built this show to give athletes, coaches, and everyday people access to the sports medicine conversations that used to stay inside the clinic. Most people never get to sit down with an orthopedic surgeon and ask the questions that actually matter. That's exactly what Sports Doc Talk is. Will and Dr. Garcia cover injuries, recovery, performance, and the future of sports medicine. No fluff, no jargon. Subscribe and let us know what you want us to cover next.

  1. 2d ago

    Staying on the Court: Elite Joint Care and NBA Medicine with Dr. Travis Maak

    Ever wonder what actually goes on in an NBA training room? We found out. This week on Sports Doc Talk, Will Sanchez and Dr. Grant Garcia sit down with Dr. Travis Maak — orthopedic sports medicine specialist at the University of Utah, head team physician for the Utah Jazz, and president of the NBA Physicians Association. He has treated Olympic speed skaters, college football players, and some of the best basketball players in the world. And he grew up on a farm in Utah and became a volunteer ski patroller at 17. Dr. Maak walks us through the cartilage technique he developed called AutoCart — using a patient's own harvested cartilage to repair joint defects in the hip and knee, with recovery timelines that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. He also introduces ChondroMatch, a surgical system he created that finally makes precise cartilage transplantation possible in areas of the knee that surgeons previously couldn't reach. Along the way, he breaks down how NBA trade physicals really work, why he believes most athletes never actually need surgery, and why he stopped calling it "injury prevention" altogether — a lesson he learned from an Olympic gold medalist at a conference where that was literally the event title. This one goes deep. Come ready. Find us at sportsdoctalk.com and on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. Brought to you by The Recovery Shop.

  2. Jun 24

    Ending Knee Replacements with Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Marc Pietropaoli

    What if your doctor told you "suck it up or get a knee replacement" and they were wrong? This week on Sports Doc Talk, we're joined by Dr. Marc Pietropaoli, orthopedic surgeon, founder of Victory in Motion, Amazon bestselling author of Repair Not Replace, and the first surgeon in the world to perform a specific FDA-approved ACL repair procedure. He's treated over 30,000 patients, and his stated mission is to end the need for knee replacement surgery by 2043. Dr. Pietropaoli joins Will Sanchez and Dr. Grant Garcia — orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist — to walk through the regenerative medicine program he's been refining for decades: bone marrow aspirate, PRP, Class IV MLS laser therapy (now AAOS-recommended), and genetic nutrition testing that goes far beyond the standard "eat more protein" advice. He also explains his Clarity Day concept — a single comprehensive diagnostic visit that replaces the months-long cycle most patients go through — and shares the research showing that 82% of patients in one long-term study avoided knee replacements entirely with targeted bone marrow injections. Whether you're dealing with knee pain, you've been told surgery is your only option, or you're just curious about where sports medicine is headed, this episode gives you a real, evidence-based alternative to explore. Find Dr. Pietropaoli's book, Repair Not Replace, wherever books are sold. Brought to you by The Recovery Shop. Visit sportsdoctalk.com for transcripts and more.

  3. May 27

    NIL, Health & the Making of a Student Athlete with Scott Laigo

    Here's a question that never used to exist: what happens to a college athlete's healthcare when they enter the transfer portal with a blown ankle and their old school has already moved on? Scott Laigo has the answer. As President of Student Athlete Advocates and a former head football coach at Seattle's Garfield High School, he's in the trenches every day helping athletes and families navigate a system that nobody fully controls anymore. In this episode, Scott joins Dr. Grant Garcia and Will Sanchez to unpack the real story behind NIL, revenue sharing, and the transfer portal. Why are some high school athletes declining surgery to protect $25,000 NIL deals? How are boosters funding arms races that may not be sustainable? And what does the shift to an NFL-style GM structure actually mean for coaches and recruits? Dr. Garcia adds clinical context on team physician pressure, how recent lawsuits are changing what doctors will and won't sign off on, and the growing gray zones around athlete medical care in a portal-era world. Scott's verdict: this system isn't sustainable and real reform starts with fixing the calendar, establishing a cap structure, mandating financial literacy, and getting the right people around the table. If you're a parent, coach, athlete, or sports medicine professional trying to understand what college sports actually looks like right now, this is the episode. Resources: studentathletesadvocates.com | Sponsor: The Recovery Shop #SportsDocTalk #NIL #StudentAthlete #TransferPortal #SportsMedicine #CollegeSports 0:00 Intro + Recovery Shop sponsor 3:00 Student Athlete Advocates — Scott's background & mission 4:30 The 408:1 counselor-to-student ratio problem 5:30 Transfer portal: high schoolers are now #4 in recruiting 7:00 NIL evolves into revenue sharing 9:00 Boosters, Arch Manning & the sustainability question 11:00 The booster entity model explained 12:00 Kentucky basketball's $22M NIL budget 13:00 The NCAA is effectively null and void 14:00 Title IX — the sleeping giant 15:00 Coaching under NIL: X's & O's vs. contracts 16:00 Oregon's playoff chaos — 7 RBs down to 2 in one week 17:30 Fixing the recruiting calendar 19:00 Portal timing reform & OTA-style restructuring 20:30 Oregon's coordinators leave mid-playoff 21:00 Trump's NIL roundtable — right people at the table? 22:30 NCAA should just run March Madness — Scott's take 23:00 International athletes & global NIL 26:00 High school NIL & athletes refusing surgery for $25K 27:30 Healthcare gap in the transfer portal — who pays? 33:00 Team physicians, incentives & clearing players 35:00 Brian Daboll's concussion fine & coaching pressure on docs 38:00 Philadelphia Eagles lawsuit & liability shifts 40:00 Financial literacy gap — the 1099 truck story 41:30 UW's financial literacy initiative 43:00 High school tipping apps & gambling risk 44:30 The NFL GM model arrives in college football 47:00 Will this system implode? Scott's honest prediction 50:00 Nike vs. potato salad — Oregon vs. Oregon State 51:00 Wrap-up & how to reach Scott Laigo

  4. Apr 29

    Minimally Invasive Foot & Ankle Surgery with Dr. Anthony Yi

    What if you could walk out of bunion surgery the same day? What if an Achilles repair didn't mean 6 weeks on crutches? This week on Sports Doc Talk, Dr. Grant Garcia and Will Sanchez sit down with Dr. Anthony Yi, a foot & ankle specialist at Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle who is pioneering the minimally invasive techniques changing recovery timelines forever. This episode is personal: Dr. Yi is the surgeon who repaired host Will Sanchez's ruptured Achilles. Will brings a raw patient perspective to a conversation packed with cutting-edge surgical insights. In this episode, we dive into: 🔥 THE RECOVERY REVOLUTION The 4-Stitch Bunion: How to correct a bunion through tiny incisions and walk immediately after. Arthroscopic Achilles Repair: 2 small incisions vs. a massive scar. The Death of the "6-Week Rule": Why the old "stay off it completely" mentality is being phased out. 🏀 THE PRO SPORTS ANGLE The Achilles Spike: Why are we seeing so many ruptures in the NFL and NBA? Shoes vs. Surfaces, does it matter?: Dr. Yi weighs in on what’s actually causing the injury surge. Getting Back Faster: How new techniques are shaving months off return-to-play dates. ⚠️ CRITICAL SAFETY & RECOVERY The Antibiotic Warning: The specific class of meds (fluoroquinolones) that can weaken your tendons. The Mental Health Gap: Why foot/ankle recovery is a mental battle and how to survive the "non-weight bearing" blues. Nutrition: Why cutting calories during recovery is a huge mistake. ⏰ EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction & Welcome 3:00 - Why Foot & Ankle Specialization? 5:00 - The Minimally Invasive Revolution 8:00 - 4-Stitch Bunion Correction Breakdown 12:00 - Immediate Weight Bearing vs Traditional Recovery 15:00 - Arthroscopic Achilles Repair Explained 20:00 - NFL & NBA Achilles Injury Spike 25:00 - Antibiotic Warning for Athletes 30:00 - Cartilage Repair & Biologics 35:00 - High Ankle Sprains & Scope Evaluation 40:00 - When to Scope an Ankle Fracture 45:00 - Mental Health & Recovery Reality 50:00 - Rehab Keys & Return to Sport 🔗 CONNECT WITH US: Guest Website: anthonyyimd.com Our Website: sportsdoctalk.com Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AtcwmqDJsyA 💪 SPONSORED BY THE RECOVERY SHOP Expert-level cold therapy and compression solutions to get you back in the game. #FootAndAnkleSurgery #AchillesRepair #MinimallyInvasive #SportsMedicine #InjuryRecovery #BunionSurgery #NFL #NBA #Orthopedics #PhysicalTherapy #TheRecoveryShop #DrAnthonyYi #Podcast

  5. Mar 25

    From Disc Pain to Game Ready: The Advanced Spinal Restoration Therapy (ASRT) approach to Spine Care.

    Back pain is one of the most common diagnoses in medicine, and most people are told their only options are rest, medication, injections, or surgery. Dr. Brigitte Rozenberg is here to tell you there's a fourth path. On this episode of Sports Doc Talk, Will and Dr. Garcia welcome the LA-based spine specialist and creator of Advanced Spinal Restoration Therapy (ASRT) to walk through the exact non-surgical protocol she uses to get athletes, injury patients, and chronic pain sufferers back to full function without going under the knife. Dr. Rozenberg breaks down every device in her toolkit: the spinal decompression table that creates negative pressure to draw disc material back in, the robotic laser that triggers cellular healing, the neuromuscular stimulator running at 10,000 pulses per second, and the cutting-edge muscle-building device that can produce 20,000 muscle contractions in 30 minutes. She explains how these tools work together in a phased protocol and why combining them produces results that no single treatment can achieve alone. The episode also features a standout case study: a 16-year-old gymnast training for the Olympics who walked in unable to train, with disc desiccation and early signs of spondylolysis, and walked back out months later fully recovered. Dr. Garcia weighs in with the orthopedic surgeon's perspective throughout, offering a candid look at where surgery is necessary and where it's simply the last tool left when the right non-surgical care wasn't available. This one is for anyone who has been told to just manage their back pain. You might have more options than you think. 00:00 Welcome & The Golden Globes Rant 00:55 The Recovery Shop Sponsor Message 01:45 Meet Dr. Brigitte Rozenberg 04:00 What Is Advanced Spinal Restoration Therapy? 09:00 Why Spinal Decompression Was the Missing Link 13:00 The Sculp Neo: Rebuilding Muscle After Disc Injury 19:00 Class IV Robotic Laser Therapy Explained 23:00 How the ACUSA Decompression Table Works 31:30 Neuro Me: Electrical Stimulation at 10,000 Pulses/Sec 35:30 SoftWave Therapy: Acoustic Waves for Pain Relief 38:00 Case Study: Olympic Gymnast & Disc Recovery 45:30 The Surgeon's View: When to Operate, When Not To 47:00 What's Next for Spine Care Technology sportsdoctalk.com | linktr.ee/sportsdoctalk | The Recovery Shop: mikeb@shoprecovery.com

  6. Feb 18

    What F1 Racing Taught Me About Saving Knees with Dr. Nicholas Colyvas

    What do Formula 1 racing and meniscus repair have in common? More than you'd think. This week, Dr. Grant Garcia and Will Sanchez welcome Dr. Nicholas Colyvas, a UCSF sports medicine surgeon who's revolutionizing how we approach knee surgery while living out his passion for vintage F1 racing. Dr. Colyvas takes us from his childhood in South Africa to the operating rooms of UCSF, where he's pioneering meniscus preservation techniques that are keeping athletes in the game longer. He breaks down complex procedures like fibrin clot augmentation and meniscus transplants in ways that make sense whether you're a patient, athlete, or fellow surgeon. But here's where it gets really interesting: Dr. Colyvas doesn't just talk about precision in surgery. He lives it on the racetrack, piloting vintage Formula 1 cars at Monaco and competing in modern endurance racing. The parallels between racing and surgery? They're all about preparation, precision, and knowing when to push the limits. This episode is packed with surgical innovation, patient care philosophy, and some seriously cool racing stories. Whether you're dealing with a knee injury, interested in sports medicine, or just love a good F1 story, you won't want to miss this one. Brought to you by The Recovery Shop - visit shop-recovery.net CHAPTER MARKERS: Introduction & Background The Journey to Sports Medicine Meniscus Preservation Revolution Advanced Surgical Techniques Fibrin Clot & Biologics Meniscus Transplant Surgery Patient Communication & Expectations Robotics in Arthroscopy Formula 1 Racing Passion The Monaco Experience Future of Joint Preservation Find us at: Website: sportsdoctalk.com All Links: linktr.ee/sportsdoctalk

  7. Jan 28

    X-Ray in Motion: How DDR is Changing Sports and Surgery

    Dr. Grant Garcia and Will Sanchez welcome Dr. Greg Kolovich, orthopedic hand surgeon and co-founder of Oxo, to discuss revolutionary Dynamic Digital Radiography (DDR) technology that's transforming sports medicine. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 🔬 From Engineer to Surgeon Dr. Kolovich's unique journey from Georgia Tech electrical engineer to Harvard-trained hand surgeon and medical device innovator 📱 The 8-Pound Revolution Learn how DDR technology miniaturized an 800-pound C-arm into a portable, battery-powered device with crystal-clear imaging ⚡ Game-Changing Diagnostics Real-time dynamic instability assessment Less radiation than traditional fluoroscopy Applications for sports teams, mission work, and emergency care 🏒 Sports Medicine Applications How professional hockey teams use portable DDR for sideline diagnostics and remote consultation 🌍 Global Impact Mission work stories from Kenya, Ethiopia, India, and Honduras—bringing advanced imaging to underserved communities 💡 Clinical Wisdom When NOT to operate Building a complex surgical practice Second opinion philosophy Patient-first approach 🚀 The Future Point-of-care diagnostics, home healthcare, and the next generation of medical imaging TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 03:00 - Engineer to Surgeon Journey 06:00 - Hand & Nerve Surgery Specialization 11:00 - Mission Work Stories 19:00 - Birth of Oxo Technology 30:00 - DDR vs. Fluoroscopy Explained 35:00 - Clinical Applications 44:00 - Sports Team Use Cases 47:00 - Future Vision Special thanks to The Recovery Shop for supporting innovative sports medicine conversations! 🎧 Also Available On: Apple Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Amazon Music | YouTube | Google Podcasts 📝 Full Transcript: sportsdoctalk.com 🎯 Be a Guest: Submit requests at sportsdoctalk.com

  8. Jan 7

    The Power of Play: Preventing Injuries and Promoting Health at Every Age

    Youth sports look very different from how they did a decade ago: year‑round travel teams, overlapping seasons, private coaches, and constant pressure to keep up with the family down the street. In this episode of Sports Doc Talk, Will Sanchez and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Grant Garcia sit down with OrthoCarolina specialists Dr. James Starman and Dr. Bradley Winter to talk honestly about how that landscape is impacting kids, teens, and aging athletes. You will hear real clinic‑side stories about youth pitchers juggling multiple teams, bullpens, and games without anyone truly monitoring total pitch counts—and how that leads to shoulder and elbow overuse injuries that are avoidable with better communication and planning. The doctors also unpack why female soccer and basketball players tear more ACLs, what landing mechanics have to do with it, and how neuromuscular training and smarter return‑to‑play criteria can reduce risk. ​ For the 30‑, 40‑, and 50‑something weekend warriors, the conversation turns to arthritis, tendon pain, biologic options like PRP, and realistic strategies to keep playing the sports you love without burning out your joints. Throughout, the team keeps the focus on the athlete’s goals, not just the scoreboard, and explores how future tools like AI, navigation, and wearable tech could further personalize care. Sponsored by The Recovery Shop, which supports patients with bracing, cold therapy, and recovery tools recommended by surgeons. Website: sportsdoctalk.com Why you need to listen Understand how overuse injuries really develop in youth sports. Learn questions to ask about pitch counts, workloads, and off‑seasons. Hear practical ACL prevention and return‑to‑play insights for female athletes. Get realistic guidance for staying active with arthritis and tendon issues. See where biologics, tech, and AI may be taking sports medicine next. Chapters 00:00 – Intro, The Recovery Shop, and “the power of play.” 05:00 – Meet Dr. Starman and Dr. Winter 09:00 – Youth throwing injuries and pitch counts 18:00 – Specialization, burnout, and year‑round sports 24:00 – ACL surgery, prevention, and female athletes 31:00 – Graft maturation and realistic return‑to‑play timelines 41:00 – The aging athlete and staying active with arthritis 47:00 – Biologics, supplements, and realistic expectations 54:00 – Wearables, AI, and the future of sports medicine #SportsDocTalk #YouthSportsInjuries #ACLPrevention #OveruseInjuries #AgingAthlete #SportsMedicine #OrthoCarolina #TheRecoveryShop

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About

Welcome to Sports Doc Talk. We're Will Sanchez and Dr. Grant Garcia, an orthopedic surgeon, and we built this show to give athletes, coaches, and everyday people access to the sports medicine conversations that used to stay inside the clinic. Most people never get to sit down with an orthopedic surgeon and ask the questions that actually matter. That's exactly what Sports Doc Talk is. Will and Dr. Garcia cover injuries, recovery, performance, and the future of sports medicine. No fluff, no jargon. Subscribe and let us know what you want us to cover next.

Information

  • Creator
    SportsDocTalk
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © SportsDocTalk
  • Show Website
    Sports Doc Talk

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