The Sports Medicine Clinic

I’ve been having issues with my shoulder so my physical therapist recommended I go see Dr Peterson. I had an appointment at 10:15 but I was asked to come in 15 minutes early, I arrived at 10. I filled out the forms and waited, 10:45 rolls around and nothing, so I go up to the counter and ask for a refund. The receptionist said sorry, she was going to check to see what was going on. 10:50 I ask for a refund again and as it was being finalized my name was called, what a joke, it was a waste of time. I never want to go back there.

Rude staff and Dr. McInness even ruder. «I-​talk and I-​know-​it-​all» attitude makes patient feel like living in a comunist-​ran place. Patient have to have part in their mefical treatment, after all, they are the ones who are hurting and feeling the pain. Orthotics made at their office did not fit right, even after adjustment, so their policy is: «You have to pay for them and keep them, whether they are working or fitting or not»… costing me just under $ 500!!! Please, please, respect yourself and find a different place to address your health needs.

Couldn’t even get in.
Injured my leg/​foot so badly that I went to the ER twice in one week. Northwest Hospital referred me to this place. I called them, the receptionist said she could get me in on the 30^th of September, but would have to call me back to confirm. Never called me back. I called them again and this time the receptionist was this horrible sounding woman who said «erm» like Professor Umbridge from Harry Potter. She said they «couldn’t find» my referral, although the receptionist before didn’t seem to have trouble locating it. I told them I would just go to a clinic that actually has their shit together.

One day while I was doing dips at the gym I suddenly had a very bad shooting/​stabbing pain in my right forearm. I stopped exercising for a week to let it rest, and when I went back to the gym the pain had gotten worse and was aggravated by more exercises. I tried to make a doctor appointment, but my primary care provider was booked solid for a couple weeks. I figured they would probably just refer me to a specialist, so I might as well just book an appointment with one first. After a lot of searching I came across Dr. Rothmier, and found out he works at the Sports Medicine Clinic. I called and was able to get an appointment in a week that worked with my schedule. What was even better is that I found out they are affiliated with UW Medicine, which is where I see my primary care doctors. So they already had all of my information on file, making the whole process even smoother for me. The front desk was friendly when I checked in, and Dr. Rothmier was fantastic. He had a great bedside manner, gave excellent in depth explanations, and gave me all my options. He was also more than happy to help with another issue I had, and gave more great explanations and suggestions on how to treat it. Overall, Dr. Rothmier is an amazing doctor and in the future I will definitely see him for all my sports medicine needs. The only complaint I have about this clinic is that the building they are located in charges for parking ($ 5 for over 58 minutes).

Dr Wilder is listed as a Sports Medicine based PCP on my insurance plan. I called to set up a physical and once the receptionist heard my insurance plan her tone changed immediately to very derogatory and condecending! She was extremely short with me and stated they don’t accept my insurance and maybe try the UW. I told her Dr Wilder was listed on my plans website and she responded that clearly that’s an error! I guess they only accept patients with top tier insurance!

Dr McInnes apparently doesn’t like email so you have to go thru Dee for any questions or to communicate with Dr McI. Unfortunately, she’s VERY SLOW to return calls (like she calls me, leaves a msg, I call back right way, leave msg., she doesn’t call back in a week so I call her again and we restart the process.) Plus she garbles what I say and what the issue is, as in the old «telephone» game. (Not only no email, no voice mail either.)
My medical issue has not been solved. Whether it’s just one of those issues that can’t be solved or it could IF I could have decent communication with the doc, I really don’t know.
I recommend trying someone else. I haven’t had this bad communication with a med professional that I recall. I’ve had other docs who don’t use email but phone message communication was way better!

Scheduling is unprofessional. Appointment at 9:15, asked to arrive at 9:00. By 9:45 had to ask. «Well all rooms are full». How behind schedule can you get at 9:00 AM? It was obviously status quo to have people wait an hour to be seen. If doctors are that far behind then people need to be called and asked to reschedule. UW Medicine clinics are really good at being respectful of people’s time so it definitely can be done.

Dr. Edward G. Blahous, Jr., D.P.M. is fantastic. He’s very nice, has great suggestions, and is very personable.
The physical therapist is horrible. Brian Matheson, C, PT
He barely talks, he didn’t introduce himself, he doesn’t explain what he’s doing unless you ask and he needs more interpersonal skills because he’s lacking in a personality. He also does not listen. I told him multiple times that I do not want to lay down on a table because of previous injuries and he doesn’t make note of this. Also, you don’t get much time with the PT because they over book and let you work with an assistant.
One major issue with the clinic: I asked if the equipment was Latex Free they said yes, I asked again because I am educated on which products usually contain Latex. I had to ask multiple times each time they said yes and finally I asked to see the box and guess what? The products contained Latex. This is a severe allergy which caused a red rash on my hands and could have sent me to the hospital. I did contact the clinic about this issue and an email was sent to staff however the next visit I did have another reaction.
Find a different clinic for physical therapy because the value isn’t there.

I was referred to Dr. McInnes by my family doctor for treatment of longstanding heel pain. Dr. McInnes’ management of my problem has been outstanding, one of the best experiences I have had with a doctor.
At the very first visit he sat down in the room with me and spent time listening to what has happened with my foot, examining the problem area, and most importantly helping me understand what was wrong and what I needed to do to help it improve. He was very frank with me letting me know that my problem could take a while to get better because I had it so long. He provided me with written information about my plantar fascitis and it was very clear to me what I needed to do to help it. I had seen several doctors before this and none had gone through this at all. I was told to just stretch my calves, take some advil, and buy some heel cushions… none of which worked. Dr. McInnes helped me to understand which activities irritated my problem, helped me with the correct shoes to wear, gave me some off the shelf arch supports right away (and eventually a better orthotic made for my foot). He didn’t just meet with me once and send me on my way like had happened at my other doctor visits, he told me that the goal was resolution of my problem not just improvement. I have had several follow-​up visits and other treatments to help my heel and I am happy to say that it is finally better… not just improved but all the way better! Thanks! I have already referred a few friends to Dr. McInnes and other doctors at his sports clinic. I hope I never injure my foot again but if I do I know where to go!

I was referred by Dr. Jason Attaman to Dr. Pontus Oberg for an EMG. From the front desk to the examining room and back, it was an excellent experience. My injury has made me crazy anxious and unacceptably disorganized, but all the folks there treated me with nothing but respect and kindness. Dr. Oberg took his time with the test, ensuring I was comfortable and that results were accurate. I walked out of there with a complete understanding of the outcome and felt very happy to have had such a good experience!
I have sent his contact info to my Family Practitioner, as he referred me to another Doc for my first EMG and let’s just say — her review is nothing like this one :)
YAY for well rounded Doctors! They are scarce these days!

Horrible experience. Whilst Dr Bouche is a fantastic doctor, the rest of the non-​medical staff made this an awful experience. I was given a night splint and told it would most likely be covered by my insurance. A month later I get a bill for $ 200 from a third party vendor for my night splint. Called the clinic and asked for an explanation — none provided and I was treated like a nuisance. There is a big difference between suggesting something, allowing the patient to research the best option (this same night splint is $ 19 on Amazon!) and deceivingly handing something to a patient careless of the potential costs involved. Patients should always come first, not revenue.

I broke my toe recently, and was referred to Dr. Bouche or associates. Dr. Bouche was booked out for quite a while, so I saw Dr. McInnes instead.
Bad news, I needed surgery, but good news, Dr. McInnes and his nurse, Dee, are super nice, as is everybody else I have interacted with at the clinic (another nurse, Angie, and all the receptionists).
Dr. McInnes and Dee have both taken the time to answer all my questions, and the doctor went out of his way to explain things to me after surgery *and* in my next appointment – just in case I had missed anything in my post-​surgery stupor. He drew pictures, and even showed me some photos he took of my little bone fragments with his iPhone (not kidding).
He’s done a great job of explaining everything to me very clearly, making sure I understood, and making sure I was as comfortable as possible with everything. (For example, I have a pin in my toe that will be removed later, and he modified the dressing a little bit so the pin would be covered because I was nervous about having the end exposed. He also gave me a new prescription for pain meds the first time I saw him, because the Vicodin the ER gave me was giving me a lot of nausea.)
On the down side, you have to pay for parking, but again on the plus side, when I left today, the parking lady gave me a jar of blackberry jam! What!!! That’s not even possible. BUT IT IS, and I have the jam to prove it.

I had a horrible experience here. Dr Peterson is NOT a doctor I EVER want to see, nor would I ever recommend him to anyone.
I made this account just so I could write this post because I was so upset by the impersonal experience I had that I felt the need to share, so hopefully I can prevent any other individuals from having the same horrible experience. I shall start at the beginning…
Before I even arrived the receptionist gave me a lot of attitude over the phone because I couldn’t come in sooner. It just so happens I have a life that is extremely busy. It was the soonest I could come in and having to hear someone give me a hard time about it is NOT what I want to hear after a busy day.
First I arrive early. 1 minute before my scheduled appointment time someone else was called back for Dr. Peterson. This irritates me that they would book appointments so close together. I get the feeling this clinic is all about making money and not the client care.
Second I had a MRI scan I was brining for Dr. Peterson to take a look at. Some MRI doctor, affiliated with the place I got the MRI, who I never met and who did not know precisely where my point of pain when touched– wrote that he saw nothing in the scans. I am highly convinced I have a small bruise on my bone that when touched gets irritated and can be painful. So I know if I am having any sort of pain that it should have showed up on the scan. So Dr. Peterson spent maybe a minute looking at 7 scans out of at least 70+ scans. And then told me I was fine. I kindly asked Dr. Peterson if he would review the scans again and he refused repeating that I was «fine». Obviously he had more clients and needed to make more money which left him with not enough time to review my scans. SO instead, he PRESCRIBED me pain medication!!! How is it that he was willing to prescribe me pain killers BUT didn’t want to spend a little more time to review my scans and said I was FINE. I DONT GET IT! If I’m fine why prescribe me anything at all???
So Overall way I felt leaving:
–I felt like I was not being listened to
–Felt like I was not a priority
–Felt like the appointment was rushed
–why was I prescribed pain medication!!!
–WHY DIDN“T he make TIME to LOOK at my SCANS?!
A complete waste of my time to go to an appointment where nothing was accomplished except him making money. BIG FAIL.

The Sports Medicine Clinic is the best. They have everything you could need onsite. MRI, X-​Ray, Physical Therapy, Gait Analysis, etc. I love being able to see my knee doctor (Dr. Hsu) and my physical therapist in the same office. Their receptionist staff is very on top of things and always friendly. Overall, my experience at The Sports Medicine Clinic has been absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend them!

I love this place! I went there to see a foot specialist and met my primary care doc, Dr. Rothmeir!
The staff is awesome and they remember you even if you haven’t been in for months, I have only had positive experiences and would highly recommend them to anyone!

I had the best experience here today. Being in the healthcare field myself, I hear a lot about which doctors are well regarded (and not) in the medical community in which I work, and for that reason, I chose to see Dr. Ed Blahous for an ongoing foot issue I’ve had.
I could not be happier with my visit today. Everyone I encountered was friendly, quick, had fun with their jobs, and knew exactly what they were doing. Dr. Blahous was very personable, and while that is always a nice bonus, what really impressed me was the time he took to really give me a «once over». He didn’t just say, «Show me your foot and let’s get on with this». Rather, he compared my hips, my legs, my feet, asked me a lot of questions, teaching me along the way, watched me walk, didn’t force surgery on me like other DPM’s have in the past, got me fitted for custom orthotics, and made me feel like he really cared about a holistic approach, and not just a complaint based visit. Dr. Blahous made sure I understood everything he said, gave me options, and I learned more about what has been going on with my poor foot in that 30 minutes, than I’ve learned in the past decade of googling it online and seeking answers from other physicians.
This clinic is top-​notch. Everything from xray to cast fitting is under one room. I’m grateful I found them, and I would not recommend that you go anywhere else.

I have seen two physicians with this group: Justin Rothmier and Edward Blahous. Their offices have two locations, one in Ballard and another in the Northgate area. Both offices have professional and friendly staff with timely appointments. I prefer seeing them in Northgate because trying to snag street parking in Ballard can be a headache. It’s easier to pay a couple of dollars and have a quick space when you need it.
Rothmier and Blahous have excellent bedside manners with affable personalities. I’ve never had a difficult visit with either doctor. I recommend this clinic if you have any sort of orthopaedic issue. These doctors were also responsible for my referral to the folks over at Greenwood Physical Therapy, another five-​star business in my books.

My coworker recommended me this clinic when I had knee problems, But, I didn’t think I would need to see them so badly until I had a bike incident two years ago.
I rode my bike from Greenwood to Ballard by Trader Joe. My bike tires trapped in the rail track and I landed on my right elbow. Even though the bones were not broken, the tendons were messed up. I went in to the Sports Medicine Clinic the next day. Dr. Rothmier did a thorough checkup on my elbow and sent me for X-​ray. In addition, I was sent to physical therapy for 3 months.
Last year before I decided to run my first half-​marathon, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Hsu to address my knee problems and make sure I can run a half-​marathon. Dr. Hsu did a thorought checkup on my knees and sent me for X-​ray as well. In addition, he provided me a running plan for beginning runners. (I belive Dr. Hsu speaks Chinese Mandarin, but I’ve never tried to spoken to him in Chinese)
They have X-​ray tech is in the same office. Therefore, you don’t have to run back and forth between different places. The front desk staff is very friendly. Not to mention, they have a nice waiting area with big TVs and comfy chairs.

As a musician I totally bank on using my hands especially my left one (guitar), so when I developed a cyst in my money maker I started looking for a doctor immediately…
I found a hand specialist, Sarah Beshlian MD and booked an appointment.
Everyone whom I encountered were friendly and warm, everything was timely, but not rushed. I swear the x-​ray was completed in 2 minutes flat!
Dr.Beshlian was amazing. Very professional and accommodating, easy to talk to, explained my options well. And… I left with all my problems solved!
I would give her personally 5 stars, but chose to give 4 for the clinic as a whole. II downgraded one star due to the parking situation. They don’t validate, so you either have to try and finagle street parking and walk or pay skrill, which I didn’t realize until it was too late.
So if you ever have a hand injury, I highly recommend Dr. Beshlian whether you are an athlete or not.

Dr. Christian Peterson at the Sports Medicine Clinic literally saved me from an invasive shoulder surgery. I dislocated my shoulder and after getting an M.R.I. at Via Radiology (not recommended), four doctors looked at the report (not at the photos from the M.R.I.) and told me I was in need of surgery. One doctor even said, «there are no ‘ifs’, ‘ands’, or ‘buts’ about it, you need surgery asap». Another doctor said, «there’s no use in being in denial about this, you need shoulder surgery». What I think he meant to say was, «I’m not in denial about the fact that I want a big paycheck from cutting you open! How does Thursday sound?» Being very conservative about invasive procedures (and cautious of any doctor’s advice, for that matter), I kept seeing different doctors hoping for a different answer. Dr. Peterson was my 5^th and final shot.
Dr. Peterson was the ONLY doctor who actually took the time to view my M.R.I. pictures from the CD that I brought to each and every appointment. Upon looking at my photos, he informed me that the radiology report was «off» and that my shoulder injury, while serious, wasn’t in desperate need of surgery, unless I couldn’t repair it with diligent physical therapy work. Desperate for any solution other than surgery, I was willing to try it. He told me that if my shoulder continued to dislocate, THEN we would have a conversation about surgery, but not after just one incident in the last 10 years. I saw an amazing Physical Therapist (Mark Bouma at Olympic Physical Therapy in Mercer Island) and after many sessions and an education about the mechanics of my shoulder, I can say that I was healed. It has been three years and I have had no problems, no repeated injuries, and nothing but a big bunch of gratitude for this doctor who took the time to really explore what was going on with my shoulder.