Getting Patients Back in the Game with Great Outcomes
From high school sports teams to professional athletes — including serving as the team physician for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Dr. Chuck Peterson of Arizona Sports Medicine Center in Phoenix makes it his top priority to get patients back to the activities they love, fast.
Dr. Peterson has dedicated his entire career to interventional sports medicine, employing ultrasound technology from the very start of the practice he founded in 2003. As the first physician in the Phoenix area to offer ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release (UGCTR) in 2022, Dr. Peterson has performed more than 175 UGCTR procedures to date.
Patients sharing their positive and life-changing experiences with UGCTR with friends and family are the primary source of the ever-increasing number of referrals to Dr. Peterson. “They are ecstatic when they find out about the short recovery time, that they don’t have to have anesthesia, and that the incision is small. They are very motivated to move forward with UGCTR,” says Dr. Peterson.
Fast and Easy Recovery, Not Just for Athletes
Though athletes make up a majority of Dr. Peterson’s patients, they come from all walks of life, ages, and interests. Even fellow physicians have trusted Dr. Peterson to perform their UGCTR procedures. He recalls one physician he treated with UGCTR using UltraGuideCTR™ who took full advantage of the fast recovery time. “I did her UGCTR at the end of the day on a Thursday, and she was seeing patients at 8:00 AM the next day,” says Dr. Peterson.
Dr. Peterson’s UGCTR patients are amazed by the size of the scar compared to other surgical options. “They can’t believe the small incision site after the procedure compared to what they’ve seen with mini-open surgeries. Patients brag about their scars all the time and say, ‘Look, you can’t even see it,’ and that is very fulfilling for me,” says Dr. Peterson
Outcomes that Change Lives
Helping patients regain function is a source of personal pride for Dr. Peterson. So confident in UGCTR, he felt comfortable performing the procedure on his own father-in-law. “Doing this for him was so important to me because I could help somebody I really love,” says Dr. Peterson. “And I was able to get him back to his abilities in a way that was really helpful in his life.”
One patient who had suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome for 25 years stands out as a special point of pride for Dr. Peterson. He had been struggling to care for his daughter, who had been quadriplegic since high school. Extreme numbness caused him to severely injure his index finger without realizing it while working in his garage. “After the UGCTR, I would see him regularly, and we would talk about the impact it had on his life. He was so happy he could feel his hand again and be able to take care of his daughter.”
Congratulations, Dr. Peterson
For his dedication to superior outcomes that profoundly impact the lives of his patients, Dr. Peterson was recently named a Center of Excellence physician by the Institute of Advanced Ultrasound Guided Procedures and Sonex Health.
“To be honored with this distinction is wonderful,” says Dr. Peterson. “It’s a way for patients to discern that I’m experienced with UGCTR, which can help more patients suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome get treated with this procedure.”
Learn more about The Institute of Advanced Ultrasound Guided Procedures and our training programs to begin your MSK ultrasound training today.