Emory Healthcare and the Atlanta Falcons held a ribbon cutting today, officially opening the doors to a new musculoskeletal and sports medicine clinic, located at the IBM Performance Fields, home of the Atlanta Falcons. The Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center at Flowery Branch will provide a new location for patients in surrounding communities, while also being an access point for the Falcons organization and players who may need diagnostic imaging or to be seen by a sports medicine expert. 

The new state-of-the-art clinic, approximately 29,000 square feet, signifies a long-term relationship between the Atlanta Falcons and Emory Healthcare. In 2018, Emory Healthcare became the Official Team Healthcare Provider, adding onto its existing role as the medical provider of the Atlanta Falcons.

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Also located on site, and opening its doors to the public, is the Emory Sports Performance and Research Center, focusing on the science of human performance to support injury prevention and recovery in young athletes and professionals.

“We are excited to officially open this unique orthopaedics and spine clinic where the general public along with members of the Atlanta Falcons organization, can go for world-class sports medicine and musculoskeletal treatment and care,” says Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, CEO of Emory Healthcare. “Emory orthopaedics experts will care for patients and players under one roof, while also looking at ways to help young teenage athletes and professionals alike prevent and fully rehabilitate from injuries so they can perform at their best.”

“The Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center at Flowery Branch is the newest design in the orthopaedics and sports medicine fields, allowing us to establish an unprecedented level of medical-care integration with the Atlanta Falcons and with the general public, all backed by the state of the art in sport science innovation and technology,” says Scott D. Boden, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine. “Whether you are an elite athlete, a weekend warrior, a student athlete or someone aging gracefully and living in the rapidly growing Flowery Branch area, you won't have to travel far to receive Emory’s exceptional care for any musculoskeletal ailment. Patients will be able to ‘Go Where the Players Go’ to receive orthopaedic care.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Emory Healthcare in bringing this state-of-the-art facility to Flowery Branch and the Falcons campus,” says Rich McKay, president and CEO, Atlanta Falcons. “Emory is one of the leading medical systems in Georgia and around the country. Its integrated approach in innovation, education, discovery and health care delivery is not only vital to the health and well-being of our players, but also for our communities. Having the facility in such proximity is a game-changer for our team.”

The new clinic, with 16 patient exam rooms and two exam/treatment rooms on an adjacent side of the building for the Atlanta Falcons, will offer the latest innovative technology to assist in the care of patients and players. This includes: two 3.0 Tesla MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners, with one dedicated for research, that provide premier imaging quality in a fraction of traditional scan times, digital X-ray machines which offer clearer images and less radiation than contemporary models and quick and remote reviewing of imaging via Emory’s extensive provider network of subspecialists, as needed.

In addition to providing the highest level of sports-related care, Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center at Flowery Branch will provide diagnostic services and treatment options for all spine and orthopaedic conditions, as well as onsite physical therapy. This allows for a seamless transition between the provider and therapist to implement an individualized treatment plan under one roof.

The Emory Sports Performance and Research Center

Serving as one of the most sophisticated and technology driven sports-motion analysis centers in the world, the Emory Sports Performance and Research Center at Flowery Branch will focus on the science of human performance to optimize strategies for injury prevention and recovery in young athletes all the way to professionals. The 5,000 square foot research facility is fully digitized for real-time 3D motion and joint force analysis combined with the most advanced imaging technologies, supporting unparalleled and seamless integration of neuroscience with biomechanics.

More than 150 motion-analysis capture cameras that fully digitize the facility will acquire detailed joint movements and abnormal loading on joints. Motion analysis technologies are also uniquely combined with advanced MRIs that will allow the research team to explore strategies to retrain the brain for optimized muscle performance.

Virtual and augmented reality technology integrated with 3D motion analysis simulate realistic on-the-field play, along with a strength and conditioning training area, both to aide in reduction of injury risk in athletes and making sure they are ready to return safely to play to minimize the chance of re-injury.

“By studying how young people and seasoned athletes perform and play sport in our immersive virtual reality scenarios, we are positioned to identify risk factors from brain to muscle that underlie increased injury risk,” says Greg Myer, PhD, director of the Emory Sports Performance and Research Center. “Through these technologies we are now positioned better than ever to help athletes prevent injuries before they happen by training them to optimize movement performance during play.”

Myer goes on to say, “It is possible that nearly half of ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) knee injuries can be prevented by researching an athlete’s movements and implementing techniques to prevent those injuries early in that athlete’s career.”

Concussion rehabilitation and prevention will also be a top focus area for research at Emory’s Sports Performance and Research Center.

The new Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center at Flowery Branch and Emory Sports Performance and Research Center are located at 4450 Falcon Parkway in Flowery Branch. To schedule an appointment at either location, call 404-778-3350 or visit here.

Architectural firm Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio designed the new facility with Darden & Company serving as the project manager. Contractors include Carroll Daniel Construction Company for base building and the Structor Group as interior contractors.