Kaiser creates a sports medicine center in north Modesto. Here’s a sneak peek
Kaiser Permanente is opening a sports medicine center in north Modesto, but it’s not just for star athletes or someone recovering from a mountain-biking crash.
“It’s for anyone active, who wants to stay active,” said Dr. Eric Larson, chief of sports medicine for Kaiser’s Central Valley region.
Kaiser said the 20,000-square-foot center on Pirrone Court in Salida, called the Sports Medicine Center at Modesto, is the largest of its kind in the Central Valley. The fully equipped facility, with art depicting athletes in peak performance, will open for patients Aug. 24.
A media tour Friday provided an introduction to the center, which features a 3,500-square-foot gymnasium, four private treatment rooms and 17 treatment bays.
It’s the latest addition to a growing array of health care facilities in Modesto. It will serve patients who enjoy active lifestyles from Modesto, Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop, Stockton, Turlock and other communities, said Steven Millar, assistant physician in chief.
Kaiser sports medicine has relationships with many high schools, the colleges in the region and professional teams in California, Larson said.
The Modesto sports medicine center was created to offer advanced care for adult and young patients, whether they were injured on the playing field or need physical therapy to resume daily activities.
An injured athlete might go to one location for radiology, visit a specialist and then undergo physical therapy at another office. But this kind of center puts the diagnostic medicine, treatment planning and physical therapy under one roof.
Larson said physicians will perform ultrasound procedures in private rooms, make an immediate diagnosis and develop a plan for treatment. Kaiser expects three doctors at the center will see 60 to 75 patients per day.
The center has a spacious gymnasium with equipment such as leg presses and zero-gravity treadmills. Larson pointed out the no-slip surfaces on a running lane and flooring in the center.
There’s an open excercise area for group sessions and tossing colorful balls to work on balance and restoring mobility. About 15 to 20 physician assistants and therapists will be working with patients, along with radiology technologists and athletic trainers.
The center is staffed to care for athletes who suffer concussions.
As another year of high school sports approaches, Millar said he expects to see the ACL injuries in women’s soccer, football and basketball, an injury that often takes six to nine months to heal.
Millar said that whatever the injury, the sports medicine team in Modesto works with the patients so they can return to doing what they love.
The center is designed with a focus on acute and chronic injuries from sports, recreation, exercise and daily activities. Treatment and therapy is tailored for the patient to restore movement and strength and prevent injury.
Larson said interventional medicine will include guided injections and some biological treatments such as platelet-rich plasma therapy.
Kaiser Permanente facilities are usually for the vast membership in its health insurance plans in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Most likely high school athletes treated at the new center will have Kaiser coverage through their parents.
The facility has some similarities with the Kaiser-operated Mission Bay Sports Medicine Center in San Francisco.
Kaiser also has a sports medicine facility and endurance lab in the Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings. The Oakland-based health care giant said it has more board-certified sports medicine physicians in Northern California than other health care systems.
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
