Harvey Brings Tennis Focus to Children’s Mercy

In 2019, the USTA Missouri Valley joined with Children’s Mercy Kansas City in partnership.

One of the main actors in making the partnership happen was Dr. Brian Harvey, a sports medicine specialist. Harvey, a former collegiate tennis player, has also played a large role in bringing tennis-specific medical initiatives to Children’s Mercy.

One of those initiatives involves Children’s Mercy’s Human Performance Lab, which uses 3D motion-capture technology to analyze the body.

“In the performance lab you can work on serve mechanics,” Harvey said. “We can look at anything from what the elbow and shoulder are doing, to what their lower body is doing.”

Harvey also helped set up educational seminars hosted by Children’s Mercy, covering topics such as nutrition, mental health and the return to tennis in the wake of COVID-19. 

Ultimately, Harvey wants to continue building tennis medicine at Children’s Mercy. As a former tennis player, he knows all too well the ways that tennis can take a toll on an individual’s body.

“I went through some injuries in high school, college and as an adult, and I thought it was important to combine my love for tennis on the court with what I do professionally as a sports medicine physician,” he said. 

Using his knowledge of the sport, Harvey is able to relate personally to what other tennis players might be going through when they visit his office. This can help put players at ease, making them more comfortable even when they might be confronting a scary injury.