Posts Tagged ‘sports medicine’

Georgia Native Kevin Ware Ready to Get Back to Action Quickly!

April 2nd, 2013 By Emory Sports Medicine

Dr. Spero Karas

Dr. Spero Karas

University of Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware sustained a bad injury while playing in an Elite 8 basketball game on Sunday. He quickly was taken to the hospital for surgery and was up on crutches on Monday!

Emory Sports Medicine physician Spero Karas, MD says Kevin’s prognosis should be good. Karas has treated similar fractures in his tenure at the Emory Sports Medicine Center. He anticipates Kevin could be healed in six – nine months if he doesn’t face any complications and starts rehabilitation immediately.

Watch Dr. Karas’ interview with CNN

Fredricka Whitfield talks to Dr. Spero Karas, about Kevin Ware’s gruesome leg break and his rehabilitation.

Watch another interview with CBS

About Dr. Spero Karas
Dr. Karas is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Emory University and the Head Team Physician for the Atlanta Falcons. He is also the Director of the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at Emory University School of Medicine. His specialties include sports medicine, surgery of the shoulder and knee, and arthroscopic surgery. He came to Emory in 2005, after serving as Chief of the Shoulder Service and team physician at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He is Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery, with a subspecialty certification in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. He is a consulting team physician for Emory University and Georgia Tech athletics. He cares for patients and athletes of all levels: professional, collegiate, scholastic, and recreational.

Dr. Karas was recognized as one of America’s “Top Orthopaedic Doctors” in Men’s Health Magazine April 2007 and “Top Sports Medicine Specialists for Women” in Women’s Health Magazine. Atlanta Magazine has named him “Atlanta’s Most Trusted Sports Medicine Specialist” for the past three years. Dr. Karas is an internationally recognized expert in the field of shoulder, knee, and sports medicine.

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Advancing the Possibilities in Orthopedic, Sports Medicine & Spine Care

January 7th, 2013 By Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center

Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital AtlantaEmory Healthcare is known for its strong focus on patients and families, as well as its sharp attention to detail in Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Spine Care. At Emory, we have the most highly trained orthopaedic and spine specialists in the country working together to diagnose and treat a wide variety of orthopaedic, spine and sports medicine conditions. Our physicians use innovative approaches to care – many of them pioneered via research right here at Emory – to ease your pain and get you back to the life you love. We bring all aspects of musculoskeletal diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation together in one location – from state-of-the-art CT and MRI to a world-class outpatient surgery center and physical therapy suite– at the Emory University Orthopaedics and Spine Hospital (EUOSH).

Many of our musculoskeletal inpatient procedures occur at EUOSH, which is unlike any other facility in Georgia. When planning for this hospital, doctors, nurses and patients presented their wish lists, and we worked tirelessly to bring our patients the care that set the standards and raises the bar higher than ever. The hospital has been completely renovated to provide our orthopaedic, spine and sports medicine patients with access to exceptional service and the most advanced, sophisticated technology tailored specifically to their unique needs. The combination of our unique facility amenities at EUOSH and our team’s dedication to truly patient- and family-centered care allow us to provide an unparalleled level of musculoskeletal care to the Atlanta and Georgia communities. Find out more in the video below:

We pride ourselves on being uniquely focused on patient satisfaction and comfort. In fact, we call upon 75 various patient committees and have adopted listening practices to ensure that we fully understand the needs of the patient. Further, we make it a point to avoid being married to any sort of protocol; for example, there’s no limit on patient visiting hours, and family members are welcome to sit with patients right up until the time of surgery.

Our efforts have not gone unnoticed—we’re proud to say that we have over a 90% satisfaction rate among our patients. Every room is equipped with everything a patient could possibly need for a comfortable recovery, including an interactive television that offers hospital information, a “my education” feature, access to the patient’s chart, health notes, and of course, regular TV channels and movie options.

Emory truly strives to exceed patient expectations every day. Learn more about our Orthopaedic, Spine and Sports Medicine care by watching this short video.

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Emory Sports Medicine Puts Former Falcons Player Back in the Game After Jones Fracture

March 1st, 2012 By Emory Sports Medicine

Atlanta Falcons Jones Fracture Sports MedicineA couple of years ago, a young recruit of the Atlanta Falcons football team was running during practice when his cleat got caught in the turf, a misstep that led to him both twisting and breaking his foot. The injury turned out to be what’s known as a “Jones fracture,” which is a very specific break in one of the bones in the midportion of the foot.

The Falcons recruit went out of state for surgery to insert a screw in his foot that would secure the bone while it healed, but his injury never healed properly, and on the first day of football practice the next year, he rebroke his foot. This time, he decided to find a surgeon in the Atlanta area and was referred to Dr. Sam Labib, director of the foot and ankle service at the Emory Sports Medicine Center.

During his time practicing at Emory, Dr. Labib has become very familiar with the Jones fracture. “As it turned out, at Emory, we had done extensive anatomic research on this particular type of injury and knew the ideal location for the screw,” he says. “When he came in for surgery, we removed the screw, cleaned up the bone, and replaced the screw in a better, more stable area.”

“Because we are a research environment as well as a surgical practice, we have a wealth of information and experience to bring to bear on injuries such as the Jones fracture,” Dr. Labib says. “Doing anatomic research is like drawing a map for surgery. With practice, we can effectively calculate the path of the screw and place it in the most solid position. Our patients benefit from this research and expertise.”

According to Dr. Labib, a Jones fracture typically takes a minimum of three months to heal. In the football player’s case, the fracture healed beautifully after his surgery at Emory, and he was back to training just three months later.

Have you had foot surgery, or would you like to learn more about foot surgery at Emory? We welcome your questions and feedback for Dr. Labib in the comments section below.

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What is a Biomechnical Injury?

December 22nd, 2011 By Dr. Amadeus Mason

Dr. Amadeus Mason of Emory Sports Medicine explains biomechanical injuries and how they can be prevented and treated.

Biomechanical Injury

In sports medicine, we see a lot of biomechanical injuries. A biomechanical injury is caused by the overuse or incorrect use of a joint or muscle. This type of injury generally occurs when the joint has been stressed in the wrong way or overstressed repetitively over a short period of time. While any joint can sustain a biomechanical injury, at the Emory Sports Medicine Center, I see a lot of runners who come in complaining of knee pain.

Iliotibial band syndrome, or ITBS, is a biomechanical injury. It usually presents as pain on the outer side of the knee and is a common complaint among middle-distance runners or in athletes when they try to do too much running too quickly. This usually occurs early in the season or when athletes increase the intensity of their training, e.g., moving up from 5K to 10K distance.

To prevent a biomechanical injury, no matter where in the body it is, you need to be cognizant of how you’re stressing your joints and give your body enough time to accommodate the increased stress. If you’re a runner, start slow with low mileage (1–2 miles) and a moderate pace and slowly increase distance or intensity, but not both. If you’re lifting, start with a lighter amount of weight and a higher number of reps in each set and then, as you increase the weight, decrease the number of reps per set.

If you think you might have a biomechanical injury, you should be evaluated by a sports medicine specialist who understands biomechanical injuries. He or she can correctly determine the source of your pain and initiate the appropriate interventions so you can get better. If you’re in pain but not sure what type of injury you have, don’t take chances—come see a specialist here at the Emory Sports Medicine Center.

Things to Keep in Mind if You Have (Or Suspect You Have) a Biomechanical Injury:

  • This type of injury will not just “heal on its own” with rest. You need to address the cause of the pain, or the symptoms will come back when you return to whatever activity caused the pain in the first place.
  • Don’t push through the pain. This pain is telling you that you’re doing something wrong. This is not a no-pain, no-gain situation.
  • There’s no quick fix. There’s no pill or quick shot that can cure a biomechanical injury. The best approach is to correct the problem using a holistic approach, which may include therapy, medications, modalities, and injections (as needed). Physiotherapy, in conjunction with steroid injections or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, can help reduce inflammation and, in turn, alleviate pain and facilitate addressing the underlying biomechanical issues. This is why it’s important to seek the help of someone who understands this type of injury.

Have you had a biomechanical injury? We’d like to hear about your experience. Please take a moment to give us feedback in the comments section below.

Dr. Amadeus MasonAbout R. Amadeus Mason, MD:

R. Amadeus Mason, MD, is an assistant professor in the Orthopaedics and Family Medicine departments at Emory University. He is board certified in Sports Medicine with a special interest in track and field, running injuries and exercise testing. He has been trained in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound and platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection. Dr. Mason is Team Physician for USA Track and Field and the National Scholastic Sports Foundation Tucker High School, and Georgia Tech Track and Field.

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Female High School Soccer Players 64% More Likely to Suffer from Concussions Than Males

November 7th, 2011 By Morgan Griffith

Female athletes concussion riskShe’s only 16, but she’s already been playing soccer for over a decade. In that time, Alex Anne Matthews, a junior at the Lovett School in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, has broken several bones and sustained two concussions. Unfortunately, according to a new study, the injuries Alex has sustained over her currently 12-year-long soccer career are not only common, but more common for female high school soccer players than males.

During a soccer game on September 4th of this year, Alex hit the ground with force. “She came up from behind me and slide-tackled my feet out from under me, and I landed on my side, and the first thing to hit the ground was my head,” she recalls. Alex’s parents looked on as it happened, and as her mother, Anne Matthews puts it, “Alex Anne got up like she always does and staggered a little to her right. And Chip and I looked at each other and went, ‘that doesn’t look good.”

Despite a noticeable headache, Alex charged on and played in a second soccer game that same afternoon, but it wasn’t too long before routine concussion symptoms: nausea, dizziness, and blurred vision set in. According to Dr. Kenneth Mautner of Emory Sports Medicine, “There’s actually sheering forces that occur inside the brain, and the brain literally gets shaken inside the skull.”

But, according to a new study, it’s much more common (64% more common, in fact)  for female high school soccer players such as Alex  to sustain concussions than it is for males playing the same sport. So what makes concussions more common for female soccer players? Dr. Mautner says it could be a few things.

“Something just as simple as girls report concussions more because they’re more likely to say when they’re hurt and not feeling well,” according to Mautner, could be one reason. There is also evidence to show that stronger neck muscles in men and their ability to absorb shock more effectively may lower their concussion risk, or that hormones may make female athletes more susceptible to sustaining an injury.

Female athletes may also take longer to recover from concussions. For both men and women, however, Dr. Mautner emphasizes the importance of not returning to the field too soon. “There’s no one test to say you’re ready or you’re not ready, so we see how their symptoms are. They need to be completely asymptomatic at rest, they need to be asymptomatic with exertion.”

The findings of the study are not intended to alarm parents or child athletes, but rather, to help raise awareness around concussion symptoms and the importance of taking heed to them when they present themselves. Nausea, headaches, confusion, drowsiness, sensitivity to noise and dizziness are a few of the most common concussion symptoms.

Thankfully for Alex, six weeks after sustaining her most recent concussion, she is back on the field and pursuing her next goal, to play soccer in college. We’ll be keeping an eye out for her on ESPN in the coming years.

For more information on Dr. Mautner or Emory Sports Medicine, visit: www.emoryhealthcare.org/sports-medicine

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Not Just on the Sidelines: Emory Sports Medicine Doctors Work with the Atlanta Falcons On & Off the Field

August 15th, 2011 By Dr. Karas

Dr. Spero Karas Atlanta Falcons Team Doctor

Source: Atlanta Falcons Website

The Atlanta Falcons recently contracted Emory Sports Medicine physicians to help manage the team’s sports medicine needs. I am honored to now serve as the Falcons’ head team physician; my colleague, Dr. Jeff Webb, is the assistant team physician. Now that football season is finally upon us, we’re staying busy!

We’re excited to be bringing expert care to the Falcons in a three-prong approach that includes:

  • Athletic performance improvement – strength training and conditioning, biomechanical corrections, and injury prevention through corrective exercises and through training that improves flexibility, flexibility, posture, gait, and overall core strength and strength and balance.
  • Athletic training – the care and prevention of injuries through treatment, taping and orthotics, bracing, heat, ultrasound, muscle stimulation and similar methods.
  • Sports medicine – surgical and medical care of injuries and illnesses

As head team physician, I direct the sports medicine prong, working closely with Dr. Webb and drawing on all the resources of Emory Sports Medicine and Emory Healthcare so that, whatever the problem, I can rely on the finest specialists in the field. The Falcons play really hard and end up with many interesting injuries and illnesses. It’s my job to make sure that the Falcons are wrapped in a complete blanket of world-class care. Emory Sports Medicine offers comprehensive services and renowned experts who can cater to the needs of each player and his specific injury.

As you can see, our work will extend far beyond the sidelines of the games, but Dr. Webb and I will also be there on the sidelines for every game, assessing injuries, and providing care.

I’m really looking forward to being at the games with the Falcons, though it does require me to separate the football fan in me from the physician, taking a more analytic approach to the game. When the Falcons score a touchdown, I’ll be focused not on the elation of the moment or the guy who brought it into the end zone, but on all eleven guys who just contributed to that score. I’ll make sure they’re properly hydrated and that there are no issues arising from their ongoing injuries. I have to be more aware of the medical situation rather than getting too caught up in the excitement of the game.

I’m very proud to be the Falcons’ head team physician, but ultimately my job is to provide the best, most competent care in order to insure the health and safety of each athlete. I’ll save my own celebrating for later, when the job is done.

See how Dr. Karas and the team at Emory Sports Medicine is working with the Atlanta Falcons in this short video, “Meeting the New Team Physician,” on the Atlanta Falcons website.

About Dr. Spero Karas

Dr. Karas is the Director of the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Program and an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Emory University. His specialties include sports medicine, surgery of the shoulder and knee, and arthroscopic surgery. He is Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery, with a subspecialty certification in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. He currently serves as team physician for the Atlanta Falcons, Georgia Tech Baseball and Lakeside High School, as well as a consulting team physician for Emory University, Ogelthorpe University, Perimeter College, Oglethorpe University, Perimeter College, and Georgia Tech athletics. He cares for patients and athletes of all levels: professional, collegiate, scholastic, and recreational.

 

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Repairing Cartilage Injuries with Cartilage Transplants

November 30th, 2010 By Dr. Labib

cartilage repairDr. Sameh LabibWith another exciting football season well underway, athletes all over the country are putting enormous strains and stresses on their cartilage, the connective tissue between bones that absorbs shock and helps joints move smoothly. Cartilage is a remarkable tissue, but with such punishing forces applied to it, cartilage is sometimes damaged. A new procedure we’re studying at Emory Sports Medicine – cartilage transplantation – may offer an alternative approach to cartilage repair.

Cartilage damage is common in active people, particularly among those who play sports that involve lots of pivoting and twisting. Basketball, soccer, football… basically any sport involving a ball and running increases the risk of a cartilage injury, most commonly in the knees, ankles, and hips. In many cases, these injuries cause no serious, long-term problems. But sometimes a chip, divot, or hole in cartilage can cause significant pain and mechanical symptoms such as clicking, catching, and locking up of the affected joint.

Standard approaches to cartilage repair include scraping or smoothing the damaged cartilage, or poking a hole in the underlying bone to provoke a blood clot and a healing response. Emory Sports Medicine is one of only 25 centers around the country studying cartilage transplantation.

Cartilage transplantation repairs damaged cartilage with replacement cartilage. We mix the donated cartilage with fibren glue (a common medium for biological repairs), form it into a patch of the appropriate size and shape, and insert it into the damaged area. Low and behold, it knits with the surrounding cartilage, stays in place, and forms new, healthy cartilage.

Unlike with many organ transplants, a cartilage transplant does not provoke a harmful immune response that could lead to rejection of the transplant. Cartilage is “avascular”: it doesn’t have any blood elements in it for the body to reject. This is why cartilage heals so slowly on its own, but it is also why we are able to transplant it without risk of rejection. It is what we call “immune-privileged tissue,” tissue that does not provoke an immune response.

Cartilage transplantation is still a new procedure. The study in which Emory Sports Medicine is participating will help us better determine the pros and cons of it in comparison to other approaches to cartilage repair. Will a repair made with actual replacement cartilage offer an expedited or improved recovery? We don’t yet know, but I can’t wait to find out.

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