Baby boomers love baseball. The two go together like apple pie and ice cream. Unfortunately, baby boomers and knee replacement surgeries are also a common coupling. And, studies show, if the increasing demand for knee replacement surgery continues at its current rate, by 2016 a whopping seventy-two percent of requested knee replacements will not be performed. Injury prevention, therefore, is becoming as vital to boomers as their desire to stay fit.

For the past couple of decades, baby boomers have been taking full advantage of technological advances and surgical techniques to enable them to stay active well beyond the age at which their parents happily settled into the quiet times of their golden years.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the boomers’ forty-five to sixty-four-year-old age group accounted for over forty percent of the more than 906,000 total knee or total hip replacement surgeries in 2009. Among the most successful procedures in medicine, it has been predicted that in the not too distant future physicians won’t be able to keep up with the increasing demand for total knee replacements surgery.

With an estimated American population of 72 to 79 million baby boomers – and so many intent on leading an active lifestyle well into their seventies and beyond – Fox Valley Orthopedic (FVO) recommends implementing a regimen of sports injury prevention as a way to ensure your body is able to perform at its optimum for as long as possible…and to avoid surgery.

“Baseball is one of the top three culprits for sports injuries in boomers,” says Dr. James Sostak, a former professional baseball player and sports medicine surgeon at FVO. “While it’s important for baby boomers to stay active and continue to participate in the sports they’ve always loved, a fifty-year-old body isn’t as invincible as a twenty-year-old body.”

Attention to safety and injury prevention can go a long way:

• Prepare to play with a pre-season physical exam in order to identify potential health problems such as allergies, asthma, heart, or orthopedic conditions.
• Avoid the “weekend warrior” syndrome by getting a minimum of thirty minutes of exercise each day.
• Increase exercise amounts gradually, by just a little each day.
• Balance exercise regimens by incorporating cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility.
• Warm up and stretch before every game with easy calisthenics, such as jumping jacks and/or a light running of the bases. Be sure to gently stretch your back, hamstrings, and shoulders.
• Wear properly fitting, position- and gender-specific equipment.
• Cool down after playing with gentle stretching to prepare your body for the game, and make recovery from exercise easier.
• Listen to your body, and modify your activity to accommodate your older body’s needs.

As a new season of outdoor sports begins, the KC Chronicle, Fox Valley Orthopedics, and the Kane County Cougars have once again joined forces with the STOP Sports Injury campaign. They’re kicking into high gear this sports season with a new theme; Be Unstoppable, Play Safe and Stay Strong…all in an effort to encourage kids to stay in the game of sports for life.

Watch for monthly columns from Fox Valley Orthopedics’ (FVO) sports medicine physicians – as well as tips on how to Be Unstoppable this sports season – in the newspaper and social media. And this summer, FVO will be launching its comeback athlete award, to share inspiring stories of an athlete who has returned from injury and adversity.

To kick off the baseball season, here are several quick prevention tips from FVO’s sports medicine surgeon, Dr. Kevan Ketterling, who just returned from spring training with the KC Cougars in Arizona, where each player was given a pre-season physical:

• Prepare to play with a pre-season physical exam to help identify potential health problems such as allergies, asthma, heart, or orthopedic conditions.
• Wear properly fitting, position- and gender-specific equipment.
• Balance your daily exercise regimen by incorporating cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility.
• Warm up and stretch before every game with easy calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, a light running of the bases, and gradual throwing…be sure to gently stretch your back, hamstrings, and shoulders.
• Be well-rounded…scouts look for athletes who are adept at cross training.
• Ensure a safe environment by inspecting the playing field for holes, divots, glass, and/or other debris.
• Mix it up…play a variety of positions, and never play year-round.
• Cool down after playing with gentle stretching to prepare your body for the game, and make recovery from exercise easier.

The campaign provides meaningful and relevant information to the community about the rapid increase in youth sports injuries, the necessary steps to help reverse the trend, and the vital growing need to keep young athletes healthy. Visit www.fvortho-goplay.com for leading information on sports medicine or www.stopsportsinjuries.com. Now is the perfect time to get in the game and help our youth play safe and stay strong. If you are interested in having one of our sports medicine physicians speak to your school, team, or organization, please call Sharon Schreiber at 630-945-1787.

Lindsay Zucco, a physical therapist with CoSport demonstrates an exercise for runners during one of Fox Valley Orthopedics Running Clinics

Many people run for the sheer joy of it. Running inspires a sense of freedom, but it does place an enormous demand on your entire body…especially your legs and feet. Balance in your whole body will help you win the race.

“Maintaining proper structural balance in your body is the key to making it to the starting line healthy and race ready,” says Lindsay Zucco, a physical therapist at FVO’s CoSport.

In order to avoid problems with misaligned joints or tendons and muscles that have become irritated, inflamed, weak, and/or tight, Zucco recommends a variety of strengthening and lengthening exercises designed to balance the entire body:

Shin splint prevention

• Gastroc and soleus stretch to lengthen
• Toe taps to strengthen

Low back pain prevention

• Half kneeling hip flexor stretch to lengthen
• Plank core work to strengthen

Knee pain prevention

• Quad stretch, ITB (iliotibial band) foam rolling, to lengthen
• Side steps with tubing to strengthen

Shoulder impingement prevention

• Corner stretch to lengthen
• Rowing to strengthen

Zucco’s article, Maintaining Structural Balance, was recently published in the national runner’s publication Tri Magazine. For a complete description of the balancing exercises above download the PDF document.

In addition to a solid regimen of balancing exercises, avoiding problems such as Achilles and ankle problems, bursitis, shin splints, tendonitis and others requires a little foot TLC. FVO recommends starting the running season off right by putting footwear at the top of your runner’s ‘to do’ list:

• Know your foot type. A flat-footed runner has different needs than someone with high arches. Some running stores offer tests to help determine foot type and, by extension, shoe type.
• Consider your foot type, injury history, and specific needs when choosing shoes. For example, motion control running shoes are for runners requiring a stable shoe, or for those who’re flat-footed. And trail running shoes – with their knobby soles – are helpful for those who run on difficult surfaces.
• Provide cushioning and stability to your foot by selecting shoes with sufficient shock absorption qualities and solid shoe construction.
• Buy footwear late in the day when your foot is at its largest.
• Give yourself some wiggle room…ensure there’s a half an inch or so between the end of your longest toe and the end of your shoe.
• Replace your shoes every year. Shoes lose a lot of their oomph after 4 or 5 hundred miles or so of running.
• Alternate shoes to prevent wear and decrease foot stress.
• And remember to deal with injuries quickly. Many people miss out on summer marathons because they let persistent injuries go on for far too long. Consult an orthopedic specialist if you’re in any pain.

If you’re a runner, and have questions or problems you’d like to discuss, call Lindsay Zucco at CoSport: (630) 584-1411.

GENEVA, IL – This summer, two Fox Valley Orthopedic (FVO) surgeons made the US News Top Doctors’ list. This honor places doctors Kevan Ketterling and Craig Torosian in the top ten percent of physicians nationally. But they’ve been considered to be outstanding by Fox Valley patients for years, according to FVO patient satisfaction surveys.

US News Top Doctors is a searchable directory listing nearly 30,000 peer-nominated physicians across the United States. The list was compiled from a database of physicians recommended for their clinical skills; a physician-led research team has appraised every Top Doctor on the list.

Dr. Kevan Ketterling has cared for thousands of tri-city athletes, weekend warriors, and sports enthusiasts working to get back into play. A sports medicine specialist, Ketterling serves as team physician for the Kane County Cougars as well as St. Charles East and North High Schools. He has also been active in the community, organizing sports physicals for local high school athletes for nineteen years. A frequent contributor of sports injury articles to both the medical community and the press, Ketterling is also the author of several journal articles on sports medicine.

Dr. Craig Torosian is known for his innovations in hand surgery, as well as non-invasive alternatives. His areas of expertise involve hand, elbow, and microsurgery, with a special interest in complex upper extremity surgeries. As the author of numerous articles on hand surgery and children’s orthopedics, Torosian is a prolific lecturer on a diverse range of orthopedic topics.

“We’re thrilled with the Top Doctors’ honor, but already consider all of FVO’s physicians to be top doctors who are innovators in the orthopedic community,” says Mary O’Brien, who – as FVO’s chief executive officer – oversees the entire Fox Valley operation.

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ABOUT FOX VALLEY ORTHOPEDICS (FVO)

Fox Valley Orthopedics was founded in 1973 in Geneva, Illinois for the purpose of providing exceptional comprehensive orthopedic care in an environment that puts patients first. As a recognized leader in orthopedics, the practice is the first group in the area to offer fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons experienced in joint replacement, sports medicine, arthroscopic surgery, shoulder surgery, hand and arm surgery, foot and ankle surgery, spine surgery, pain management, rheumatology, and pediatric orthopedic care. FVO also includes CoSport physical therapy, an ambulatory surgery center, and an advanced imaging center. Dedicated to the community, FVO provides athletic trainers in many local high schools and is the official team physician group for the Kane County Cougars. The practice serves communities throughout Chicago with offices in Geneva, Elgin, and Naperville. For more information, go to http://www.fvortho.com.

GENEVA, ILLINOIS –– Fox Valley Orthopedics (FVO) announces the addition of a new orthopedic sports medicine surgeon, Dr. James P. Sostak II, to its growing team of physicians.

Dr. Sostak specializes in treating all types of sports-related injuries, including trauma to the shoulder, knee, ankle, and foot. He will begin seeing patients on September 1.

Dr. Sostak received his Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgery Fellowship from the prestigious Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Nuys after completing his residency at the Medical College of Affiliated Hospitals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is currently board eligible.

With numerous publications under his belt, including having written a book chapter for The Throwing Shoulder, Dr. Sostak is an orthopedic sports medicine expert.

A licensed surgeon in Illinois, Wisconsin, and California, Dr. Sostak has been a team physician for Milwaukee Public Schools High School Varsity Football, NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey at Concordia University in Wisconsin, LA Valley Community College Football, and for Canyon High School Varsity Football in Canyon Country California.

No stranger to sports himself, Dr. Sostak played professional baseball for the Illinois Rockford Riverhawks. And, during his four years as a member of the Benedictine University baseball team, Dr. Sostak was voted most improved player and most valuable player during two seasons. An honored professional baseball player on NCAA’s Verizon Academic All-American Baseball Team, he set the current NCAA men’s baseball record for most consecutive hits with fifteen.

“My wife and I are honored to have this opportunity to become part of such a lively, thriving community,” says Dr. Sostak. “I’ve dedicated my life to sports and orthopedic care, FVO is a perfect match for both my professional and personal interests.”

To schedule an appointment call Fox Valley Orthopedics at 630-584-1400.

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ABOUT FOX VALLEY ORTHOPEDICS (FVO)

FVO was founded in 1973 in Geneva, Illinois for the purpose of providing exceptional comprehensive orthopedic care in an environment that puts patients first. The Institute provides a vast range of bone and joint surgery and care through its advanced imaging center, ambulatory surgery center, and CoSport physical therapy. Dedicated to the community, Fox Valley Orthopedics provides athletic trainers in many local high schools and is the official team physician group for the Kane County Cougars. The practice serves communities throughout Chicago with offices in Geneva, Elgin, and Naperville. For more information, go to www.fvortho.com or www.fvortho.com-goplay.

Lindsay Zucco, a certified physical therapist and elite triathlete who has competed around the world, will present RunningSmart, geared to women. Eric Ott, owner of Geneva Running Outfitters, will also be on hand to present the latest and greatest innovations in footwear.

Thursday, June 16th
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Fox Valley Orthopedics North Building
CoSport Physical Therapy Center
2535 Soderquist Court
Geneva, IL

This special running clinic for women focuses
on getting into shape for running, learning how to avoid injury,
and understanding the latest innovations in running gear.

Whether it’s your first time out, you’re trying to get back into shape, or you’re preparing for a marathon, let CoSport’s RunningSmart Clinic be your guide.

RunningSmart is a free clinic. Registration is required.

Contact Dawn Coghlan, Director of Clinical Operations at Fox Valley Orthopedic Institute, to register: 630-524-0132 / dawnc@fvortho.com.