Connecticut Magazine does an annual “doctor checkup” by sending surveys to Connecticut doctors asking them to reccommend a doctor (themselves excluded) that they would send a friend or family memebr to. The doctors that got the most “referrals” are included in the list.
Congratulations Dr. Olson for being the doctor that other doctors recommend.
Spring is in the air! It’s time to lace you your running shoes, dust off that tennis racket and hit the links. But before you “Spring into Action,” there are a few things you should know to help prevent and treat sports-related injuries.
Dr. Dennis Rodin, Section Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Saint Mary’s Hospital and partner at Waterbury Orthopaedic Associates, will offer tips to help you ease into your spring sports routine, along with advice on what to do if you overdo it. Knee and shoulder injuries can easily occur when people adopt new fitness routines or even just spend the weekend sprucing up the house or cleaning the yard.
Dr. Rodin will discuss the full range of treatment options available, including surgical and non-surgical solutions to help you maintain your healthy lifestyle.
Registration is free, but pre-registration is required by April 25. Register at the Saint Mary’s Hospital Website or call (203) 709-3312.
Connecticut Magazine does an annual “doctor checkup” by sending surveys to Connecticut doctors asking them to reccommend a doctor (themselves excluded) that they would send a friend or family memebr to. The doctors that got the most “referrals” are included in the list.
Congratulations Dr. Olson for being the doctor that other doctors recommend.
Every two years the best college-age Ultimate Frisbee players from each country around the world represent their nation in the World U-23 Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. In the US, five hundred women were nominated for the team. Coaches held tryouts for 100 women, with fifty player try outs on each coast, then selected a group of 24 National Team members to represent the US in July at the World Ultimate Games, in London, July 11-18, 2015. Lyra Olson, daughter of Dr. Eric Olson, was selected for this team. Dr. Olson will attend the games, serving as the US National team’s orthopaedic surgeon.
Lyra is thrilled to be a member of this elite group. She will be starting her senior year at Princeton University this fall, where she is studying Neuroscience. Lyra is a captain of Princeton’s Women’s Ultimate team, Lady Clockwork, which just completed its most successful season. The team won the “Metro East” Regional Tournament, defeating Columbia, Cornell, and UConn, which qualified them to go to the Division I (D-I), National Collegiate Championships, held May 22-24 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. No team from the Metro East Region had ever won a game at the D-I National Championship level until this year, when Princeton beat 8th seed Notre Dame, to finish 13th overall in the nation (USA Ultimate D-I College Championships).
Unlike most competitive sports, Ultimate Frisbee is self officiating, and emphasizes “The Spirit of the game” at all levels. Players call their own fouls, and treat their opponents with respect. To foster these ideals the Ultimate Frisbee organizing body has each team rate their opponents after every game on their spirit: knowledge of rules, handling of fouls, fairness, attitude, and communication. Among the Princeton teams accomplishments this year, being named 2015 National Championships Team Spirit Award Winner among the twenty best college women’s Ultimate teams is a true highlight. (2015 D-I College Spirit of the Game Report). Lyra Olson was selected for the individual spirit award for Princeton’s team. Lyra, and her co-captains Sherry Li, and Jane Urheim were also chosen 1st team All-Region for Metro East, with Jane winning player of the year.
Lyra has been chosen as “Spirit Captain” for the US national team. The team is playing together for the first time at a warm-up tournament in Eugene, Oregon, June 20-22. The team will have a week-long training camp this July, prior to traveling to London for the World games.
Dr. Eric Olson also played Ultimate Frisbee for Princeton, and is thrilled to help provide medical support to outstanding athletes playing Ultimate at the highest level on the world stage this summer. He also recommends “Vitamin F” that is playing catch with a Frisbee every day to enhance one’s enjoyment of life and sense of having fun.
Gary Welton is a 66-year-old Sales Rep. from Middleburg who was always on the go. An avid golfer and Tai Chi instructor, he also happens to be a 6th degree black belt in karate.
After chronic knee pain began to cramp Gary’s active lifestyle, he decided it was time to do something. He sought help from Waterbury Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Eric Olson. Gary underwent a complete personalized knee replacement procedure and says his experience with Dr. Olson and the orthopaedic team at Waterbury Hospital was “top notch. That’s why they’ve always been our hospital.”
The best part: Gary’s pain is gone and his active lifestyle is no longer on hold. He’s back to the golf course and teaching Tai Chi, with a brand new knee. Outstanding orthopaedic care, one more way we are fulfilling our commitment to provide you with world class healthcare right at home.
Dr. Mariani recently attended the Arthroscopy Association of North America 33rd Annual meeting to stay abreast of the most recent cutting edge research on arthroscopic treatment of shoulder and knee injuries. The highlights of the meeting included Dr. James Andrews speaking on the challenges learned as a team physician and the USA perspective on state of the art treatment of anterior shoulder instability. Italy was the guest nation at the meeting and leading Italian surgeons in the field of orthopedics shared their international expertise in the field of arthroscopy, including ACL injuries in soccer players.
Connecticut Magazine does an annual “doctor checkup” by sending surveys to Connecticut doctors asking them to reccommend a doctor (themselves excluded) that they would send a friend or family memebr to. The doctors that got the most “referrals” are included in the list.
Congratulations Dr. Olson for being the doctor that other doctors recommend.
Dr. Rodin recently passed the 2013 Maintenance of Certification Recertification Examination and has fulfilled all of the requirements of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery recertification process. He has also fulfilled the subspecialty recertification process for orthopaedic sports medicine.
This holiday season, Waterbury Orthopaedic Associates in association with the United Way conducted our first food drive. The drive was a great success and we would like to thank everyone that helped with the drive and of course those that donated the food. All items were donated to the Salvation Army to be distributed to those in need.
By Dr. Dennis Rodin | Special to the REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Sports-related concussions have gained a lot of attention over the past several years. The media has brought this to the forefront with coverage of injuries to NFL players as well as a current lawsuit against the league.
This lawsuit, the largest in sports history, involves more than 4,500 former NFL players suing the league for allegedly concealing information linking concussions to long-term brain damage. Management policies of the injury, including criteria for return to play, have come into question.
The NHL has not been immune to this problem either with current star Sidney Crosby missing substantial playing time and former players Eric and Brett Lindros having had multiple concussions, forcing Brett to retire at age 20. The increased awareness of concussions and its potential long-term effects is now seen at the high school level. This is particularly relevant this time of year with football season underway.
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by direct or indirect forces to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body. Symptoms are typically broken down into four categories: physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep. Physical complaints most commonly involve headaches but may also include dizziness, nausea and poor balance. Cognitive effects involve short-term memory loss and difficulty with concentration. Irritability, anger and sleep disturbance can also be seen.
Initial treatment of concussions is rest. This means removal from sport and avoiding any strenuous form of exercise. Cognitive rest is now also regarded as vital in the recovery process. Students may need to miss time from school until their memory and mental processing have returned to normal. Most symptoms of a concussion will resolve within two weeks.
Before consideration for return to play is made, an athlete must be symptom-free at rest. Then they are started on a rehabilitation program, which entails a slow transition back to both physical and cognitive activities. If a player is returned too soon, they are at increased risk of developing second impact syndrome which can have catastrophic results including death. This is most commonly seen in the adolescent athlete.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually. Many of these occur in high school athletes with the most numbers seen in football players. Adolescents are more vulnerable to concussions when compared to adults. This may be because their brains are not fully developed, and skulls are thinner at younger ages.
Changes in concussion protocols have trickled down from professional sports to collegiate and high school levels. This has led to rule changes including increased protection of “defenseless” players and barring tackling when leading with the head. Medical professionals and coaches now understand the need to err on the side of caution when dealing with concussions, and immediately removing a player from action suspected of having a head injury.
Increased media coverage of this injury has led to a change in culture among football players. Players, coaches, parents, and medical professionals alike have taken a more cautious approach in dealing with concussions. “Getting your bell rung” is a more serious injury than once thought.
Dr. Dennis Rodin is a physician at Waterbury Orthopaedic Associates with Drs. Eric Olson and Michelle Mariani.
Reprinted from the article in the Waterbury Republican.