What is a Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician?

A Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician has a primary specialty in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Pediatrics, and has done an additional year of subspecialty training in sports medicine. They promote fitness and wellness and encourage prevention of injuries. They act as leader of a team including physical therapists, athletic trainers, coaches, and other physicians to care for the athlete.

What is the difference between a Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician and an Orthopedic Surgeon?

While both are well-trained in musculoskeletal medicine, primary care sports medicine physicians specialize in the non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. Approximately 90% of sports injuries are non-operative. Sports medicine physicians can expedite the referral to orthopedic surgeons as needed, or guide referral to appropriate rehabilitation care as indicated.
Common Problems :

• Acute Injuries: i.e. ankle sprains, muscle strains, knee injuries, shoulder injuries, fractures
• Overuse Injuries: tendonitis, stress fractures
• Mild traumatic brain injuries and other closed head injuries
• Female Athlete Triad
• Nutrition, Supplements, Ergogenic Aids, and performance issues
• Return to play decisions in the sick/injured athlete
• Injury Prevention

Do Sports Medicine Physicians Only Care for Competitive Athletes?

NO! Sports Medicine Physicians are excellent resources for individuals who wish to become active, for the "weekend warrior", or for the "industrial athlete". The same expertise used for the competitive athlete can be applied to return any individual to full function as quickly as possible.

Aqua Arthritis and Aqua Arthritis Plus
This is a recreational class with a focus on exercise specific to those suffering with arthritis or arthritis symptoms. Instructors are Arthritis Foundation trained. A strong social environment encompasses the class. Intensity varies according to individual abilities. Pool is a warm 89 degrees, suitable for easing and unloading those aching joints while enhancing your individual fitness level. The "Plus" class has an additional focus on aerobic conditioning.

Water Walking
This recreational class focuses on exercises for those individuals seeking a low intensity aerobic workout.

Aqua Aerobics
A recreational aquatic class with an aerobic focus. Hydro-fit equipment is available for use to vary intensity of workout. Class focus is on overall body conditioning. Intensity varies according to individual abilities.

Cost :

• All classes are $5.00 per drop-in or a punch card may be purchased for $40.00 per 10 classes.
• A punch card may be purchased during daytime hours with the cashier upstairs. After 5:00 p.m., see the receptionist at the front desk upstairs.
• Drop-in passes may be purchased at the time of the class.

*CLASSES ARE LIMITED TO THE FIRST 25 PARTICIPANTS*

Family Swim

Children under 14 years of age MUST be accompanied in the water by an adult at ALL TIMES!!

Children in diapers must wear rubber pants or swim diapers. Adults are responsible for their children's behavior.

Cost :

• 1 Person $ 4.00
• 2 People $ 6.00
• Each additional $ 2.00

Family swim discounts apply to immediate family members only. All others must pay the normal open swim cost of $4 per person.

Maintenance and Open Swim
Open Swim is for adults and those on a maintenance program. Children under 14 years of age are not allowed at these times, unless they are a KVO patient, performing their maintenance exercises.

Cost :

• 1 Person $ 4.00
• 10 Passes $37.50
• 20 Passes $70.00

American Red Cross Learn to Swim

The primary purpose of this program is to help children learn to be safe in, on or around the water. The program covers skills and knowledge in a logical progression for aquatic skills development. Placement assessment will be made in order for the child to be placed in the correct level. Please call (269) 343-8170 for details and registration information.

Cost :

• 1 Person $ 40.00
  

• Aquatic Classes
• Learn To Swim Classes Registration Form October 29 - December 17, 2011
• Family Swim
• KVO Open Swim Schedule

Mondays

• 11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Aqua Arthritis
• 12:00 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:25 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 5:30 p.m. - 6:25 p.m. Aqua Aerobics

Tuesdays

• 11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Aqua Arthritis Plus
• 12:00 p.m. - 1:10 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:10 p.m. Aqua Arthritis
• 2:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Swim Lessons (sp/sum)
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:25 p.m. Water Walking
• 5:30 p.m. - 6:25 p.m. Aqua Aerobics
• 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. Family Swim

Wednesdays

• 11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Aqua Arthritis
• 12:00 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
  
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:25 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Aqua Aerobics
• 6:45 p.m. - 7:55 p.m. Swim Lessons (sp/sum)

Thursdays

• 11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Aqua Arthritis Plus
• 12:00 p.m. - 1:10 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:10 p.m. Aqua Arthritis
• 2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. Swim Lessons (sp/sum)
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:25 p.m. Water Walking
• 5:30 p.m. - 6:25 p.m. Aqua Aerobics
• 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. Family Swim

Fridays

• 11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Aqua Arthritis
• 12:00 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:55 p.m. Maintenance/Open Swim
• 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Family Swim

Saturdays

• 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Learn to Swim (Sept - April)
  

S.M.A.R.T. (strength, movement, and resistance training) is a performance program with a sports medicine emphasis.

The goals of the SMART program are to encourage your improvement in a safe, functional, and effective manner that is all encompassing of the broad spectrum of recreational and competitive sport.

It is our philosophy that strength is only a basic principle to success in athletics. Our focus is on a combination of strength, specificity of movement, and resistive training.

Our staff is comprised of NATA (National Athletic Trainer's Association) certified athletic trainers with backgrounds encompassing injury prevention, injury recognition, rehabilitation, as well as strength and conditioning. Our talents enable us to bring forth your ultimate potential, assisting to achieve your goals.

We Will Help You

• Maximize Explosive Power
• Increase Speed
• Increase Anaerobic/Aerobic Thresholds
  
• Develop Functional Efficiency
• Improve Flexibility
• Decrease Risk for Sports Injury
• Improve Nutritional Practices
• Reach Weight Goals
• Improve Mental Concentration

We Are Available For

• Team Training
• Group Training
• Personal Training
• Training Camps
• Development Camps
• Workshops/Lectures
• Camp/Clinic Workouts

Functional Training

• $50.00 per person/hour

Demands of sport and/or work are considered, implementing specific training to prepare your body for the demands it will have to meet.

Group/Team Training

• Groups of 4-8 persons : $15.00 per person/hour
• Teams greater than 8 : $65.00/hour

Sessions consist of proper warm up and stretching as well as focusing on balance, speed, agility, strength, power, and jumping. Various terrains, equipment, and methods are utilized.

Personal Fitness Evaluation and Program Design

• Each visit is approximately 60 minutes : $120.00 per person/hour

Consists of an orthopedic/strength/function evaluation during your first appointment. The second visit will consist of instruction on a designed program tailored to you specific needs.

Training Camps

• Price announced and determined by number of weeks/sessions.

Camps designed and offered to improve various aspects of sports and athletic movement.

Instructional, Educational, Coaching Series

• Price and lesson plan negotiated upon lecture desired and time requested.

Educational presentations addressing gaps between flexibility and strength training, the weight room and athletic field, and physical education/fitness knowledge. Practice design, periodization, general first aid, and sports medicine topics are also available.

Avoid long Emergency Room waits for acute injuries! See a musculoskeletal specialist more quickly for chronic injuries!

When

• Saturday morning: 9 am – 10 am (during football season)
• Monday afternoons: 1 pm – 4 pm
• Thursday afternoons: 1 pm – 4 pm

Clinics are run on a first-come-first-served basis. Patients who arrive between the open times are guaranteed to be seen by a physician.

The physicians working these clinics are team physicians at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, and/or high schools in the Kalamazoo area. They have experience with treating athletes at a variety of competitive levels and strive to get athletes back to competing as quickly and safely as possible.

What the Clinics Provide

• Guaranteed evaluation by a specialist in musculoskeletal medicine, either an orthopedic surgeon or a sports medicine trained family physician.
• On-site x-ray with immediate interpretation.
• Expedited referral to orthopedic surgeons or appropriate rehabilitation care, as necessary.
• Injury specific braces available on-site.
• Pre-participation Physical Examinations

* For those athletes covered by an HMO or any insurance requiring pre-authorization for treatment (i.e. Physicians Health Plan, Coresource PCN, and Beech Street/Capp Care), written pre-authorization from your primary care physician may be required. Without preauthorization, the patient will be held responsible for services rendered. If you have any questions regarding coverage, please call your primary care physician or insurance company.

Each year in the US, 1 in 100 female high school athletes will suffer a serious knee injury. Don't be left on the sidelines. Train with Sportsmetrics™ to reduce your risk of injury!

Knee ligament injury rates are 2-10 times higher in female athletes than in male athletes.  The majority of these injuries are non-contact, occurring in sports that involve pivoting, cutting, or jumping.  The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) controls the pivoting and forward motion of the knee joint, along with the hamstring muscles.  If these muscles are not adequately prepared, jumping/twisting motions may create shear forces, which can tear the ACL.  An ACL injury may sideline an athete for 6-12 months.

What can I do?

SportmetricsTM, created from the Cincinnati SportsMedicine and Orthopedic Center, is the first and only training program scientifically proven to decrease knee injuries in female athletes.  It is a six-week jump training program that meets three times per week on alternating days and is comprised of a dynamic warm-up, jump/plyometric drills, strength training and flexibility exercises.

Sportsmetrics™ has been proven to:

• Reduce the risk of serious knee injury
• Increase vertical jump height, up to 4 inches
• Improve hamstrings to quadriceps strength and symmetry in right-to-left leg power
• Improve landing mechanics and reduce side-to-side movements at the knee

Why is Sportsmetrics training so unique?

Sportsmetrics is NOT just another plyometric training program.  The program is designed and structured to progress the athlete from technique development to performance enhancement!

Every trainer is certified by Cincinnati SportsMedicine as a Certified Sportsmetrics Trainer. Athletes are supervised throughout every session from the warm-up to the concluding stretches.  Student-to-trainer ratios are no higher than 6 to 1 so each athlete receives individualized recommendations and attention based upon the results of the Sports Injury Test. Each athlete receives a pre-training and post-training Sports Injury Test report to see their corresponding improvement.

For questions about upcoming sessions, please contact Gretchen Mohney, M.A., A.T.C., C.S.C.S., at K Valley Orthopedics, P.C..
(269) 343-8170 or via email at gmohney@kvosportsmed.com

ImPACT is a sophisticated, research-based software tool developed to help sports-medicine clinicians evaluate recovery following concussion. The ImPACT program evaluates and documents multiple aspects of neurocognitive functioning including memory, brain processing speed, reaction time and post-concussive symptoms. In addition, the ImPACT program provides a user-friendly injury documentation system that facilitates the tracking of the injury from the field through the recovery process.

In the United States, the annual incidence of sports-related concussion is estimated at 300,000. Estimates regarding the likelihood of an athlete in a contact sport experiencing a concussion may be as high as 19% per season. Although the majority of athletes who experience a concussion are likely to recover, an as yet unknown number of these individuals may experience chronic cognitive and neurobehavioral difficulties related to recurrent injury. Such symptoms may include chronic headaches, fatigue, sleep difficulties, personality change (e.g. increased irritability, emotionality), sensitivity to light/noise, dizziness when standing quickly, and deficits in short-term memory, problem solving and general academic functioning. This constellation of symptoms is referred to as “Post-Concussion Syndrome” and can be quite disabling for an athlete. In some cases, such difficulties can be permanent. In addition to Post-Concussion Syndrome, suffering a second blow to the head while recovering from an initial concussion can have catastrophic consequences as in the case of "Second Impact Syndrome," which has led to approximately 30-40 deaths over the past decade.

In summary, athletes that are not fully recovered from an initial concussion are significantly vulnerable for recurrent, cumulative, and even catastrophic consequences of a second concussive injury. Such difficulties are prevented if the athlete is allowed time to recover from concussion and return to play decisions are carefully made. No athlete should return to sport or other at-risk participation when symptoms of concussion are present and recovery is ongoing. In summary, the best way to prevent difficulties with concussion is to manage the injury properly when it does occur.

Importantly, however, the recognition and management of concussion in athletes can be difficult for a number of obvious reasons:

• Athletes who have experienced a concussion present with a wide variety of symptoms. Although the classic symptoms of loss of consciousness, confusion, and/or memory loss may be present in some athletes with mild concussion, there may or may not be obvious signs that a concussion has occurred. Symptoms of concussion are typically quite subtle and may go unnoticed by the athlete, team medical staff, or coaches.
• Current management guidelines (i.e. Grade 1, 2, 3 of concussion) are not evidenced-based and little to no scientific data support the arbitrary systems that are in place to manage concussion. As a result, there are currently 19 different management criteria available for concussion management. As a result, they are often misused and misinterpreted.
• Traditional neurological and radiologic procedures, such as CT, MRI, and EEG, although helpful in identifying more serious concerns (e.g. skull fracture, hematoma, contusion), are not useful in identifying the effects of concussion. Such tests are typically unremarkable or normal, even in athletes sustaining a severe concussion. The reason for this issue is that concussion is a metabolic rather than structural injury. Thus, structural neuroimaging techniques are insensitive to the effects of concussion.
• Most importantly, athletes may not understand the potential consequences of concussion and often minimize or deny symptoms so that they can return to play. Such under-reporting of symptoms is a common practice at all levels of sport participation.

Given these outlined concerns and inherent difficulties in managing concussion, individualized and comprehensive management of concussion is optimal. At the forefront of proper concussion management is the implementation of baseline and/or post-injury neurocognitive testing. Such evaluation can help to objectively evaluate the concussed athlete’s post-injury condition and track recovery for safe return to play, thus preventing the cumulative effects of concussion. In fact, neurocognitive testing has recently been called the “cornerstone” of proper concussion management by an international panel of sports medicine experts. ImPACT is a user-friendly computer based testing program specifically designed for the management of sports-related concussion. The instrument has been designed after approximately 10-years of University-based, grant-supported research. ImPACT is currently the most widely utilized computerized program in the world and is implemented effectively across high school, collegiate, and professional levels of sport participation.