Dr. Karl Saunders, head of OAZ and its Ohio Sports Medicine team, is a world-class martial artist. As a trained athlete, he shares the many benefits of martial arts.

1. Self defense
2. Cardiovascular fitness
3. Toned muscular system
4. Improved flexibility
5. Mental tranquility / relaxation

If you’re interested in learning more about martial arts, stop by and talk to Dr. Saunders and OAZ’s Ohio Sports Medicine team.

Stretching is the act of lengthening muscles in order to increase muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. OAZ specializes in Ohio physical therapy and reminds patients that stretching activities are an important part of any exercise or rehabilitation program.

The Mayo Clinic recently released a list of the top five benefits of stretching and OAZ agrees that these benefits are important for people of all ages to consider. Keep in mind that warming up the body prior to activity decreases the risk of injury as well as muscle soreness.

The top five benefits of stretching are:

1. Increased flexibility and joint range of motion:

Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring. Flexibility tends to diminish as you get older, but you can regain and maintain it.

1. Improved circulation:

Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nourishment and gets rid of waste byproducts in the muscle tissue. Improved circulation can help shorten your recovery time if you’ve had any muscle injuries.

1. Better posture:

Frequent stretching can help keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture. Good posture can minimize discomfort and keep aches and pains at a minimum.

1. Stress relief:

Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress.

1. Enhanced coordination:

Maintaining the full range-of-motion through your joints keeps you in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as you get older.

The Ohio physical therapy experts at OAZ remind patients that stretching is one of the most important parts of the rehabilitation process.

Foot injuries are always common during the winter season, and the Ohio sports medicine team at Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville is warning athletes to take care of their feet when they play any sports from basketball to snowboarding.

Ignoring pain or discomfort in your feet can mean ignoring injury. An athlete is better off addressing pain early on in order to fix a problem before it gets bad enough to result in lost playing time.

Common foot injuries in athletes, include:

• Plantar fasciitis – a foot injury resulting from irritation to tissue on the bottom of the foot.

• Turf toe – the hyperextension of the joint of the big toe, often occurs on artificial turf, but can happen on grass too.

• Sprains and strains – frequently caused by hard sprinting.

If you think you are suffering from any of these common foot injuries and your pain doesn’t get better in three days, call the Ohio sports medicine team at Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville at 740-454-3273.

Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville has one of the best Ohio sports medicine practices. One of the most common injuries treated at OAZ is a torn ACL. If you’ve experienced an injury, and your knee is popping, giving out or swelling, make an appointment to get an evaluation.

We have state-of-the art technology at OAZ to make diagnosis easy, including digital X-rays and orthopaedic MRIs.

Treatments for a torn ACL include both surgical and non-surgical options. In non-surgical treatment, progressive physical therapy and rehabilitation can restore the knee to a condition close to its pre-injury state and educate the patient on how to prevent instability. This may be supplemented with the use of a hinged knee brace. However, many people who choose not to have surgery may experience secondary injury to the knee due to repetitive instability episodes.

ACL surgeries have a 90% success rate. Reconstruction of the torn ligament is not a repair, but a replacement, which may come from tendons in the front of the leg, hamstrings or even donor tissue.

ACL reconstruction does not require a long hospital stay. Patients generally stay in the recovery room following surgery. Depending on the type of anesthetic that was used, it takes about one to two hours to recover enough to be able to sit up, eat some light food, use the bathroom (with crutches), and feel ready to go home. Hospital release usually takes place anywhere from between four to six hours after surgery to the next day.

OAZ’s Ohio sports medicine practice will work with patients for physical therapy treatment following the surgery. If you have questions, call us at 740-454-3273.

Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville offers leading physical therapy in Ohio to treat neck strain and whiplash.

Symptoms such as pain, stiffness, headaches, dizziness, abnormal sensations such as burning or prickling are all symptoms of neck strain. In some serious cases, some people may even experience memory loss, concentration impairment, nervousness/irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue or depression.

Neck strain is caused by an irritation to tendons, muscles and ligaments in the upper back and neck area. Whiplash is characterized by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck, usually because of sudden extension and flexion, such as in a car accident.

To treat neck strain at home, get plenty of bed rest to minimize movement. Over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen and applying heat and ice packs intermittently can help ease the symptoms.

If symptoms persist, the physical therapy team at Ohio’s Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville can help by guiding you through exercises or even provide ultra sound therapy

Orthopaedic surgeons in Ohio at OAZ support U.S. National Bone and Joint Awareness Week from October 12-20, started by the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade to significantly raise awareness of bone and joint diseases, which affect more than one billion individuals worldwide.

In support of National Bone and Joint Awareness Week, Shriner’s Hospital has posted these tips for parents:

Before kids go outside to play, be sure they:

1. Have appropriate, properly fitting, sports-specific equipment and protection for games and practices, and know how to use it.
2. Do conditioning, strengthening and stretching exercises appropriate to the sport or recreational activity.
3. Learn the proper technique for the movements of the game (pitching, swinging a bat, protecting a goal, etc.).
4. Know to take a break at reasonable intervals.
5. Agree to play by the rules.
6. Will stop playing if they experience pain or feel very tired.
7. Drink plenty of fluids, and know to stay hydrated during and after activity.

Tips to help your child avoid overuse or repetitive motion injuries:

1. Encourage involvement in more than one sport or activity.
2. Choose age-appropriate sports.
3. Make sure children are in the necessary physical condition for a sport or activity.
4. Be sure games and practices include warm-up and cool-down routines.
5. Provide appropriate shoes.
6. Stress the importance of staying hydrated.

More tips parents can use to help keep kids safe:

1. Be sure playing fields are properly maintained and appropriate to the activity.
2. Determine whether there is appropriate adult supervision in place for the program or activity. If supervision appears to be insufficient, especially in an organized activity or sport, ask questions.
3. Be sure equipment is in good condition before allowing your child to use it.

When on a playground:

1. Observe the 5-foot rule: Children under age 5 should not use playground equipment that is taller than 5 feet.
2. Be sure equipment meets applicable safety standards.

If you are suffering from bone and joint diseases and need an orthopaedic surgeon in Ohio, call the Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville at 740-454-3273.

As a bone and joint clinic in Ohio, Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville attends to Ohio athletes.

That’s why OAZ is proud supporter of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Police Athletic League (P-A-L) boxing team where Dr. Karl Saunders volunteers as a ringside physician. P-A-L boxing is aimed at teaching respect, discipline, sportsmanship, proper nutrition and exercise.

OAZ recently made a donation to the team in their endeavors to compete at the 2009 U.S. National P-A-L Boxing Tournament. The tournament is an Olympic qualifier for the U.S. team and three Zanesville boxers are competing for a spot. In 2008, a Zanesville athlete made history as the first-ever from the area to win the championship. This year, boxers include Travis Jerig, Michael Roark and Michael Norris.

Dr. Saunders and the staff at OAZ are proponents of maintaining an active lifestyle and frequently provide Ohio athletes with tips and strategies for staying fit.

Back-to-school time means fall sports! The Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville is ready to help athletes in southeast Ohio with our caring sports medicine team. We have board-certified physicians and physical therapists to treat the top ten sports injuries in Ohio.

1. Ankle Sprains: The most common of all ankle injuries, an ankle sprain occurs when there is a stretching and tearing of ligaments surrounding the ankle joint.
2. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries: ACL partial or complete tears can occur when an athlete changes direction rapidly, twists without moving the feet, slows down abruptly, or misses a landing from a jump
3. Broken Shoulder: A shoulder fracture typically refers to a total or partial break to either the clavicle (collar bone) or the neck of the humerus (arm bone). It generally is from an impact injury, such as a fall or blow to the shoulder
4. Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Muscle pain, stiffness or soreness that occurs 24-48 hours after unaccustomed, or particularly intense exercise.
5. Hamstring Pull, Tear, or Strain: Hamstring injuries are common among runners. The hamstring muscles run down the back of the leg from the pelvis to the lower leg bones, and an injury can range from minor strains to total rupture of the muscle.
6. Knee Pain: Knee pain is extremely common in athletes. In order to treat the cause of the pain, it is important to have an evaluation and proper diagnosis.
7. Shoulder Tendonitis, Bursitis, and Impingement Syndrome: These conditions are similar and often occur together. If the rotator cuff and bursa are irritated, inflamed, and swollen, they may become squeezed between the head of the humerus and the acromion.
8. Stress Fracture: Stress fractures in the leg are often the result of overuse or repeated impacts on a hard surface
9. Tendonitis: Tendonitis is a common sports injury that often occurs from overuse. Tendonitis can cause deep, nagging pain that is caused by inflammation of tendons. Treating tendonitis consists of rest, medication, physical therapy or changes to equipment or technique
10. Tennis Elbow: The number one reason people see their doctor is for elbow pain. It is considered a cumulative trauma injury that occurs over time from repeated use of the muscles of the arm and forearm that lead to small tears of the tendons.

If you’re suffering from any of these sports injuries in Ohio, contact Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville at 740-454-3273.

Dr. Karl Saunders will be speaking at Ohio University in Zanesville, Ohio on Friday evening, October 23 for the Genesis Spirit of Women “Girls Night Out.”   He will be speaking about successful life strategies dealing with bone and joint health for women.

Joint health should be a concern for everyone. However, it is especially important for runners. Injury prevention is a very serious issue for those who run regularly, especially those who are in training for a particular race or event. At Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville we offer and sports medicine patients in southeast Ohio some very basic tips for running, which can help prevent injuries and keep you going for miles.

1. Wear running shoes that offer the correct support and cushioning. Specialty running stores can look at the way you walk and recommend the right brand for you. It also is important to remember if you run or walk regularly, you will need to replace your shoes every 350-550 miles.
2. Not all surfaces have the same impact. Vary your running location because of the different impacts involved and the stresses that may affect and strengthen your joints differently.
3. Eat well. Stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables and plenty of water. Eating healthy and keeping your body hydrated can aid the recovery process as well as prevent any long-term damage caused by injury.
4. Stretching regularly also can help runners to avoid injuries. One worthwhile recommendation for stretching is to stretch during and after a run. Too many runners don’t take the time to stretch out throughout their routines; it is crucial for injury prevention.
5. Start slow. Runners can prevent injuries by avoiding doing too much mileage too quickly. Aim to make mileage increases as gradual as possible and try to limit yourself to an increase of no more than 10 percent per week to avoid injuries.

Running is a great way to stay fit and keep your body healthy and strong. These tips help runners avoid painful injuries and potentially long recovery periods. OAZ encourages all runners to take safety precautions seriously and keep at it! If you are seeking sports medicine or physical therapy in southeast Ohio, contact us at 740-454-3273 .