Although all surgeries are different and all patients unique, there are common components to every operation. For example, in all procedures, there is some degree of tissue disruption and a subsequent healing process. The healing process is greater in larger procedures, and smaller in lesser, more minimally invasive ones. But in all, there is a… Read More
Having your child take part in athletics is important. We’ve all heard about the health, psychological, and social benefits. As a surgeon who takes care of a good many teens with sports injuries, I have an insight into one aspect of the young athlete and it is advice I dispense frequently: Have your child play… Read More
My brother told me a while back that he is doing some kind of training regimen. You’ve all heard of the latest crazes–perhaps you are doing one or several of them yourselves. He wanted to know if the pain that he was feeling in his elbow was okay. After berating him for doing this type… Read More
Perhaps, if you are a football fan, you have recently seen Aaron Rodgers throw the football in some of the most exciting games of the season. What you may have noticed is that he is, indeed, quite spectacular. One reason, many have stated, is that he throws the ball with extreme power and accuracy. This,… Read More
I always watch my kids playing organized sports with a mix of fascination, pride and, well, horror. Like all parents, I am fascinated by how good some of the kids are, and certainly I am proud of my own kids (I am a parent after all). But as a surgeon with a specialty in sports… Read More
A patient of mine recently pointed out an article by Mike Cantrell: The Soccer Players’ Tug of War: A Simple Understanding of Athletic Pubalgia and Sports Hernias. I read the article and two thoughts followed. First, great understanding of the structures and the dynamic opposition which occurs. Second, the point of prevention of the injury… Read More
Originally, when we started focusing on the Athletic Pubalgia/Sports Hernia injury, we were not certain how important a Physical Therapy protocol was in the post op period. Our feeling was that although it couldn’t hurt, it was unclear as to the benefit. As the years have gone by, this thought process has changed. A Physical… Read More
As I stood at the 700 degree Weber grilling steaks next to my lacrosse coach brother-in-law this weekend, I brought up the fact that my lacrosse playing population sustaining groin injuries was on the rise. Proportionally, he told me, this makes sense, as Lacrosse is a fast growing sport, and colleges are adding both men’s… Read More
My patients often ask what is the difference between an Inguinal and Ventral hernia, and they are confused that the repair in one is usually laparoscopic while the other is in an open fashion. Let’s start with the difference. A Ventral Hernia is a hernia anywhere on the abdominal wall, and although this may include… Read More
A recent article regarding open versus laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair was written by Westin M.D. et al. It is entitled “Less pain one year after total extra-peritoneal repair compared with Lichtenstein using local anesthesia–data from a randomized controlled clinical trial.” In the trial, 384 patients were randomized and operated upon using either laparoscopic or open… Read More