Stony Point Surgery Center Blog

Your Golf Game: Stay The Course With Winter Warm-Up, as featured in Richmond Family Magazine

March 27th, 2012

by N. Douglas Boardman, M.D.
Dr. Boardman is an orthopedic surgeon and associate professor at VCU Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Center. He has helped golfers and non-golfers alike achieve their best possible muskuloskeletal health for over 15 years. He lives in Richmond and treats patients at Stony Point Surgery Center.

As an orthopedic specialist and avid golfer all-too familiar with elbow and shoulder pain, I have to admit I added rotator cuff tendonitis to my own chart a number of years ago.

But the truth is, whether you’re in all-pro shape to begin with, or somewhat off your game from a fitness standpoint, most golfers know that their first round of spring doesn’t often look or feel as fantastic as we imagined it would. The game is rusty, and sometimes our shoulders and other joints feel rusty, too. While this pain may not be as intense as a true rotator cuff injury, it can be an extra aggravation for an already sub-par game come spring.

Is there anything that can be done during the cold, wet days of winter to keep in shape and prevent some of the painful events of that first outing – both in the joints and on the scorecard? Happily, the answer is yes. But it’s important to understand why this kind of pain occurs in the first place.

Pain from golf is more common than we might think. In fact, I would estimate that between 10 to 20 percent of the patients I see have problems related to golf, the game that can be played close to nine months of the year in Richmond. Some have new issues from the game itself, while others, especially older patients, aggravate existing problems when they play – namely, shoulder arthritis.

Different pain tends to be associated with different age groups. Younger patients might have what we call soft-tissue injuries, that is, those affecting the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Rotator cuff injuries are the most common with this set. The rotator cuff is responsible for all of the movements of your shoulder, and there are lots of moving parts. Injury or stress on any single part can make the others work harder, causing even more pain. You may experience rotator cuff tendinitis, bursitis, or impingement—medical terms which all basically refer to rotator cuff pain, which limits function.

Older patients who are much more active than they used to be a few decades ago, tend to have problems with arthritis. This kind of arthritis is due to wear and tear and can be progressively painful.

To head off injuries that might pop up with the spring crocuses, it’s important to maintain year-round conditioning.

Flexibility is also key to preventing both arthritic and soft tissue pain. The two best ways to increase or maintain flexibility are swimming and stretching.

This is not your father’s stretching, though. Instead of the static stretching routine we are all used to, dynamic stretching is recommended. Trunk rotation and lateral bending, while constantly in motion, is believed to be much more effective. You should focus on your shoulders, of course, but also on your legs and lower back. A full stretch should take less than ten minutes, but really pays off in comfort later.

There are a number of websites with good information about exercises for golfers. Personal trainers are not necessary. You know your body better than anyone and you know what you need to do to maintain your strength and flexibility.

Although I’m an orthopedic surgeon, I am happy to report that good conditioning and a little care can prevent a lot of the aches and pains when we pick up those clubs in the spring. Keep in shape by adding a few simple exercises to your winter regimen, and your game just might improve – along with your attitude.

 by Carrie Wortham
Daughter of Edwin Wortham V,  MD, Pediatric Ophthalmologist

It has been almost eight months since I was last in Haiti. I only spent a week in the country, yet images of the people, their homes, and their land crowd my mind each and every day. I ask myself, do I miss the forlorn looks on shoeless children or the half-starved dogs rummaging through trash in the streets? Haiti is usually not one of those places where you leave with a desire to go back. Nevertheless, I cannot resist the tugging at my sleeve, and so I have decided to return during my next spring break. I will not revisit Maison Fortune, where my dad and I conducted eye exams but will instead explore a soon-to-be orphanage outside of the capital, Port-au-Prince. This time around, I will be bringing ten VMI cadets to help begin construction of the new orphanage, known as Foundation Manmo. I cannot begin to share the extent of my excitement with my friends as we coordinate our travel plans and fundraise for our plane tickets.

When I first visited the school at Maison Fortune in Hinche, Haiti, I was struck by the nakedness of the walls and desks. A few pieces of broken chalk were scattered below a single blackboard in one room. I crudely translated some French posters hanging in another. Besides what few items occupied the school, I couldn’t come close to comparing my kindergarten homeroom with what I witnessed in Haiti. I had walked into a barren building, which could have been mistaken for a deserted office. I was in for a pleasant surprise, however, that would change my impression of the orphanage entirely.

Where I stood from the school library, I watched a procession of 200 or so young children line up in rows in the courtyard. The children wore clean blue and pink uniforms with white socks and black shoes. As the country flag was presented and hoisted up the flagpole, the children fidgeted in their spots, seemingly anxious for a day of school. They weren’t held for much longer and were soon filed off to their respective classrooms. The school suddenly came alive with laughter and scurrying children. The rooms no longer echoed with emptiness but rather gleamed with the faces of the eager students. This is when I realized that poverty cannot squander the hopes of those wanting the most from life. The children I saw were happy to be at school even if they didn’t have new book bags or books to fill them. Somehow, they found joy in the moment.

Whether you are looking from a child’s perspective or that of an aged adult, life will eventually present itself in its true form. There is no virtual world or fantasyland, but reality at its best. No matter what you see, what matters most is how you interpret it and what you do with it. Poverty is real and devastating. Haiti may appear to be poor, but when you take a second glance, you will see its true beauty, the love of the people and the love they have for their country.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the VMI cadet trip to Haiti and/or Foundation Manmo, click here and specify EWB-Haiti in the “Other” box.

To learn more about VMI’s involvement in Haiti, please email: worthamcd@mail.vmi.edu

Healthcare seems to be my calling.

November 8th, 2011

Healthcare seems to be my calling.  Maybe it’s more accurate to say that it keeps calling me.  I’m not a doctor or a nurse, but I do feel honored that my work over the years has helped many people live healthier lives.

It started when I was just an intern at WTVR CBS6 in Richmond.  I was actually on a Saturday morning kids’ show on Channel 6 in the 1980’s.  I stayed in touch with the wonderful people who taught me a lot about television at a young age, and I was lucky that they allowed me to be an intern during the summers while I was a college student.  In addition to helping Bill Bevins type scripts for his movie reviews, I worked with local doctors who came into the studio each week for live interviews about various health topics.  I saw firsthand how the information truly helped our viewers.  I loved it.  I was hooked.

A few years later, when I had my second “real” job in television working in Roanoke, I was asked to be the station’s health reporter.  I found it interesting and challenging.  My next job brought me back home to Richmond.  When I was asked to be one of the first co-anchors of the 4 o’clock news on NBC12 with Gene Cox, once again health reporting became part of my job description.  It seems like everyone has a health related question; maybe it’s “that little pain in my side,” or “Why do I always seem to be the one who gets a cold?” or “My mother was just diagnosed with diabetes, what does that mean?”

Over the years, I can’t tell you how many viewers called me to ask questions about my health reports. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to help by sharing important information and connecting them to local physicians.  It was so rewarding.  I heard from sons and daughters who were grateful that the information helped them take better care of their parents.  I talked to parents desperately searching for new treatments for their sick children.  There is always some sort of breaking news in the health field, and research is done every day.  Being a resource for families in our community was a responsibility I took very seriously.

I have also had a few jobs outside of the television news business, and once again, I kept finding myself in the world of healthcare.  I worked in community relations at the non-profit Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers in Richmond.  I also worked as a program and public relations director for another non-profit, Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic.  There, I was the first director of the W.H.E.E.L.S. program.  W.H.E.E.L.S. stands for “Where Healthy Eyes and Ears Lead to Success.”  In its inaugural year, W.H.E.E.L.S. offered free screenings to more than 3,000 pre-kindergarten students in the Richmond Metro area.  The program is ongoing, and the goal is to find any vision or hearing issues that would negatively impact a child’s ability to learn in the classroom.

It was through my time at Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic that I began a relationship with the Richmond Eye & Ear Foundation and Stony Point Surgery Center.  Both are generous supporters of Prevent Blindness and are the sole funders of the W.H.E.E.L.S. program.  Giving back to the community is their priority, and now I am thrilled to be the new Community Outreach Director for the Richmond Eye & Ear Healthcare Alliance.

In my new position, I will once again be sharing important health information with our community.  I will be able to help Richmond Eye & Ear and Stony Point Surgery Center further their goals of having a positive impact on the community and providing leadership in funding community based programs.  As part of my responsibilities, I will be identifying new research opportunities for the Foundation to fund.  I am excited to have the opportunity to touch people in our community in a whole new way.

I also know what it is like to walk through the doors of Stony Point Surgery Center from the anxious parent’s perspective.  My sweet little boy had to have a procedure done shortly after his first birthday.  I understand the fear that parents feel when their child has to be operated on, and I can honestly tell you that he was in the best hands.  I am honored to be working with the talented surgeons, physicians and staff members who truly believe medicine is an art.

Bruce Kupper and Robert S. Adelaar, M.D

It may sound unusual for an eye and ear institution to fund research and education in the area of orthopaedics, but for the Richmond Eye and Ear Healthcare Alliance (REEHA), expanding philanthropy is part of its overall mission. Most recently, REEHA has donated nearly $500,000 to the MCV Foundation for various resident laboratory projects including orthopaedic engineering, biochemical research and microsurgical nerve repair.

Bedwetting: A Sensitive Problem Solved

Frank Cerniglia, M.D. Children’s Urology of Virginia

July 18th, 2011

“Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) can be very stressful, but experience has shown that the vast majority of the 8,000,000 bedwetters between the ages of six and fifteen years in the U.S. can be successfully treated,” says Frank Cerniglia, MDt a p-ediatric urologist at Children’s Urology of Virginia,