Arthritis & Sports Newsletter 

Welcome to our Quarterly Patient Newsletter!

Our team at Arthritis & Sports wishes you and  

your family a wonderful holiday season

and a happy new year!   

With school back in session and sports season in full swing, it's important to keep injury prevention in mind so your kids stay safe on and off the field.

There are many benefits to your child playing on a sports team. It keeps them active and healthy, builds self-esteem, and establishes long-lasting values. With sports injuries on the rise, though, parents should remain mindful of how to lower the risks for their child athletes.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, high school athletes alone account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations every year. This high rate of sports-related injuries is fueled by an increase in participation, leading to overuse and trauma. According to orthopaedic surgeon Matthew Griffith, "Many sports-related injuries can be prevented. It's very important to train properly to prepare for sports participation and also to recognize overuse injuries early and to get them evaluated."

Dr. Griffith recommends these top 6 rules to keep your children healthy athletes: 

1.)  Pre-season: Start training before the season and get a physical from your doctor.

2.)  Before play: Warm up and stretch for 5-10 minutes before practice. Make sure to target all the major muscle groups that you'll be using.

3.)  During play: Drink water! Stay hydrated. Listen to your body.

4.)  After play: Take at least 2 days off each week to recover, and make sure you're getting plenty of rest.

5.)  Post-season: Take at least 2 months off from your sport to give your body a break and avoid overuse injuries.

6.)  Year-round: If anything feels wrong, talk to your coach or doctor. Playing through the pain could create a long-term injury or condition.

 Dr. Matthew Griffith is focused on the non-operative and surgical treatment of patients with sports injuries and disorders of the shoulder, upper extremity and knee. Dr. Griffith is dedicated to caring for athletes in the area and is currently team physician for the Potomac Falls Panthers and Park View Patriots high school football teams. 

Dr. Randall Peyton, CEO of Arthritis & Sports Orthopaedics & Physical Therapy, was named one of The Washington Post Magazine's "Super Doctors" in the Sunday, October 23rd issue.

Dr. Peyton comments, "I am honored to have been granted the 'Super Doctor' award from my colleagues. Thank you all! I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve and improve our patients' lives."  

As a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist [Physiatrist] I come across many people who benefit from an injection called a "Trigger Point Injection". This is injection is also known as "Dry Needling" especially when it is done without the use of medication.

What is a trigger point? A trigger point is an area in the skeletal muscle which is very sensitive and irritable even to light touch. The area of the muscle which has a trigger point is usually but not always firmer to the touch compared to other parts of the muscle; at times a hard knot can be felt. Pressing on a trigger point can result in pain being felt not only over the trigger spot but in another part of the body. This is called "referred pain."

There are many injuries and conditions that can result in trigger point formation and during your office visit with your physician a cause of the trigger point formation will be determined following a detailed history, physical exam and appropriate diagnostic studies.

As stated above there are many causes of trigger point formation, here is a list of some of the causes and conditions where I see trigger points form in muscles commonly in my practice as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist. This is by no means a complete list of causes.

1. Whiplash injuries especially after Motor Vehicle Accidents.
2. Myofascial pain.
3. Poor posture and biomechanics.
4. Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar sponylosis.
5. Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar sprain/strain.
6. Overuse of muscles due to a multiple of causes.
7. Muscles with Tendons that are inflamed or strained.
8. Muscles with Ligaments that are sprained.

Dr. Chinwe John is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist (Physiatrist) at Arthritis & Sports Orthopaedics. As a Physiatrist, her areas of expertise include management of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders including conservative spine management (neck and back pain), sports-related injuries, neuropathy, Scoliosis, pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation, Electromyography/ Nerve conduction studies, Myofascial pain, Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Our employees can't go one month without supporting a worthy cause. Every first Friday of the month, our employees donate to a local charity to wear jeans to the office.

October marked the one year anniversary of Donate-and-Wear-Denim-Day and in honor of fire safety awareness month we donated to local Sterling Volunteer Fire Department. We wanted to recognize the many heroes we have right here in our own county and promote fire safety awareness. We're so grateful Sterling firefighters are willing to risk their lives to save others. To show our appreciation, our employees successfully raised $380 to donate to the fire department.

Leigh Craig, Office Manager at Arthritis & Sports, comments, "Our employees just love wearing jeans to the office while supporting a great cause!"

In one year we have donated to the following organizations:

• In October, we donated $360 to Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter.  
• In November, we donated 180 pounds of food to Loudoun Interfaith Relief.  
• In December, we were an official Toys-for-Tots drop off location and donated over 6 boxes of toys.  
• In January, we donated 4 very full care packagesto the troops in Afghanistan. 
• In February, we donated $125 to the Arthritis Foundation for the Walk on the Mall.  
• In March, we donated $208 to FOHA (Friends of Homeless Animals).  
• In April, we donated $163to the American Red Cross for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Fund. 
• In May, we donated $125 to March of Dimes Walk in Reston.  
• In June, we donated $190 to the Girl Scout Troops in Washington, D.C.  
• In July, we donated $110 to the Loudoun Country Special Olympics
• In August, we donated $95 to the American Diabetes Association
• In September, we donated over 10 boxes of clothes to the Home Aid Nova's Women Giving Back program
• In October, we donated $380 to the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department

So all together just how much have we donated?

$1756, 10 boxes of clothes, 180 Lbs. of food, 6 boxes of toys,and 4 care packages!!!   

December Donate-and-Wear-Denim-Day

We are an official Toys-for-Tots drop off location and are accepting toys until Friday, December 16th.Help a child have a special holiday season and bring your toys in! Please make sure toys are new and unwrapped.    

Today, more than 50 million people in the United States suffer from arthritis-that's one in five adults. There are over 100 types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent type and it is estimated 80% of all arthritis patients have osteoarthritis.  

Although arthritis is not curable, many treatment options are available that can help increase joint function, reduce pain, and allow patients to maintain an active lifestyle.  

Older methods of treatment involved a gradual step-by-step approach to treating arthritis. Treatment progressed from Tylenol, to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen, to prescription medication, injections, and lastly surgery.  

Currently, our expert physicians treat arthritis by using a comprehensive multi-modal approach. A multi-modal approach combines several treatment options to successfully manage arthritis. By using several methods at the same time, a better and more effective treatment is delivered. Non-surgical treatment options include oral and topical medications, braces, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, injections, physical rehabilitation, and weight control.  

Our physicians carefully review all non-surgical treatment options available. Surgical treatments are only used when non-surgical treatments are no longer a viable option.  

To read more about the multi-modal approach to treating arthritis, please visit our health blog at www.arthritisandsports.com/blog

Please consult one of our physicians and begin a treatment plan to manage your joint pain.