Even though the temperature has really dropped, winter sports can be a fun way to enjoy the elements, spend time with family, and stay in shape. It is important to take the proper precautions to prevent serious injuries.

In 2007, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported:

-      139,330 injuries from skiing

-      160,000 injuries from sledding

-      133,550 from ice skating

-      53,200 from ice hockey

-      34,500 from snowmobiling

Tips for preventing injuries

1.Warm up and stretch prior to activity

2.Wear appropriate safety gear (helmet, goggles, and warm gear)

3.Get skilled instruction if you are a novice

4.Don’t drink alcohol with winter sport participation

5.Never participate alone

6.Unfortunately, many injuries happen on the last run of the day. When you are tired and sore, just stop and rest!

7.  Have equipment checked annually to make sure it is fully functional

8.  Avoid hazardous weather conditions

9.  Stay alert and have good common sense.

Be safe and have fun from OFAC.

It is the holiday season again! Everyone is trying to hang decorations, bake cookies, send Christmas cards, and purchase that last present. It seems as if there isn’t enough time to do all the things necessary to prepare for the holidays. Sometimes cutting corners can lead to careless mistakes and injuries.

3,000 die annually from falls at home. 30,000 people get injured yearly falling from ladders alone. By taking some simple safety tips, common injuries can be avoided while hanging Christmas decorations.

First, try to pick a day when the weather is less hazardous (not icy) when hanging outdoor lights. Give yourself ample time so you aren’t rushed. Make sure you have a stable and safe ladder. Always have a spotter and climb cautiously. Keep lights away from electric, phone, and cable lines. Be sure the lights are UL or ETL safety approved. It is also very important to wear good supportive shoes with traction.

Good luck and Happy Holidays from OFAC.

Join us on New Year’s Day to kick off the OFAC Fitness Challenge! This is a great event and we are excited to be a part of it again this year. Bring your friends and family; start 2011 off on the right foot.

Event: 5K Run/Walk or 2K Fun Walk  (these are pet friendly events). Directly after you finish you will grab a plate and be served a hot roasted pork sandwich and black-eyed peas to ring in the New Year!  Hot drinks and Powerade will also be available.  In the case of cold weather, take your plate inside and enjoy the warm hospitality of OhioHealth.

Distance: 5K Run/Walk or 2K Fun Walk

Location: OhioHealth Westerville Medical Campus, 300 Polaris Parkway, Westerville, 43081

Date: Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Start Time: 11:00am

Registration/Packet Pickup: 10:00am

Packet Pickup: Begins Thursday, December 30th through Friday December 31st  at Fleet Feet Sports during regular business hours. Fleet Feet Sports is located just off Polaris Parkway at 1174 E. Powell Rd. in Lewis Center.

Registration Prices:

5K Run/Walk – $35 through December 21st and $40 December 22nd through race day.

2K Fun Walk (Untimed) – $20 through December 21st and $25 December 22nd through race day.

Family Pack – $25 each (you must sign-up online and all 4 family members need to be signed up in the same transaction)

For more information and to register on-line  click here.

We need your help to rally some support.

The expansion of OhioHealth’s Westerville Medical Campus, like all of our decisions about growth, is driven by the healthcare needs of the community – with support from our patients, our physicians and community members. With the upcoming City Council Public Hearing on Tuesday January 4, 2011, it is critically important to ensure that community leaders understand the level and amount of backing OhioHealth has from the Westerville community for this expansion.

Please consider sending an email to let them hear your voice! A template is provided here.

This is an exciting opportunity for OFAC as well as the Westerville Community. To take a sneak peek and see what the new space will look like, check out this overview! OhioHealth Westerville Medical Campus Expansion Overview.

On January 1, 2011, join us for the start of the 7^th annual OFAC Fitness competition.  Each year more than 75 people have competed to regain their health, lose weight, and earn the title of “Champion of OFAC Fitness”.  This year will be filled with exciting challenges with even more Facebook interactivity to keep tabs on your fellow competitors.

The purpose of the challenge is to get fit through healthy, smart habits that can be used the whole year round.

Lose weight

Gain stamina

Try new things

Start regular healthy habits

There will be three distinct sections to this year’s competition named, “Hot Pursuit”.

Part 1.  The Bod Pod (40%)

Everyone will enter the dreaded Bod Pod at Baseline Fitness to get exact muscle and fat measurements.  These measurements will remain confidential throughout the entire contest.  Everyone will be asked to schedule his or her body assessment before January 1, 2011.  Call now or schedule online (614-880-9180/ www.baselinefitness.com). Eve Ann Buxton is expecting your phone call.

Weigh out will be April 1, 2011.  We will weigh out anytime from April 1 to the time of the Weigh out Party, which is currently scheduled for April 7, 2011.

40% of your score will be determined by the total percentage loss of body fat and the total percentage gain of body muscle mass.  For those people who have spent the last 7 years trying to cheat this machine will attest to its accuracy. The Bod Pod does not lie.

Part 2. Hot Pursuit (40%)

The 4 attending surgeons of OFAC will represent 4 healthy habits.  Each contestant will try to match or beat the doctors attempt to consistently maintain their healthy assigned healthy habit.  Each category must be done each day for a maximum weekly score of 7/7 days.

Category 1 – Dr. Philbin – Pedometer – 1 point

Dr. Philbin will walk 12,000 steps every day.  He will attempt to reach this goal every day of the week.  1 bonus point will go to the contestant who scores the daily highest step number for the week.

Category 2 – Dr. Lee – Calories consumed – 1 point

Dr. Lee will maintain calorie consumption at 500 calories below metabolic baseline.  Baseline Fitness will calculate each person’s individual metabolic baseline at your weigh in.  If every person successfully consumes 500 calories below this threshold, they will lose 3500 calories for the week or 1 pound/week.

Category 3 – Dr. Berlet – Push up/Sit up Quotient – 1 point

Dr. Berlet will do 100 push up and 100 sit up each day.  He will attempt to do this consistently every day of the week.  Simply do these each day, every day, consistently.  No bonus for doing more than 100.  No point if you do less than 100.  Girls will be allowed to do girlie push ups.  Sits up can be of any variety including crunches, leg lifts, and sits up machines.

Category 4 – Dr. Hyer – Resistance training – 1 point

Studies continue to show the health benefits of resistance training.  Whether you go to the gym to lift weights or do lunges and squats at home, pushing up against heavy things is good for you.

Unlike the first 3 categories, this will be measured as a weekly total.  This will allow contestants to accomplish the weekly goal in any frequency that they would like.

Each week, females must lift 100,000 lbs and males must lift 200,000 lbs in any fashion they would like.

Daunting, but not really.

If a typical 150lb person does 100 squats at home each day, that is 15,000 lbs or 105,000 lbs for the week.  Of course we would encourage each contestant to go to the gym and consider a full body workout using a variety of weights for both upper and lower body muscle groups.

Our hopes are to encourage everyone to go to the gym regularly (3x week) and engage in diverse resistance training regularly. Our super smart personal trainers will also be available to help train you at super discounted rates.

1 point for each contestant who achieves this goal each week.

Part 3. Challenges (20%)

Every so often, we will post individual and group challenges for that week.  Points will be awarded to anyone who successfully participates in that weeks challenge and documents it with a photo on Facebook.

Be prepared, the first one will be bowling.  This was the most popular challenge from last year.

Points are for participation but occasionally, prizes will be awarded for the winner of a challenge. For instance, the highest posted bowling score will win a free pair of shoes from www.footsourcemd.com

So join us this year.  We will kick off Hot Pursuit at the First on First 5K at the Westerville Medical Campus. You can see there will be a premium on doing healthy things regularly and keeping track of your progress.  We hope everyone will lose a little weight, pick up good habits, and mostly, have a lot of fun with our growing family at OFAC.

Please invite your friends, families, and co-workers to participate. Send Katie Allen an email at allenkm@orthofootankle.com to register by Dec. 29. Information will be sent to participants via Facebook and email.  Follow us on Facebook at Orthopedic Foot and Ankle and add us to your fan pages. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Allen.

Congratulations to Blair Pickton and Drew Ingram who both won the OFAC Co-worker Customer Service Award this quarter. Their peers have recognized them this quarter by voting them the best at what they do, as well as, delivering exceptional customer service.

In addition to winning the Co-Worker Service Award, Blair was also selected this months as Employee of the Quarter by the physicians. She  joined OFAC in July of 2009 from Akron Children’s Hospital. She has worked in the front office as well as clinic. Blair is dedicated and driven in her responsibilities. She provides great service to our patients and is always willing to help her co-workers. Blair is recently engaged and is a huge OSU fan!

Drew joined OFAC in November of 2009 from Marietta Memorial Hospital where he worked in the Cancer Center. He is fantastic with patients and  does a great job keeping them at ease while waiting to see the physician. Drew recently graduated from Columbia College of Missouri with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History. He is able to put his degree to good use when he and his wife watch Jeopardy. They are both big fans; we all look forward to seeing him on TV one day.  Drew continues to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fan after living in Florida.

Thank you both for the great job you do each day.

We are proud to announce that we were chosen as one of the 2010 Semi-Finalists for the TechColumbus Innovation Awards for Outstanding Service (50 or fewer employees). The winners will be announced on February 3, 2011 at Battelle Hall, Greater Columbus Convention Center.

The TechColumbus Innovation Awards celebrate and honor individuals and teams in a variety of disciplines. Each award category is an important component of the technology and innovation community. Receiving the top honor in an award category showcases the dramatic impact of the awardee’s contributions in Central Ohio and beyond.

We are really honored to be nominated in this category with so many other fantastic companies.

For more information, click here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center
Holly Bezold
614-818-6689
bezoldhs@orthofootankle.com

A safer alternative to oral medications for the treatment of onychomycosis is
now available at Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center

Columbus, Ohio, November 22, 2010 – Genesis Plus, a new laser procedure for treating fungal nails without downtime, side effects, or pain is now available from the expert foot and ankle specialists at Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center in Westerville, Ohio.

“Fungal infection of toenails is a very common and often very difficult problem to treat,” says Dr. Christopher Hyer, Podiatric Surgeon at OFAC. “Topical medications and ointments alone work occasionally, but require continued, often lifelong use. Powerful antifungal oral medications are available, but they’re quite expensive and may cause unwanted side effects, including liver damage or dangerous interactions with other medications.”

The Genesis Plus laser procedure is ideal for almost any patient suffering from onychomycosis, commonly known as fungal nails. This latest technology offers a non-invasive, non-toxic treatment, which is fast and effective for treating toenail fungus, even in diabetic patients. For the best results, the treatment requires two, 20-minutes sessions at the physicians’ office. After the first treatment patients will begin to see results as healthy, clear nail grows in; complete results are seen after three to six months.

How it works: • During the fast, 20 minute-procedure, pulses of light are gently delivered to the nail and nail bed.
• The laser simultaneously sends heat into the deep layers of the nail and nail bed killing the fungus
• Patients have minimal to no discomfort, adverse events, discoloration or loss of nail after this procedure
• Clear nails will begin to grow after the first treatment; re-treatment will occur three to four months later to ensure all the fungus is killed.
• Post care instructions from the physician will reduce the risk of re-occurrence.

The Genesis Plus laser, made by Cutera, Inc. is a powerful Nd:YAG laser. Clinical studies are underway in the U.S. as well as in Europe. Early results show high success rates ranging between 70 and 90 percent for treating onchomycosis. Older alternatives range from a 50 percent success rate with the oral medications, to as low as, a 10 percent success rate for the lacquer treatment.

“This new treatment modality provides a safe and effective solution for the millions of people afflicted by this embarrassing and often painful problem.” Says Dr. Terrence Philbin, Orthopedic Surgeon at OFAC.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center at 614-895-8747 and speak to the Genesis Laser Team. Before and after pictures are also available upon request.

It’s so nice to see the holiday spirit in person – especially at our FootSourceMD store:

Yesterday, a gentleman shopping in our store overheard a lady say: “I know it’s worth every penny to buy good shoes for your feet, but right now I’m just not able to afford them.”

The gentleman, who was a total stranger said, “Don’t worry about it; I’ll buy your shoes!” The patient was in total disbelief and said, “You don’t have to do that.” The gentleman was insistent and said that he wanted to do it.

He purchased a pair of shoes for himself and a pair of New Balance shoes for her. The patient cried and was so appreciative, she asked for his name so she could thank him – he simply said “Darren” and smiled.