It was a big Friday night football game for Olentangy Liberty High School. Brian Johnson, a junior, for Liberty went down right in front of Dr. Philbin on the field. Dr. Philbin ran to his attention right away. The athletic director said he had never seen Dr. Philbin run that fast; he even beat the trainers out on the field! Brian had fractured and dislocated his right ankle.

Fortunately, Dr. Philbin and his staff were on top of things. Unfortunately, Brian’s injury was bad enough that he needed to go to the hospital. Dr. Philbin sent Brian via ambulance to Dublin Methodist Hospital where one of our junior partners, Dr. Hatic, met Brian and his family. Dr. Hatic was able to reduce and splint Brian, as well as, make him more comfortable with his pain, and then sent him home. Surgery was then performed within a week.

Brian was very lucky to have a great medical team at the game. Much less pain and valuable time was saved for Brian by having Dr. Hatic meet him at the hospital instead of waiting in the ER for the on call doctor. Dr. Philbin already briefed Dr. Hatic on Brian’s condition so the physician knew what to expect when he arrived at the hospital, and surgery could be set up very quickly so Brian could get on his way to a faster recovery.

Brian and his family continue to be very pleased with our staff at OFAC. They said everyone they have encountered has been very patient and kind. Dr. Philbin and the team at our office have also been very encouraging and have made a very stressful situation more manageable due to our seamless process. Brian is now looking forward to rehabbing and getting back on the field again next year to play football his senior year.

Our goal at OFAC is to continue to help similar patients like Brian to get back to playing sports with excellent communication between medical teams and outstanding clinical care.

Recently Dr. Terry Philbin was featured on GetInTheGameOhio.com, detailing the recovery story of Will Cheesman, senior wide receiver for Olentangy Liberty High School. Learn how Dr. Philbin and OhioHealth provided a team approach to diagnose and treat Will – getting him on the road to recovery and back in the game. Full story.

Every year as we get deeper into football season, I see more and more reports of turf toe. While the name sounds fairly innocent, this injury associated with playing sports on rigid surface can be debilitating to athletes at all levels. Turf toe occurs when the toe is hyperextended causing varying degrees of tearing to the capsule and ligaments surrounding the joint. SEE BELOW

NOTRE DAME’S JIMMY CLAUSEN SUSTAINED THIS KIND OF INJURY EARLIER THIS FALL.

Turf toe injuries are graded based on the amount tearing (partial or complete) to the joint lining and ligaments as well as the degree of associated bone injury. Afflicted athletes may have difficulty with acceleration, change of direction, and jumping. Most players will recover in one to three months with rest, taping, anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy and custom inserts. Fortunately, only the most severe turf toe injuries require surgery.

If you experience a turf toe injury that results in difficulty walking, pain with motion of the joint, and doesn’t improve with rest, schedule an exam with your local foot and ankle expert. An MRI will help determine the severity of your injury and the required treatment.

Take a look at this video featuring a local athlete and his turf toe injury experience.

For more in-depth information, you can check out the Turf Toe chapter we contributed to the new book, Foot and Ankle Surgery Operative Techniques.

It’s always sad to see America’s past time come to an end, but I know with every end of baseball season, America’s passion is beginning… Football. Football is the symbol of fall. The kids are back in school, the leaves will be changing, and our weekends are planned around the game – Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday nights. Awww, football is back!

Football season is also a special time for me because I am a team physician with Olentangy Liberty High School. This will be my sixth season with Olentangy and each year I look more forward to working with the kids, meeting their families and supporting our young athletes. I’m perhaps most excited about our season opener because it pairs two of Ohio’s best football programs – Olentangy and my current hometown Dublin Coffman. Olentangy and Dublin will clash in the Herbstreit Classic at Ohio Stadium. The game will air on ESPNU on August 30 at noon; or you can join us live by purchasing tickets at www.ticketweb.com.

As a team physician I work with the coaches and trainers pre-game to ensure warm-ups and stretching prevent injury. We monitor the athletes during the game to understand the way their bodies move and what pressures are being put on their bones and joints and of course after the game to ice, heat, stretch and heal their muscles to strengthen for the next week. If there is an injury, we nurture, treat and heal as necessary. As a team physician my goal is to be a part of the team so when they do need me I am there to work with the athlete, their parents and coaches. 

This is truly my favorite time of the year and I hope you join me in the excitement of football season. Naturally, if you don’t make it to the game or catch it on ESPNU, we’ll fill you in on who won and which of our student athletes raised the bar of high school football at the Herbstreit Classic.