Three points can mean a lot of things to athletes. A three-pointer, a field goal, a birdie and even a perfect movement pattern.
A Functional Movement Screen™, or FMS for short, is a tool that scores and analyzes how a person moves in order to identify movement patterns that may lead to injury. The screening first gained popularity after the NFL tapped into it and has since become an integral part of the treatment planning process at Forté.
“The goal is not to get a perfect score, necessarily,” says Sara Myers, an athletic trainer at Forté. “We are looking for symmetry because when we see asymmetry between one side and another, there’s an increased risk of injury.”
The screening differs from other testing formats, which typically measure physical fitness, such as how much a person could lift, or athletic performance, such as the miles per hour on a person’s tennis serve.
“Those are the things that tell us what you do, but you really need fundamentals to accomplish them safely,” says Scott Hamersly, director of rehabilitation services at Forté. “The FMS helps ensure you have the fundamentals first before you apply anything else.”
During a functional movement screening, you’ll be asked to perform seven movements and exercises to test all your major joints and flexibility. The screening rates and ranks deficiencies and uses a combination of information acquired from all seven actions to help identify restrictions and issues.
“You can practice, practice, practice, but if you don’t have the fundamentals, you’re just enhancing an altered, faulty movement pattern that could lead to injury and will be harder to correct later on,” says Hamersly.
The screening is designed so that a variety of professionals, including personal trainers or an assistant coach, can feel comfortable leading the evaluation. If it’s performed in the pre-season, the FMS can also provide data that enables a more individualized training regimen.
“Some high schools screen every incoming freshman at the start of the football season,” says Hamersly. “If kids don’t have the fundamentals, they’re not allowed in the weight room, or they’re doing squats with a dowel rod. That would be the home run – to capture the data in the pre-season and then re-test down the road.”
Another benefit of the screening is that it’s wide-ranging in that it applies to all ages, sports and skill sets. Anyone who wants to find out if they can start a new type of exercise program, has had a previous injury or has questions about persistent pain could benefit from a functional movement screening.
“Moving, climbing, lifting – these are fundamental movements you need to live life, not just swing a golf club,” says Hamersly. “We perform this screening for athletes but also for anyone who has had a knee replacement.”
“The reality is that anyone who is active should have a baseline,” adds Myers. “If they’re playing a sport and required to play three to five days a week, then I highly recommend it.”
No doctor’s order or previous injury is required for a functional movement screening performed by the team at Forté. Request an appointment online or call 317.817.1200 to schedule yours, today.
These recommendations have been excerpted from Coaches Corner, a free monthly webinar series for coaches, athletic directors and athletic trainers. The series, developed and presented by Forté, in partnership with IHSAA, aims to arm coaching and support teams with helpful information to consider when working with their athletes. Subscribe online so you don’t miss an episode.
It can be hard to escape misconceptions surrounding strength and conditioning. You know the ones – It will make you too bulky, too stiff and too slow. You’ll be more likely to get injured.
The truth is that numerous studies have shown that incorporating strength and conditioning into your routine has wide-ranging benefits. It decreases injury rates in sports and increases muscle mass, allowing you to run faster and jump higher. Other benefits include increased bone density, metabolic rate and rate of force, which means you’re going to be more powerful.
“Strength and conditioning is your movement multi-vitamin, serving as a supplement to what you do,” says Wil Fleming, Olympic lifting coach and current masters lifting world champion. “It fills in gaps by providing you with movement you wouldn’t normally get in your chosen sport.”
When setting up a strength and conditioning program, Fleming recommends you first test and assess. Whether you’re using a functional movement screening or creating your own program, he recommends gathering data on your athletes and their foundations.
Next, aim to train movements of muscles. As Fleming points out, athletes don’t simply work back and biceps; They move their whole body through space while coordinating different muscle groups. He likes to create a movement menu based on categories.
“It’s pretty common that you would see a squat, hinge, push and pull, among others,” says Fleming. “Once I have all my categories across the top, I would fill out a movement menu. You can go six or seven exercises deep, and they can be a progression.”
Once you have your menu, you can create plans with movements. If you have your athletes for two days each week, you can do a push day and a pull day. A three-day-a-week plan might incorporate a push day, a pull day and a total body day.
Train general to specific and with age-appropriate tiers.
“We don’t need to mimic the sport in the weight room,” says Fleming. “We don’t need weighted baseball bats in your weight room.”
“The best programs train their schools to be athletes,” he continues. “There’s an all-encompassing program for the school, and there is a tiny bit that might look different because baseball players use their shoulders more, so they do a little more shoulder care than the basketball players.”
With a balanced program, you can set up your athletes for a successful season… and future.
“Most athletes are never going to play after high school,” notes Fleming. “We want to make sure they can lift for life. They can go to their college rec center or their local gym, and they’re not going to do it poorly. They’re able to be active for life, reducing the chance of obesity and poor health outcomes.”
These recommendations have been excerpted from Coaches Corner, a free monthly webinar series for coaches, athletic directors and athletic trainers. The series, developed and presented by Forté, in partnership with IHSAA, aims to arm coaching and support teams with helpful information to consider when working with their athletes. Subscribe online so you don’t miss an episode.
Just a few games into his second season with the Chicago Bulls, legendary basketball player Michael Jordan suffered a dreaded injury – a stress fracture in his foot. It was a devastating blow to the competitive Jordan and what was then an up-and-coming franchise.
Unfortunately, athletes are no strangers to stress fractures. In fact, 98% of all clinically diagnosed stress fractures occur in athletes of all ages and across disciplines.
These tiny cracks in a bone are caused by repetitive force and often coincide with a new training routine or the use of new equipment. They can also develop due to bone-weakening conditions, such as osteoporosis.
Stress fractures are most common in the lower leg and foot. In almost all cases, the area is tender to the touch. The pain typically ramps up over two or three weeks and worsens when the athlete is active.
Dr. Andrew Wohler, orthopedic surgeon and foot and ankle specialist at Forté, recommends coaches, trainers and parents seek out imaging, such as an MRI, for any injury that is not improving or returns after a period of rest.
“If the athlete has consistent pain that is activity specific and load specific, those are reasons to raise red flags and say, hey, we need to take a closer look at this,” says Wohler.
Stress fractures require weeks of rest – and in some cases, surgery – to heal fully. The process can be frustrating, as Michael Jordan can attest. As the story goes, Jordan secretly played pick-up games while rehabbing at the University of North Carolina without the greenlight from Bulls management, who thought he was resting.
There are steps you can take to prevent your athletes from experiencing a similar injury and temptation.
First and foremost, develop a training routine that gradually ramps up, as opposed to going to full intensity right away. Wohler says using proper footwear can also make a big difference.
“If you can bend the shoe 90 degrees, that’s going to submit your foot to a lot of stress because you have all that bending force that’s being applied to the bone,” says Wohler. “If possible, look for something more rigid, sturdier and more supportive.”
And if, despite your best efforts, stress fractures still develop, just remember: This injury doesn’t have to mean the end of the road. Just look at Jordan, who returned to the court and is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time.
“There are ways to optimize healing,” says Wohler. “At Forté, we focus on encouraging bone health by supplementing vitamin D and calcium. Athletes are also subject to caloric needs. Make sure your athletes are eating enough and that their building blocks of nutrition are being met.”
These recommendations have been excerpted from Coaches Corner, a free monthly webinar series for coaches, athletic directors and athletic trainers. The series, developed and presented by Forté, in partnership with IHSAA, aims to arm coaching and support teams with helpful information to consider when working with their athletes. Subscribe online so you don’t miss an episode.
Becker’s ASC Review recently spoke with Marty Rosenberg, CEO of Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, a five-location orthopedic group with ASCs in Indianapolis that built out a new orthopedic hospital and outpatient center at the height of the pandemic.
Recipients to receive $1,500 scholarship at 18th annual Brady Sports Achievement Awards on April 19
CARMEL, IND. – Forté Orthopedic Research Institute is proud to honor four Indiana high school senior student-athletes with the 2023 Thomas A Brady, MD Comeback Scholarship Award.
The Brady Comeback Awards honor both male and female student-athletes at the collegiate or high school level from Indiana who have distinguished themselves by overcoming adversity or injury and returned and excelled beyond expectations in their respective sports. This year’s recipients, who will each receive a $1,500 scholarship, are as follows:
“Despite receiving life-changing diagnoses and injuries, this year’s honorees overcame the odds to achieve beyond what anyone might have thought possible, both athletically and academically, and we can’t help but be moved and inspired by their stories,” said Marty Rosenberg, president of Forté Orthopedic Research Institute. “We look forward to celebrating alongside Addison, Kendal, Corbin and Kate as we recognize them as the student-athletes and positive role models they are.”
The Brady Comeback Award recipients will be honored during the 18th annual Brady Sports Achievement Awards, presented by Physicians Rehab Solution and hosted by Forté Institute. Proceeds from the event, which will take place Wednesday, April 19, at Lucas Oil Stadium, will support Forté Institute in its mission to lead advances in orthopedic care and sports medicine through research and education to enhance quality of life.
The Brady Sports Achievement Awards are named for Dr. Thomas A. Brady, a founder of Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, who is recognized as the father of sports medicine in Central Indiana. Brady, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 95, developed many innovative techniques for returning athletes to their sports quickly and safely.
Learn more about Forté Institute and register to attend the Brady Sports Achievement Awards at forteinstitute.org.
About the 2023 Thomas A. Brady, MD Comeback Scholarship Award Recipients
Addison Nally
Senior, Clay High School, South Bend
A senior at Clay High School, Addison Nally has achieved beyond what anyone thought possible, both athletically and academically. At 8-years old, he began suffering from chronic pain that would eventually lead to a diagnosis of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, or CRMO, a rare nonbacterial bone disease that causes inflammation within a person’s bones. After three years of inactivity and school absences because of his disease, Nally received proper treatment and vowed to improve his physical abilities and dedicate himself to his schoolwork. His determination paid off, eventually earning Nally a GPA over 4.0 and leading him to excel in baseball, cross-country and tennis.
Kendal Rider
Senior, Lafayette Central Catholic High School, Lafayette
Kendal Rider embodies what it means to overcome adversity. A contributor to Lafayette Central Catholic’s girls basketball, soccer and softball teams, as well as the track team, Rider received a shocking diagnosis in April 2020 when doctors discovered she had a rare, pre-cancerous pancreatic tumor. Despite enduring five surgeries and devastating postoperative complications, the Central Catholic senior overcame each surgery and medical setback by approaching her recovery with the same drive and dedication that fueled her as an athlete. Exceeding all expectations, she helped lead her basketball team to the IHSAA State Basketball Championship game in 2022 and to Semi-State in 2023.
Corbin White
Senior, Jac-Cen-Del Junior-Senior High School, Osgood
A senior student-athlete at Jac-Cen-Del, Corbin White’s positive attitude is matched only by his ability to overcome adversity. In 2021, White experienced the first, and most difficult, of several life-changing experiences when he lost his father to cancer. A little over a year later, his family home was damaged by a fire that left him injured. Just as he recovered, White faced yet another challenge when he was severely hurt and hospitalized following a UTV accident. He began rehab as soon as he was able, persevering through many therapy sessions to join his basketball team on the court months ahead of schedule, now wearing number 54 on his jersey as a tribute to his father.
Kate York
Senior, Elkhart High School, Elkhart
A leader of Elkhart High School’s volleyball program, Kate York has a mental toughness and work ethic that serve as an inspiration to all who know her. After being diagnosed with severe scoliosis that required two flexible rods and 26 screws to be placed into her spine, she worked tirelessly to achieve her goals, both athletic and academic. Despite missing three weeks of school to recover from surgery, the Elkhart senior maintained an impressive 4.2 weighted GPA. Following extensive physical therapy, she also returned to the volleyball court, where she achieved a personal goal to attain 1,000 assists in her varsity career and help her team reach their goal of going undefeated in conference play and becoming conference champions.
Story by Bill Benner, Sports Journalist
It’s March so allow us to capture the theme of the month.
This quartet is not March Madness, but March Muchness.
They’re not a Final Four, but a Vital Four.
And all, of course, are MVPs.
March also has another theme. It’s National Athletic Training Month.
So meet Maura “Mo” Shea. Jillian Hacker. Courtney Cox. And Sierra Garber.
Shea is the director of the First Line Tactical Athlete program, which provides care, patient education and athletic training to public safety personnel.
Hacker is the Outreach Services Coordinator, meaning she manages the athletic training coverage of Forté’s community partnerships with, among others, the Indiana High School Athletic Association and numerous high schools and colleges, and several youth sports organizations. She’s also the athletic trainer for the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders, the first to have that responsibility.
Cox and Garber are athletic trainers for the Indiana Fire Academy, which not only hosts the top soccer players in the state of Indiana, but often draws elite-level players on the national level in search of injury treatment and rehabilitation.
So this is athletic training on a significantly larger playing field.
In Shea’s case, it’s the playing field of life.
“We’re on the forefront of something great,” says Shea, who is originally from the Washington, D.C. area but came to the Midwest to earn her bachelor’s degree at Xavier and then her doctorate at Indiana State University, where she was on the ground floor of a groundbreaking program to bring athletic training to public safety personnel, beginning with the Terre Haute Fire Department.
“Athletic training in the military was gaining steam but it wasn’t popular in public safety,” says Shea. “We wanted to be on the cutting edge because public safety deserves access to excellent quality healthcare.”
After Terre Haute, Shea came to Forté (then Methodist) Sports Medicine and started athletic training programs with Carmel police and has grown the program to six other departments. She now is solely assigned to perform athletic training with the White River Township Fire Department in Center Grove.
“Tactical athletes complete strenuous activities while carrying a load,” Shea says. “A firefighter might start out with 70 pounds of dry equipment on that then gets drenched during fire ground operations, then they’re expected to overhaul ceilings and walls overhead and in front of them with all of that weight on. A police officer is repetitively getting out of a car to their left with a heavy vest and belt and might be called upon to subdue someone or keep them and the public safe. These people need ready access to athletic training.”
Shea is proud to be part of Forté’s transformative move into this area. “Forté’s mantra is to be the best place to both give and get care,” Shea says. “This program exemplifies that while providing incredible job satisfaction. Forté is compassionate about patients and community and vital to those communities are police officers, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs.”
In overseeing all of Forté’s relationships and 45 athletic trainers, Hacker is one busy person. Just consider the IHSAA and its championships – in addition, to make sure there is staffing, she tries to attend most of the events.
“My favorite events are the State Finals and knowing that they’re staffed and that everybody has what they need to be safe,” says Hacker. She enjoys working alongside the other Forté athletic trainers to help them feel connected.
Hacker is from New Castle and earned an exercise science degree at Ball State and her athletic training degree from Northern Arizona.
“As we move forward in athletic training, we need to focus on the whole person,” she says. “That means not just athletic injuries but also illness and mental health.”
Last fall, Hacker assumed additional duties. With the Indianapolis Colts, she is now just one of nine athletic trainers in the NFL assigned to a team’s cheerleading/dance squad.
“The Colts were looking for someone to bring sports medicine and athletic training to the girls and I was the right person to do it,” Hacker says. “A lot of these girls have grown up in dance and have never had the access to athletic training. It’s been really cool to educate them on how we can help them. And again, the focus is on them as a whole person. One of the girls was so happy when I asked her, ‘How are you doing?’”
Garber’s and Cox’s duties deal with more than 2,000 athletes – ages 8 to 18 – from around the state at the Fire Academy’s Grand Park facility. For Garber, it’s both a love of the “injury to rehab” process and a love of labor. During the busy season, she says, she might have only one day off a month.
A native of Goshen and former soccer athlete who earned her athletic training degree from UIndy and a Sports Medicine degree from Western Michigan University, this is Garber’s second time around with Forté.
“I believe it’s the best program in the state with some of the best doctors in the country,” she says. “Forté also does a great job of advocating for the athletic training profession and providing opportunities to grow and learn.”
Cox echoes those comments. “From the sports medicine side of things, Forté is passionate about providing the highest level of care,” she says. “And we have a great, open line of communication with the doctors and PTs discussing the best plans for an athlete’s path to recovery. In addition, Forté does a great job of listening to us.”
Cox is a native of Fort Wayne who played soccer at Concordia High School, then earned her degree in sports medicine from Ball State. She’s been with Forté since 2017 and with Indiana Fire since 2019.
“I played soccer and I love soccer, so this is a great opportunity,” Cox said.
And you have to love it to deal with the schedule. “At Grand Park, there are 31 outdoor soccer fields and three indoors and when all are busy, it seems like an entire year in one day,” she says.
As March comes to a close, she and Garber are overseeing back-to-back tournament weekends and then for Cox, it’s off to Florida for a week at a national event.
So March Madness, indeed. And Muchness. These four – Shea, Hacker, Garber, Cox – are a Fab Four, bringing athletic training and sports medicine to police, firefighters, EMTs, college and high school athletes and thousands of soccer players.
Oh, and when March ends, all it means is a flip of the calendar page for these Vital Four.
If you are struggling to find relief for your joint pain after physical therapy and/or medications, you might be considering joint injections as your next step. Cortisone injections are a common procedure with the goal of reducing pain in damaged joints. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections and other orthobiologic injections are gaining popularity in sports medicine and orthopedics. Let’s break down the differences and how to determine what’s best for you when it comes to these two non-operative treatment options.
What is a Cortisone Injection?
Traditionally a more common and well-known approach, cortisone injections are used by orthopedic specialists at Forté to treat a wide variety of conditions. Derived from a type of steroid called corticosteroids that became popular because of their strong anti-inflammatory properties and instant pain relief, cortisone injections are most commonly used in our joints to reduce inflammation and pain and get people back to their everyday activities. Better suited for a short-term solution, cortisone injections act as more of a band-aid to the underlying issue and require close monitoring, as frequent usage can cause tissue damage and unwanted side effects. While the injection helps reduce pain, it typically doesn’t cure the underlying problem that is causing the inflammation.
What is a Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection?
PRP injections involve the process of using the properties in your blood through a blood draw followed by a machine that separates the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood.
After numbing the problematic area, a Forte specialist will use a needle to inject your PRP into the targeted area. After an initial period of an increase in pain, the goal of the injection is prolonged pain and anti-inflammatory relief for things like arthritis-related pain In addition to soft tissue Injuries (tendon, ligament, muscle). Because this method uses your own blood, PRP injections help promote your own body’s response to pain and injured tissues.
Which Option Is Right for Me?
When there are many different treatment options available, it can be difficult to navigate the path to finding relief from your pain. Our orthopedic and sports medicine specialists can help guide you through the risks, benefits and alternative options to help you get back to living the life you want.
Our very own Dr. Matthew Negaard specializes in ultrasound-guided injections, PRP treatments, orthobiologics, and sports medicine. Request an appointment HERE or call at 317.817.1200.
If you turn to Google for quick and easy ways to treat arthritis pain, you’ll likely find suggestions like:
Or the common “RICE method”: rest, ice, compression and elevation.
All are good treatment options. But sometimes, pain caused by arthritis needs elevated solutions beyond the RICE fix that are still considered non-operative treatment options. Orthobiologic injections fall under this category.
What Are Orthobiologic Injections?
Orthobiologics are innate tissue-derived products that a trained physician may use to aid in pain reduction and function restoration and potentially avoid or delay major procedures. The orthobiologic substances consist of cells, proteins, glycoproteins and other substances that are naturally found in the body.
What Conditions Are Orthobiologics Used to Treat?
There are a variety of acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions that orthobiologics are being used to treat, such as mild-to-moderate arthritis.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is made from your own blood. Blood is drawn and then prepared by spinning in a centrifuge where the platelets with proteins with anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects are separated. The platelets are injected back into your arthritic area. This procedure is performed by Forté specialists.
Other Treatment Options for Arthritis
There are several different treatment options for osteoarthritis. Some of the more beneficial treatments can be lifestyle modifications including weight loss, dietary changes and implementing an exercise routine. Physical therapy, topical or oral NSAIDs (naproxen, acetaminophen) and bracing are also often used. There are also other injection options. The most common type of injection is a corticosteroid injection, often referred to as a “cortisone” injection.
If non-surgical treatment options have failed, learn more about our joint replacement program at Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics.
Looking for Relief?
Request an appointment with a Forté orthopedic physician to learn what treatment options are right for you.
Random injuries that occur while performing daily activities and prevent us from going about our regular schedule are, unfortunately, not all that uncommon. One of our patients, Barbara, suffered from a recent injury when she tripped and landed on her knees. This fall generated such excruciating pain that she couldn't walk without crutches.
“The next morning,” Barbara recounts, “I hobbled my way into the Forté Fast Orthopedic Care walk-in clinic and was seen right away. They did X-rays, found a hairline crack in the kneecap (patella fracture) and started physical therapy immediately. In just six weeks, I was a pain-free and proud PT graduate, thanks to the orthopedic walk-in care at Forté!”
When unexpected accidents arise, immediately obtaining a correct diagnosis in order to rapidly implement a treatment plan—whatever that looks like—is a crucial first step. One of the many benefits of a same-day appointment is that it assists in the overall recovery by expediting the healing process. By offering this level of orthopedic urgent care at Forté Fast, patients like Barbara are able to experience a one-stop-shop perk when an injury occurs. Taking advantage of an orthopedic walk-in appointment, she was seen by an orthopedic physician, got x-rays, was diagnosed and set up with a physical therapist—all in the same building! Her experience with Forté Fast completely affected her recovery process for the better.
Forté Fast Orthopedic Care is designed to provide immediate access for acute issues, such as a broken bone, sprain, fracture, dislocation and more. We offer same-day convenient services depending on your individual needs, including expert-level orthopedic evaluation, rehab, imaging, medical supplies and more. By offering same-day access to a specialist, we give patients the opportunity to start feeling better, faster. We focus on getting people back to full mobility and comfort under expert-level care.
Our Noblesville Forté Fast orthopedic urgent care clinic will be closed on Wednesday, June 7th and Friday, June 9th.
