Join us for breakfast and a discussion on arthritis management and total ankle replacement. Dr. Wohler will discuss treatment options for ankle arthritis and advances in total ankle implants and design that have allowed more patients to live free of ankle arthritis.

This seminar is open to the general public.

AGENDA

• Dr. Andrew Wohler discusses ankle replacement and arthritis
• Q & A with Dr. Wohler
• Tour of the physicians' clinic and rehabilitation

WHEN

Saturday, May 4, 2024 | 9 - 10:30 am

WHERE

Orthopedic Center of Excellence

10767 Illinois St. Suite A2800, Carmel, IN 46033

Free parking is available in the attached garage.

REGISTER NOW

CARMEL, Indiana - Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center, which is a joint venture with Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital Carmel and Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, was recently awarded full certification for Advanced Joint Replacement with distinction by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), an internationally recognized accrediting body.

"We are proud to achieve this prestigious certification," said Tami Robinson, executive director of operations, Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center. "Earning ACHC certification is a significant achievement that recognizes our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and the community."

"I'm proud of our program and this recognition reflects our team's dedication to delivering the best outcomes in joint replacement," said Dr. Joseph Maratt, joint replacement surgeon at Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. "Continuous improvement, innovation and a culture of safety are the foundational elements of our program that guide our clinical and operational decisions.

"The collaboration between Forté and Franciscan has been instrumental in the design and implementation of a comprehensive joint replacement program. Our combined expertise and experience will help us continue to set new standards and raise the bar in both outcomes and patient experience."

ACHC Certification confirms that Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center is providing high-quality care as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation.

"We have a great team at the Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center. This certification affirms the dedication of the Franciscan Health and Forté teams working together to provide exceptional care to all patients served," said Trish Weber, chief operating officer for Franciscan Health Mooresville and Carmel. "Franciscan is proud to partner with Forté, the camaraderie we have is unmatched. It has positioned us very well for the future as orthopedic services continue to grow."

Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center features a high-tech surgery center, offering the latest advancements in musculoskeletal procedures. Outpatient services provided at the facility include: joint replacement, hip and knee, hand, wrist and upper extremity, shoulder, spine, foot and ankle and pain management.

"Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center clearly demonstrates a commitment to quality and patient safety," said Meg Gravesmill, vice president, ACHC. "We base our decision on the findings of an extensive and thorough on-site review of advanced joint replacement against standards for organizational operations and clinical services that drive patient safety and continuous quality improvement. Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center has earned the distinction of ACHC certification through its performance in successfully meeting those standards."

Find more information about the Franciscan Orthopedic Surgery Center, here.

Total knee replacement is the most common joint replacement procedure performed today, with a large majority of patients reporting near or complete relief of their arthritic symptoms after recovering from surgery.

Knee replacement is best described as knee resurfacing, with the end of the femur and the top of the tibia resurfaced with smooth metal and plastic implants. It’s a good option when severe knee arthritis causes daily pain and limitations that non-operative treatments don’t resolve.

While reliable in its effectiveness, there are still a number of factors to consider to ensure the best possible outcome. Below, we look at some difference makers in knee replacement surgery.

Appropriateness

Appropriateness is a leading factor in how effective knee replacement surgery will be. There are many non-operative care options for arthritis patients, and the decision to have knee replacement surgery is most often a “quality of life” choice. Surgery may be appropriate if a patient has tried exercise, medications, physical therapy or bracing and is still experiencing daily pain and limited joint function.

Preparation

While knee replacement surgery may be appropriate for your situation, it can still take a toll on your physical and mental health. For the best possible outcome, preparation for knee replacement surgery should include a prehabilitation or prehab program to help make you stronger going into the procedure.

A prehab program that includes education and strengthening exercises can optimize where you are in your musculoskeletal health and help identify any medical problems that could impact your recovery.

Experience and Volume

It may go without saying, but experience and volume also impact the effectiveness of knee replacement surgery. Evidence suggests that selecting a surgeon who does at least 50 to 100 replacements a year and a hospital that does at least 100 a year improves your chances of an ideal outcome.

Computer-Assisted Knee Replacement

Advancements in surgical techniques and technologies also lead to an increase in patient satisfaction with knee replacement surgery.

Computer-assisted navigation systems allow surgeons to plan surgery on a 3D model of a patient that’s developed from a CT scan. A robotic arm then assists the surgeon in making pre-planned bone cuts that allow for a greater degree of accuracy.

“Because of technology like this, there’s greater awareness of the fact that every knee is slightly different,” says Dr. Joseph Maratt, knee replacement surgeon at Forté. “The solution is to personalize the positioning of implants based on each person’s anatomy.”

Personalized Knee Replacement

A more personalized knee replacement process enhances patient outcomes because it ensures the surgeon removes just the right amount of damaged material during surgery. More of a patient’s soft tissues and bone are preserved, and there is increased accuracy in implant positioning, reducing the risk of complications.

“Personalization ultimately leads to less pain in the post-op period,” says Maratt. “We can’t make a knee replacement painless, but it leads to a more normal feeling knee and a faster recovery.”

Learn More

Wondering what to expect from life after knee replacement surgery? Maratt answers some of the most frequently asked questions and shares some of the benefits of computer-assisted knee replacement surgery.

To learn more about Forte’s joint replacement offerings using the latest techniques and technologies for the best results and fastest recovery, visit forteortho.com or call 317.817.1200.

If you’re struggling with chronic tendon pain that isn’t responding to medications and other therapies, your physician may recommend a minimally invasive procedure known as TenJet.

TenJet is replacing the need for more invasive surgeries by using a pressurized, high-velocity stream of saline solution to cut through and remove diseased tendon tissue that causes pain and reduces function.
Dr. Michael Del Busto, a rehabilitation and sports medicine physician at Forté, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about TenJet, including how to know if it’s right for you.

Who’s a good candidate for TenJet?
You may be a good candidate for TenJet if you have tried medications and therapies and aren’t getting adequate relief from tendon pain. TenJet can successfully treat chronic tendon pain in several areas of the body, including:
• Hand, wrist and elbow (Golfer's or Tennis elbow)
• Shoulder (Rotator cuff or Calcific tendinopathy)
• Hip (Gluteal tendinopathy)
• Knee (Patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee))
• Lower extremity (Hamstring or Quadriceps tendinopathy)
• Ankle (Achilles tendinopathy)
• Foot (Plantar fasciitis)

What are the benefits?
The main benefit of TenJet is that it restores the structure of the tendon to address the thickness.
“We’re able to use this device and insert it in the tendon to thin it out and remove the diseased tissue, thereby providing pain relief and improved function,” says Del Busto.

What can I expect from the procedure?
TenJet is performed in an outpatient setting. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and is done under local anesthetic. It is covered by most major insurances.

What is the recovery process?
A TenJet incision is so small that stitches typically aren’t required. After the procedure, it’s recommended that patients undergo a short course of rehab and observe a brief weight-bearing restriction. “We typically start physical therapy between two and three weeks,” says Del Busto. “Patients often go back to work around that time with modest modifications. By 6 weeks post-procedure, they’re usually back to managing their full responsibilities.”

How do I take the next step?
The team at Forté is specially trained to offer TenJet. If you suffer from tendon pain that isn’t responding to medications or therapy, let us see if we can help. Request an appointment online or call us at 317.817.1200 today.

When can I return to play?

It’s a question often on the minds of injured athletes, whether they’re being evaluated on a sideline for something minor or suffered a season-ending injury.

The answer, of course, is that there is no one answer.
“Every athlete is going to be different in their return to play,” says Forté athletic trainer and outreach operations manager Jillian Hacker.

Below, Hacker and Dr. Michael Del Busto, a rehabilitation and sports medicine physician at Forté, offer several important factors to consider when returning an athlete to play.
Sports Requirements

The unique requirements of an athlete’s sport should be a major factor when deciding whether to return to play. In other words, says Del Busto, just because an athlete reaches a window when they could potentially return to competition doesn’t mean they should.

“I’ll ask, ‘Do you think you could go back out on the court or field and do your job at the highest level?’” says Del Busto. “Sometimes that shines some light that they need a few more weeks of physical therapy before they can be effective in their chosen sport or give their team the best chance to win.”

Functional Status
Functional status is also high on the priority list.
“You want to consider their pain level, range of motion, whether they’re swelling up after practice and if they’re back to full strength,” says Hacker.

Psychological Readiness
Another factor to consider is psychological readiness. Before returning to play, athletes should be evaluated as to whether they’re going to go out on the field or court with confidence.
“If they’re still trying to take the weight off their injured limb, that would be an example of a red flag for psychological readiness,” says Hacker. “Additionally, they may not be ready if they’re expressing that they’re feeling scared to go back out on the field or court.”

Cardiovascular Readiness
The same can be said of cardiovascular readiness. Athletes should be able to keep up with the level of play before returning to competition.

Predisposition to Reinjury
Finally, attention should be paid to an athlete’s predisposition to reinjury.
“If they look as though they’re going to go out there and reinjure their body part, then it’s not the right time to return to play,” says Hacker. “Alternately, if they look balanced, they may be ready to go.”

Return to Sport Progression
All factors considered, an athlete should complete a return to sport progression that gradually increases their physical activity. Different injuries have different timelines and phases for recovery, but most start with addressing issues such as pain and swelling and end with developing complete readiness for sport.
“We’re increasing their activity in a gradual manner,” says Hacker. “So, we may start with 30 minutes of practice, then go to 60 minutes and increase from there. Once they can do a full practice with full range of motion and minimal to no pain and swelling, then we’ll return them to competition.”
No matter the injury or sport, the end goal is to return an athlete to pre-injury level of performance or better.

“We want every athlete to feel completely confident before we send them back out there,” says Hacker.

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.

By Bill Benner, Sports Journalist

As a career wordsmith, I’m rarely challenged to find, well, words.

But in speaking with Bev Watt, I was momentarily wordless to describe this woman’s achievement.

Make that achievements, plural.

So let’s start with remarkable. No, that’s not quite there.

Exceptional? On the right track.

How about extraordinary? Yeah, that’s it. Extraordinary. No, make it EXTRAordinary! (Exclamation point intended).

You see, with the help of staff at Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, Bev Watts overcame a hip injury and ran a marathon last summer.

A 26.2-mile marathon.

So what’s the big deal, you might think. Lots of people overcome injuries to run marathons.

So here’s the big deal.

Bev Watt is 84 years old.

As I said, EXTRAordinary!

But making it even more so is the aforementioned hip injury, suffered when she fell from her bicycle just five weeks before she was scheduled to run in the appropriately named Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn.

“After my fall, I didn’t think much of it,” says Bev, an avid runner for more than 40 years. “But over the next few days, I could barely walk, let alone run. The pain was too much.”

She thought of a long-ago treatment from Dr. Arthur Rettig, “who I loved,” she said. So, she got in her car on the northeast side of Indianapolis and decided to seek him out directly. Only when she arrived at the Pennsylvania Parkway location, she discovered that Methodist Sports Medicine had changed its name and location, and Dr. Rettig had retired.

Bev learned of the new name, Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, and its location and drove there, but filled with doubts. No one knows me at Forté, she thought, and what if I can’t get an appointment quickly?

And, even if she did get in, what if she was told her attempts to rehab and then compete in a marathon at 84 years old were folly.

Those doubts were quickly erased. She was referred to Dr. Matthew Negaard and physical therapist Jen LeBeau.

And instead of asking Bev why she would even think of such an attempt, both Dr. Negaard and LeBeau said, why not?

“Oh, Dr. Negaard was the most optimistic doctor I’ve ever met!” exclaimed Bev, a retired pharmacist at Fort Benjamin Harrison. “He said, ‘I’ll get you there.’

“And Jen was just wonderful. I’ve never had so much physical therapy. They were both so positive.”

Thus, slowly but quickly given the time frame, Bev recovered. And three-and-a-half weeks later, she was on the starting line in Duluth.

And 26.2 miles later, she crossed the finish line.

“My three teammates from Indianapolis were there and everybody was cheering,” said Bev who, not surprisingly, won her age class. “I got an award plaque in the shape of Minnesota.”

As she was running, she contemplated quitting several times. But every time she did, she thought back to Dr. Negaard and LeBeau.

“They all said you can do it,” Bev recalled. “As I was running, I told myself I can’t stop. I can’t let them down. Half the battle was their encouragement.”

Thus, the capstone to an amazing running career that has included competing in marathons in the U.S. and Europe, in particular Berlin, where she posted her personal best time of 4 hours, 30 minutes. Her infatuation with running began years ago, when she competed with a Fort Harrison team in the Indiana Sports Corp’s annual Corporate Challenge. That was a miler. In short time, she moved up to 10ks and half marathons, then to the 26.2 milers.

Bev gives part of the credit to genetics. “At age 86, my mother could outwalk me,” says Bev.

And was the Grandma Marathon her last? Well never say never. You put one foot in front of another and then, before you know it, it’s 26.2 miles later.

“I’m still running and would like to do another when I’m 85,” says Bev. “I just want to be an inspiration to other women coming up in age.”

An inspiration to be sure.

A remarkable, exceptional inspiration?

No, an EXTRAordinary inspiration. That’s just the right word.

And credit Forté’s Negaard and LeBeau for an extraordinary assist.

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler University's highly respected athletic program has new team members to assist in providing student-athletes with comprehensive medical care. Franciscan Health and Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics (formerly Methodist Sports Medicine) – long recognized as national leaders in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine – are joining their expertise and award-winning care processes to provide care for Butler University's athletic program. 

Philip A. Blaney, MD, MBA, MS, medical director of Franciscan Physician Network Sports Medicine Specialists, has been appointed head team physician for Butler University. In that role, he will provide both primary care and sports medicine services to Butler's student-athletes. Dr. Blaney completed a sports medicine fellowship with Intermountain Healthcare-Utah Valley Orthopedic Center in Provo.  Dr. Blaney was a head team physician for various high school teams and has served as a team physician for Purdue University. Currently, Dr. Blaney is also the head team physician for the Indianapolis Indians, the AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Franciscan Health will also provide full-time athletic trainers to augment the current Butler staff, allowing for enhanced coverage of practices and events. 

"Butler University has a storied history in sports and continues to promote excellence both on the playing field and in academics," said James Callaghan, MD, president and CEO for Franciscan Health Central Indiana. "We're honored that Dr. Blaney will lead a team of clinicians who will provide stellar care to students." 

Dr. Blaney will be joined on the sidelines by orthopedic surgeon Michael Bender, MD, of Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. Dr. Bender is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder and elbow disorders, with prior experience taking care of athletes as a team physician at Park Tudor and Indiana State University. Dr. Bender is a member of the prestigious American Shoulder & Elbow Surgeons (ASES) society. He performs all forms of minimally invasive and open shoulder and elbow procedures for patients of all ages.  

Drs. Blaney and Bender will be supported by over 25 orthopedic surgeons from Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics who have sub-specialty training in foot/ankle, knee, hip, spine, hand/wrist, elbow shoulder and sports medicine. Franciscan Physician Network specialists will also support the team as needed, including providing comprehensive concussion care. 

"With the addition of Franciscan Health and Forté's talented and dedicated physicians and staff, our student-athletes will receive high-level, comprehensive medical care," said Butler Vice President/Director of Athletics Barry Collier. "We are excited for this partnership that will add even more resources to Butler's sports medicine and sports performance staff under the direction of Ralph Reiff." 

Butler University athletes will also have access to the new Franciscan Orthopedic Center of Excellence, to be located at 106th and Illinois streets in Carmel. Franciscan Health and Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics are partners in this venture which is set to open in early 2022. This facility will offer Butler athletes and active adults across Indiana and beyond, access to a highly focused orthopedic center of excellence for inpatient and outpatient surgery, specialty rehabilitation services and more. 

CARMEL, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The physicians and team members of Methodist Sports Medicine announced today they have changed the name of the physician group to Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. The practice underwent a rebranding process to find a name that would highlight its brand promise and position the practice for future growth. Forté, which is a French and Italian word for strength, refers to a person’s strong suit or something that shows one’s special ability. The practice, which is trusted by top athletes and sports teams such as the Indianapolis Colts, is recognized as one of the region's most respected orthopedic groups. 

“This rebranding is about more than just a new logo or colors,” stated Dr. Mark Ritter, Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics president and a fellowship-trained orthopedic knee and shoulder surgeon. "The name Forté was chosen because it not only allows us to highlight our forté, which is providing great clinical outcomes and an elevated patient experience, but also allows us to highlight how we help our patients get back to what they do best and live their lives fully." 

Founded in 1983 as one of the country’s original sports medicine practices, Forté has grown to include 29 physicians and 237 team members who provide comprehensive, specialized sports medicine and orthopedic care to patients of all ages. The rebranding comes in advance of the opening of a new state-of-the-art orthopedic specialty hospital in March 2022. Located near 111^th and US-31 in Carmel, the hospital is a result of a collaboration with Franciscan Health and greatly expands orthopedic services to patients throughout Indiana and much of the Midwest. 

"I’m very proud of the group of physicians and staff we’ve assembled who comprise one of the most skilled and integrated practice groups in the area,” said Dr. Ritter. “While our name is changing, our tradition of focusing on our patients does not. We will continue to strive each day to be the best place to give care and the best place to receive care.”