Community Corner
The Pediatric Orthopedic Center Launches New Center Of Excellence
New Comprehensive Center for Female Athletes. Elevating Women's Sports in NJ with a Holistic Approach to Care & Extending Beyond Orthopedics
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Morristown, NJ (February 15, 2024) On February 3, 2024, The Pediatric Orthopedic Center (TPOC) relaunched its Center for Female Athlete, extending beyond orthopedics. The dedicated team, composed of 50% female orthopedic surgeons, is committed to providing comprehensive care for the specialized needs and injuries of young female athletes. Having established trusted relationships with some of the best providers in the area, the Center for Female Athlete now offers its patients a list of recommended specialists, including but not limited to psychologists, nutritionists, adolescent medicine specialists, and endocrinologists, to ensure that your daughters receive the best possible care.
Comprised of four female pediatric orthopedic surgeons, Samara Friedman, MD, FAAOS; Anna Katsman, MD; Sarah Stelma, MD; and Alexandra D’Agostini, MD; as well as a nationally-certified orthopedic physician assistant, Jaime Morley, MS, PA-C, the Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete focuses on the unique medical conditions and injuries due to trauma or overuse of young female patients. While the national average for female orthopedic surgeons is only 6%, The Pediatric Orthopedic Center offers female athletes the choice between 4 female and 4 male orthopedic surgeons, in addition to a pediatric foot and ankle specialist and an orthopedic physician assistant.
According to Dr. Samara Friedman, the leading physician at the Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete, “Our keen focus is on the specialized needs and injuries of female athletes, including their unique physical and medical conditions, as well as psychological pressures. The Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete offers a safe space for female athletes to discuss their injuries, concerns, and needs with highly credentialed, compassionate providers. As athletes, sports team coaches, and physicians who have experience working with professional sports teams as well, we bring deep expertise to this specialized area of practice.”
Girls’ participation in high school sports has grown from less than 300,000 in the early 1970s to almost 3.5 million during the 2018-19 school year. In fact, female adolescents now make up almost 43% of high school athletes, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Due to their unique anatomical differences, female athletes are at an increased risk of sustaining ACL tears and overuse injuries compared to their male counterparts, for example, and are especially susceptible to injury during periods of rapid growth.
TPOC offers cutting-edge diagnostic tools, including the highly accurate, low-dose EOS Imaging system, the only one of its kind in northern N.J., as well as the latest treatment options, such as the BEAR (bridge-enhanced anterior cruciate ligament repair) technique, to treat a myriad of injuries and orthopedic conditions including:
- Knee injuries: ACL tears, meniscus tears, and knee cap dislocations
- Shoulder and elbow injuries: sprains, tears, dislocation, and instability
- Hip injuries: hip dysplasia, sprains, strains, impingement, and labral tears
- Foot and ankle injuries, including ankle sprains
- Scoliosis and other spine deformities
- Fractures, ligament, and muscle/tendon injuries
- Overuse and growth plate injuries, including osteochondritis dissecans
About The Pediatric Orthopedic Center
The Pediatric Orthopedic Center is the largest pediatric orthopedic practice in New Jersey and among the largest private pediatric orthopedic practices in the United States, with three offices located in Cedar Knolls, Wayne, and Springfield. It is the only pediatric orthopedic practice in NJ that provides an urgent care center with evening and Saturday hours. The practice specializes in youth and adolescent sports trauma, spine deformities, hip disorders, and foot and ankle surgery. It features seven board-certified and/or fellowship-trained pediatric orthopedists, a pediatric specialized foot and ankle specialist, and a nationally certified orthopedic physician assistant. For more information, visit: pediatricorthopedics.com.
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