Tuesday, March 27, 2007
TOPAZ: THE INNOVATIVE SPORTS MEDICINE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND DOMINIQUE MOCEANU'S RETURN TO ELITE GYMNASTICS (PR)
Whether you are a gold medal winning gymnast, a “weekend warrior” sports enthusiast, a long-distance runner or simply someone who enjoys the occasional walk around the block, tendon ailments can be a painful, frustrating setback.
When muscles move or are used in ways that test their natural structure or are overused in a variety of repetitive-motion activities, the tendons (connective tissue) can become damaged, causing pain and discomfort.
For many, the answer is rest, stretching, bracing, medicines or injections. In some cases, however, where tendons don’t properly heal, patients are often left considering invasive surgery that can involve removing the damaged tissue and long recovery times. For active people and athletes, that is often difficult to face.
An innovative new medical device called the Topaz Microdebrider, which enables doctors to offer a less invasive alternative, is being quickly adopted by surgeons around the country specializing in treating sports medicine injuries. Topaz offers an innovative advancement in the treatment of tendons. This procedure is a quick, simple and a minimally invasive alternative.
The Patient’s Perspective – From Average Joe to World Class Athlete
For patients, Topaz offers dramatic relief from nagging, sometimes disabling tendon problems. And it all happens very quickly. The doctor places the patient under mild sedation. After a one inch incision is made (dramatically smaller than what would be made in a traditional invasive tendon surgery), the doctor treats the damaged tendon with Topaz technology (explained in greater detail below), to remove tiny amounts of tissue from the affected area and stimulate a healing response. The treated area is rinsed and closed and medication is given. From start to finish, the whole procedure takes less than 20 minutes.
For the patient, this also means getting back into action significantly faster than with traditional, more invasive surgery.
One patient who has reaped the benefits of accelerated recovery is Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu. Moceanu, who is presently mounting an impressive return to elite international gymnastic competition, was sidelined last year with chronic and painful Achilles tendinosis. After trying conservative therapies to no avail, Moceanu was faced with the long recovery time of traditional open surgery.
When she learned of Topaz technology from world-renowned podiatrist Dr. Gerard Yu, Moceanu opted for the less invasive treatment with hopes for a speedy recovery.
Her Topaz treatment at the hands of Dr. Yu was a success – so much so that only six weeks after surgery, she wowed crowds at an exhibition alongside several of the world’s most revered gymnasts for a nationally televised gymnastics exhibition. Now she has set her sights on competing at the highest levels of her sport – and the Achilles tendon that caused her chronic soreness due to degeneration is pain-free.
How it Works: The Innovative Science Behind TOPAZ
The surgical removal of unhealthy tissue is often necessary for the treatment of the tendons found in the small joints. Topaz utilizes radiofrequency-based technology called Coblation as an alternative to standard surgical cutting techniques for removing and treating tissue. Topaz enables the micro-debridement of soft tissue, such as tendons in the knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle and foot. One of the benefits of Topaz’ less invasive approach is that the technology preserves the anatomical structure of the tissue while delivering a precisely controlled amount of radiofrequency energy that stimulates a healing response in the tissue.
While most radiofrequency-based surgical products, such as lasers and electrosurgical devices, use heat-driven processes to remove or cut tissue, Coblation-based technology such as Topaz operate at a lower temperature, allowing for more precise procedures than would be performed by traditional surgical tools. Instead of exploding tissue structures under high temperatures, Coblation technology gently dissolves target tissue, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
The gentle tissue-dissolving process provided by Coblation is applied specifically for the microdebridement of soft tissues such as tendons.
Through a small incision (about one inch), the wand-like Topaz Microdebrider is applied on and around the affected tendon for half-second treatments a quarter inch apart until a grid-like pattern of tiny indentations is formed. With every fourth application, the device is inserted deeper into the tendon - approximately a quarter inch in depth. Small amounts of tissue are removed as a light dose of radiofrequency energy is directed into the tissue. As mentioned above, the Topaz treatment typically takes less than 20 minutes. Patients are ready to leave the clinic once recovered from light anesthesia.
In short, Topaz provides patients--be they weekend warriors, or gold-medal winning Olympians--with a treatment option that is less invasive and less traumatic, resulting in a potentially dramatic reduction in recovery time. Topaz is now available in a quickly growing number of operating rooms around the country.
For more information – or to find a physician near you that utilizes the Topaz technique – please visit TopazInfo.com.
Whether you are a gold medal winning gymnast, a “weekend warrior” sports enthusiast, a long-distance runner or simply someone who enjoys the occasional walk around the block, tendon ailments can be a painful, frustrating setback.
When muscles move or are used in ways that test their natural structure or are overused in a variety of repetitive-motion activities, the tendons (connective tissue) can become damaged, causing pain and discomfort.
For many, the answer is rest, stretching, bracing, medicines or injections. In some cases, however, where tendons don’t properly heal, patients are often left considering invasive surgery that can involve removing the damaged tissue and long recovery times. For active people and athletes, that is often difficult to face.
An innovative new medical device called the Topaz Microdebrider, which enables doctors to offer a less invasive alternative, is being quickly adopted by surgeons around the country specializing in treating sports medicine injuries. Topaz offers an innovative advancement in the treatment of tendons. This procedure is a quick, simple and a minimally invasive alternative.
The Patient’s Perspective – From Average Joe to World Class Athlete
For patients, Topaz offers dramatic relief from nagging, sometimes disabling tendon problems. And it all happens very quickly. The doctor places the patient under mild sedation. After a one inch incision is made (dramatically smaller than what would be made in a traditional invasive tendon surgery), the doctor treats the damaged tendon with Topaz technology (explained in greater detail below), to remove tiny amounts of tissue from the affected area and stimulate a healing response. The treated area is rinsed and closed and medication is given. From start to finish, the whole procedure takes less than 20 minutes.
For the patient, this also means getting back into action significantly faster than with traditional, more invasive surgery.
One patient who has reaped the benefits of accelerated recovery is Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu. Moceanu, who is presently mounting an impressive return to elite international gymnastic competition, was sidelined last year with chronic and painful Achilles tendinosis. After trying conservative therapies to no avail, Moceanu was faced with the long recovery time of traditional open surgery.
When she learned of Topaz technology from world-renowned podiatrist Dr. Gerard Yu, Moceanu opted for the less invasive treatment with hopes for a speedy recovery.
Her Topaz treatment at the hands of Dr. Yu was a success – so much so that only six weeks after surgery, she wowed crowds at an exhibition alongside several of the world’s most revered gymnasts for a nationally televised gymnastics exhibition. Now she has set her sights on competing at the highest levels of her sport – and the Achilles tendon that caused her chronic soreness due to degeneration is pain-free.
How it Works: The Innovative Science Behind TOPAZ
The surgical removal of unhealthy tissue is often necessary for the treatment of the tendons found in the small joints. Topaz utilizes radiofrequency-based technology called Coblation as an alternative to standard surgical cutting techniques for removing and treating tissue. Topaz enables the micro-debridement of soft tissue, such as tendons in the knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle and foot. One of the benefits of Topaz’ less invasive approach is that the technology preserves the anatomical structure of the tissue while delivering a precisely controlled amount of radiofrequency energy that stimulates a healing response in the tissue.
While most radiofrequency-based surgical products, such as lasers and electrosurgical devices, use heat-driven processes to remove or cut tissue, Coblation-based technology such as Topaz operate at a lower temperature, allowing for more precise procedures than would be performed by traditional surgical tools. Instead of exploding tissue structures under high temperatures, Coblation technology gently dissolves target tissue, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
The gentle tissue-dissolving process provided by Coblation is applied specifically for the microdebridement of soft tissues such as tendons.
Through a small incision (about one inch), the wand-like Topaz Microdebrider is applied on and around the affected tendon for half-second treatments a quarter inch apart until a grid-like pattern of tiny indentations is formed. With every fourth application, the device is inserted deeper into the tendon - approximately a quarter inch in depth. Small amounts of tissue are removed as a light dose of radiofrequency energy is directed into the tissue. As mentioned above, the Topaz treatment typically takes less than 20 minutes. Patients are ready to leave the clinic once recovered from light anesthesia.
In short, Topaz provides patients--be they weekend warriors, or gold-medal winning Olympians--with a treatment option that is less invasive and less traumatic, resulting in a potentially dramatic reduction in recovery time. Topaz is now available in a quickly growing number of operating rooms around the country.
For more information – or to find a physician near you that utilizes the Topaz technique – please visit TopazInfo.com.
Monday, March 05, 2007
A STATE OF BLISS (CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER)
Carl Matzelle
Plain Dealer Reporter
Brecksville-Broadview Heights senior Christina Lenny wasn't about to let an early morning hotel fire alarm prevent her from becoming the Bees' first all-around state champion Saturday.
"It feels great, it's been my goal all year, but it hasn't re ally sunk in yet, I'm numb," said Lenny, who also did some extra stretching be cause she was more worried about the lack of recovery time between Friday's team meet and Sat urday's individual meet at Hilliard Darby High School.
Brecksville, Char don, Mentor and other Northeast Ohio gymnasts and coaches were evacuated from an Embassy Suites Hotel early Saturday. Dublin firefighters responded about 2:30 a.m. when someone smoking on the eighth floor triggered a fire alarm.
Everyone was allowed back into the hotel within 45 minutes, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin coach Don Schutz said.
"It was crazy, we were all standing around without coats, although some had blankets," Schutz said.
Northeast Ohio gymnasts captured 22 medals at the 35th annual state meet, including the first four spots in the all-around. Besides Lenny (37.775), those medals went to Magnificat junior Kayla Kmiecik (36.700), who also defended her state title on the uneven bars (9.375); Medina junior Nicole Rymer (36.550); and North Royalton junior Bethany Neczypor (35.975).
Kmiecik began the day on the bars and impressed the judges with her giant full dismount. She wobbled and fell during her beam routine but recovered nicely, then bounced back with a 9.400 in her floor exercise and a 9.200 in the vault.
"My back handspring was a little off and affected my layout," Kmiecik said of her tumble from the beam. "I took a deep breath, told myself to forget about it and moved on."
Lenny also won the vault (9.700), beam (9.400) and floor exercise (9.525) and was third on the bars (9.150). Rymer also was fifth on the vault (9.125), fourth on the bars (8.975) and second on the beam (9.375).
Other Northeast Ohio gymnasts who medaled were Strongsville's Allison Marko, who was second on the bars (9.225). For Brecksville, Vitoria Moskalow was fifth on beam (8.925), Amy Trippet was third on floor (9.325) and Kelsey Bletsch was fifth on the bars (8.950). Perry's Erin O'Donnell was fourth on floor (9.300) and Twinsburg's Megan McConnell was sixth on floor (9.150).
The state finals were bittersweet for Lenny and other gymnasts, including her senior teammate Kristy Ryan, who finished sixth on the vault (9.075). Both will attend Kent State in the fall. While Lenny will compete on scholarship, Saturday marked Ryan's farewell to gymnastics.
"My body's tired. I'm done, but it's been fun," Ryan said.
The duo credit their coaches, Joan and Ron Ganim, and Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu for their success, in and out of the gym. Moceanu has been assisting the Ganims for the past five years.
"Dominique taught us respect for the sport, made us more disciplined," Ryan said. "But we could also relate to her as teenagers, too, because she's been through it all."
Moceanu said she's grateful for the opportunity to help the team win its fourth straight state title, and understands the emotions the seniors are feeling better than most. "After four years, all that hard work finally paid off, but just like that, it's over and time to move on," Moceanu said. "I know they'll take the values, the respect, the discipline with them."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
cmatzelle@plaind.com, 216-999-5167
Carl Matzelle
Plain Dealer Reporter
Brecksville-Broadview Heights senior Christina Lenny wasn't about to let an early morning hotel fire alarm prevent her from becoming the Bees' first all-around state champion Saturday.
"It feels great, it's been my goal all year, but it hasn't re ally sunk in yet, I'm numb," said Lenny, who also did some extra stretching be cause she was more worried about the lack of recovery time between Friday's team meet and Sat urday's individual meet at Hilliard Darby High School.
Brecksville, Char don, Mentor and other Northeast Ohio gymnasts and coaches were evacuated from an Embassy Suites Hotel early Saturday. Dublin firefighters responded about 2:30 a.m. when someone smoking on the eighth floor triggered a fire alarm.
Everyone was allowed back into the hotel within 45 minutes, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin coach Don Schutz said.
"It was crazy, we were all standing around without coats, although some had blankets," Schutz said.
Northeast Ohio gymnasts captured 22 medals at the 35th annual state meet, including the first four spots in the all-around. Besides Lenny (37.775), those medals went to Magnificat junior Kayla Kmiecik (36.700), who also defended her state title on the uneven bars (9.375); Medina junior Nicole Rymer (36.550); and North Royalton junior Bethany Neczypor (35.975).
Kmiecik began the day on the bars and impressed the judges with her giant full dismount. She wobbled and fell during her beam routine but recovered nicely, then bounced back with a 9.400 in her floor exercise and a 9.200 in the vault.
"My back handspring was a little off and affected my layout," Kmiecik said of her tumble from the beam. "I took a deep breath, told myself to forget about it and moved on."
Lenny also won the vault (9.700), beam (9.400) and floor exercise (9.525) and was third on the bars (9.150). Rymer also was fifth on the vault (9.125), fourth on the bars (8.975) and second on the beam (9.375).
Other Northeast Ohio gymnasts who medaled were Strongsville's Allison Marko, who was second on the bars (9.225). For Brecksville, Vitoria Moskalow was fifth on beam (8.925), Amy Trippet was third on floor (9.325) and Kelsey Bletsch was fifth on the bars (8.950). Perry's Erin O'Donnell was fourth on floor (9.300) and Twinsburg's Megan McConnell was sixth on floor (9.150).
The state finals were bittersweet for Lenny and other gymnasts, including her senior teammate Kristy Ryan, who finished sixth on the vault (9.075). Both will attend Kent State in the fall. While Lenny will compete on scholarship, Saturday marked Ryan's farewell to gymnastics.
"My body's tired. I'm done, but it's been fun," Ryan said.
The duo credit their coaches, Joan and Ron Ganim, and Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu for their success, in and out of the gym. Moceanu has been assisting the Ganims for the past five years.
"Dominique taught us respect for the sport, made us more disciplined," Ryan said. "But we could also relate to her as teenagers, too, because she's been through it all."
Moceanu said she's grateful for the opportunity to help the team win its fourth straight state title, and understands the emotions the seniors are feeling better than most. "After four years, all that hard work finally paid off, but just like that, it's over and time to move on," Moceanu said. "I know they'll take the values, the respect, the discipline with them."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
cmatzelle@plaind.com, 216-999-5167
Thursday, March 01, 2007
KEEPING YOUR WEDDING DOWN TO EARTH (WEDDINGWIZARDS.COM)
Not all celebrities need a huge wedding with custom dresses
in exotic locations when they tie the knot. One recent example was gymnast Dominique Moceanu who married her long-time boyfriend and former coach Michael Canales on November 3, 2006. In fact, Dominique did something else most celebrities would never dream of doing: she planned the wedding herself!
Jumping Through Olympic Hoops!
Dominique, best known for winning a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics, met Michael almost 13 years ago while she was competing in the Junior National Championships. She was 12, and he was 16. When they met again a five years later, they became a couple and Michael, who was also a nationally ranked gymnast, started coaching her.
Their romance culminated in a Saturday afternoon ceremony in front of more than 175 guests which included other Olympic gymnasts, including Nadia Comaneci and Dominique Dawes. Her teammate, Kerri Strug, was even a bridesmaid in the wedding.
Although Dominique's relationship with her parents had been rocky in the past (she became emancipated from her parents at the age of 16), her father was present at the wedding and even proudly walked her down the aisle. Dominique didn't choose to have a dress custom-made for her as other celebrity brides would have, instead she chose an Oleg Cassini off-the-rack. She also handled most of the wedding arrangements herself without the help of a professional wedding planner or public relations team.
Dominique Did It This Way
More brides can learn from Dominique. We all want things to be perfect, but hiring a professional planner to help make the decisions and coordinate the event isn't cheap and it isn't really necessary. Sure, you might save a few hundred dollars here and there because the planner gets special deals from vendors but, in most cases, you're going to be paying that wedding planner more than you're going to save.
Plus, this is your wedding. Traditionally, planning the intricate details of the big day has always been part of the thrill for the bride and sometimes even the groom. When you turn those details over to a stranger, you're missing out on a big part of the event.
Dominique also kept things simple. Even though her wedding party included sports celebrities, the wedding was very traditional and down-to-earth. She knew it was a day to celebrate the love between her and Michael, not a day to attract media attention for having the most attention-getting ceremony.
While you might not expect a lot of media attention for your wedding, lots of brides do forget the real purpose of the wedding at some point between its planning and its execution. We've all heard about these bridezillas who make the ceremony miserable for everyone around them. Those women have simply lost sight of what the big day means.
So how can you prevent that from happening to you. Well, when things get really stressful during the planning process, step away for a moment and take a deep breath. Then remind yourself that the reason you are going through all of the stress is because you want to share this special moment in your relationship with everyone else who matters in your lives. It might even help to have a picture of your spouse-to-be handy as an extra reminder.
Regardless of whether you plan your own wedding like Dominique or you hire a professional to help you, it's important to keep in mind what's most important: each other.
Not all celebrities need a huge wedding with custom dresses
in exotic locations when they tie the knot. One recent example was gymnast Dominique Moceanu who married her long-time boyfriend and former coach Michael Canales on November 3, 2006. In fact, Dominique did something else most celebrities would never dream of doing: she planned the wedding herself!
Jumping Through Olympic Hoops!
Dominique, best known for winning a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics, met Michael almost 13 years ago while she was competing in the Junior National Championships. She was 12, and he was 16. When they met again a five years later, they became a couple and Michael, who was also a nationally ranked gymnast, started coaching her.
Their romance culminated in a Saturday afternoon ceremony in front of more than 175 guests which included other Olympic gymnasts, including Nadia Comaneci and Dominique Dawes. Her teammate, Kerri Strug, was even a bridesmaid in the wedding.
Although Dominique's relationship with her parents had been rocky in the past (she became emancipated from her parents at the age of 16), her father was present at the wedding and even proudly walked her down the aisle. Dominique didn't choose to have a dress custom-made for her as other celebrity brides would have, instead she chose an Oleg Cassini off-the-rack. She also handled most of the wedding arrangements herself without the help of a professional wedding planner or public relations team.
Dominique Did It This Way
More brides can learn from Dominique. We all want things to be perfect, but hiring a professional planner to help make the decisions and coordinate the event isn't cheap and it isn't really necessary. Sure, you might save a few hundred dollars here and there because the planner gets special deals from vendors but, in most cases, you're going to be paying that wedding planner more than you're going to save.
Plus, this is your wedding. Traditionally, planning the intricate details of the big day has always been part of the thrill for the bride and sometimes even the groom. When you turn those details over to a stranger, you're missing out on a big part of the event.
Dominique also kept things simple. Even though her wedding party included sports celebrities, the wedding was very traditional and down-to-earth. She knew it was a day to celebrate the love between her and Michael, not a day to attract media attention for having the most attention-getting ceremony.
While you might not expect a lot of media attention for your wedding, lots of brides do forget the real purpose of the wedding at some point between its planning and its execution. We've all heard about these bridezillas who make the ceremony miserable for everyone around them. Those women have simply lost sight of what the big day means.
So how can you prevent that from happening to you. Well, when things get really stressful during the planning process, step away for a moment and take a deep breath. Then remind yourself that the reason you are going through all of the stress is because you want to share this special moment in your relationship with everyone else who matters in your lives. It might even help to have a picture of your spouse-to-be handy as an extra reminder.
Regardless of whether you plan your own wedding like Dominique or you hire a professional to help you, it's important to keep in mind what's most important: each other.
