Welcome to the ESSMC E-Newsletter. It is our hope that everyone is enjoying a wonderful summer with a good walk or run, a round of golf with a special friend, a week at the beach or just some time relaxing with a good book. We have built our practice one relationship at a time, and it is truly hard to believe that we are in our 25th year. We value all of our patients and colleagues more than you will ever know, and we want to stay connected as best we can.

The most flattering statistic that we look at is the number of new patients every month that are either former patients or referrals from former patients. At last look, 60% of our referrals fell into this category. Wow! What a compliment and a testament to the service that we provide.

We offer a special note of thanks to all veterans and to all those in the armed forces currently serving our country. As Independence Day approaches and we all fly our flags, we urge everyone to pause and give thanks to those sacrificing for our freedom. May God bless all of our service men and women overseas and keep them safe.

We welcome feedback on topics that you might have a special interest in, or any other question that you may have. Please email us at news@essmc.com and we will get right back to you. Enjoy this edition — and don’t forget to take the quiz!

Athletic Training Services

Plans are once again under way for the Student Athletic Trainer Workshop, which will take place at Penn Trafford High School on July 29, 30 and 31, 2008. This is the 17th year that we have presented the course to aspiring students. Larry Cooper, ATC, is the coordinator, and all of our staff provide both lecture and hands-on instruction.

Check out the ESSMC web site for a downloadable registration form.

Patient Education
Sara Tresco, DPT, spent the morning of June 21st talking with patients at the Bone and Joint Health Series talk presented by the AMD3 Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization that sponsors and directs education, research and other related charitable activities in patient- and family-centered care and advancing the science of performance in health care. The Foundation’s mission is to promote education and research in innovative technologies and to merge the art and science of performance to improve the delivery of health care.

Check out the article posted on our web site. Sara suggests this article to answer a lot of questions pertaining to arthritis management.

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Osteoarthritis is more and more prevalent these days. While you may worry that exercising could harm your joints and cause more pain, research shows that people with arthritis can and should exercise. In fact, exercise is considered to be the most effective non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement in osteoarthritis.

The article that appears on our web site discusses Frequently Asked Questions about osteoarthritis. Read the article, then see if you can select the INCORRECT answer (and there is only one!):

1. For every pound of body weight you gain, your knees gain three pounds of added stress.
2. Stress can make dealing with a disease like osteoarthritis more difficult – and painful.
3. Physical therapists can develop an individualized exercise program for you after a thorough evaluation.
4. Strengthening exercises should be avoided because they're harmful to joints.