Our goal is simple: To be

your go-to provider for all

of your workers’ compensa-

tion needs. We have sub-

specialty, board certified sur-

geons who trained at some

of the nation’s most prestig-

ious universities. We provide

a comprehensive continuum

of care including orthopedics

and spine, physical therapy,

pain management, pain psy-

chology, podiatry, and rheu-

matology.

No Need to Go to Chicago: Quality Care in Northwest Indiana Just Got Closer

It’s true: you don’t have to go to Chicago to obtain quality orthopedic care. Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute has multiple offices through-out Northwest Indiana, including our newest office in Schererville, which is conveniently located at the intersection of U.S. 41 and U.S. 30, 833 W. Lincoln Hwy, Suite 110 E. Our Schererville office is cur-rently attended by Dr. Ryan Plank (orthopedic surgeon), Dr. Aaron Anderson (orthopedic hand surgeon), and the newest physician to join the LBJI surgical staff, Dr. John Guzzo (orthopedic surgeon). Dr. Brian Damitz (podiatric foot and ankle surgeon) is there for all of your foot and ankle needs. Dr. Anita Rao (pain management) also holds office visits at this location.

Our Schererville office provides all of the usual services you would expect to find in an orthopedic office such as x-ray, treatment rooms, and physical therapy services. Physical therapy in Schererville is headed up by veteran physical therapist Diane DiNino, who has over 25 years of experience in orthopedic outpatient physical therapy.

Our Schererville location is located on the first floor of the building facing east toward U.S. 41. It has a private entrance complete with a wheel chair ramp and ample parking. This location is easily accessi-ble to those workers’ compensation patients with even the most trau-matic orthopedic injuries including foot and ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries.

LBJI News Letter August 2015

In This Issue

Money Matters

What’s New in Spine:

Disc Replacement

Just For You: Sittin’

Pretty

Dr. Nenadovich Bio

Dr. Guzzo Bio & SLAP

Lesion

Dr. Damitz Bio &

Plantar Fasciitis

Cadaver Lab Invite

LBJI Schererville, IN

NORTHWEST INDIANA HEALTHCARE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

“We strive to be the

most accommodating

orthopedic practice in

the Midwest. If an in-

jured worker cannot

get into our clinic with-

in 24-48 hours, there is

something wrong and

we will get it fixed.”

- Anthony Levenda, MD

Workers’ compensation claims are often time consuming, difficult, and

expensive. You can save both time and money on your claims by follow-

ing these steps:

Make a list of physicians in the areas you cover who not only provide

excellent care to your clients, but who also provide easy access to

you for medical records and treatment orders. For your reference, we

have provided a list of our locations and contact information.

Choose physicians who will give your clients appointments within 24-

48 hours. Faster treatment means faster recovery.

Consider if the physicians’ notes make sense. Puzzling over notes to

find what you need takes up valuable time. We have provided a sim-

ple “cheat sheet” with our most common acronyms and abbreviations

to help you (see last page).

If surgery is required, ask if it can be performed in an ambulatory sur-

gery center instead of a hospital operating room. The final cost of a

surgery can be thousands of dollars less when done in an ASC.

Establish relationships with the physicians you use most. The best

physicians are willing to talk to you over the phone and answer your

questions quickly.

(Cadaver Lab 2013)

Dr. Anton Thompkins, Orthopedic Spine

Surgeon

Dr. Anthony Levenda, Orthopedic Surgeon

What's New In Spine Cervical Disc Arthroplasty is now approved in the U.S. by the FDA. This

is great news not only for patients, but also for insurance companies since

the cost of the disc replacement is virtually the same as a cervical fusion (but

the results are superior in many ways). The ways in which a disc replace-

ment are superior to a cervical fusion include:

Improved cervical ROM

Decreased adjacent segment degeneration

No need to wait for fusion to occur (no pseudarthrosis)

Less physical therapy following surgery

Dr. Nenadovich has been successfully using the Mobi-C ® cervical disc re-

placement system for the past two years. There are many disc replacement

systems available, but after thorough research and clinical trials, Dr. Nena-

dovich has carefully chosen this system because he believes it most closely

resembles the anatomy and segmental movement of a normal human verte-

bral body. It is also the only disc replacement system approved by the FDA

for use in two levels in the cervical spine. This is important because if more

than one level is injured and needs to be treated, Dr. Nenadovich can per-

form a two level arthroplasty and avoid the loss of ROM

associated with a two level or greater ACDF.

Sittin’ Pretty If you’re reading this, then it’s likely that

you’re sitting down in a chair at your desk or

in your car

eating

lunch. If this

sounds like

you, stop

and observe

how you’re

seated. Is

your low

back well

supported by the chair you’re in? Is your

back at a 90-degree angle or greater? Are

your legs at a 90-degree angle or greater?

Sitting is one of the most common causes of

low back pain. When we sit for long periods

of time without changing position, the tissues

in our spine begin to compress and become

strained. Then when we go to perform our

ADLs (see back page for acronyms), we are

more suscep-

tible to injur-

ing our low

back.

How can you

help prevent

low back pain

brought on by

sitting? When

you sit in any

chair, place your buttocks directly in the back

of the chair before you sit yourself up. If you

are leaning forward, extend the back of the

chair to a less-than-90-degree angle.

If you’re straining to see your monitor, place

your monitor on a thick book and pull it close

to the front of the desk so that you don’t have

to strain your neck to see it. Most important-

ly, move often! Research shows that you

should change positions about every 20

minutes or less. Overall, it’s best to avoid

sitting for long periods of time as much

as possible.

Dr. Nick Nenadovich, Cervical Spine Seminar, Merrillville 2014

Mobi-C® Artificial Cervical Disc

Incorrect

To watch the rec-

orded presenta-

tion of Dr. Nena-

dovich explain-

ing the benefits

of using the Mobi

-C®, go to:

https://

vimeo.com/12186

5851 or click

here to learn just

the basics.

Close Enough

Education

Medical - MD

Chicago Medical School

Chicago, IL

Residency/Internship

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Fellowship

Spinal Surgery

SUNY Upstate

Medical Center

Syracuse, NY

Board Certified

American Board of

Orthopedic Surgeons

Learn more about

Dr. Nenadovich @

http://www.lbji.com/physicians/nick-nenadovich.html

Or

watch his personal interview at http://youtu.be/mF8HcZTZ5Rc

A Florida native, Dr. Nenadovich initially studied aerospace engineering but became

interested in the field of medicine after sustaining a knee injury. Dr. Nenadovich com-

pleted his undergraduate work at the University of South Florida, earning his Bachelor

of Science Degree in Microbiology and Cell Science. He then moved on to The Chica-

go Medical School, where he completed his medical degree and graduated with honors

as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (The National Medical Honor Society). During his

internship and residency programs with the University of Chicago Hospitals, he earned

several awards, including an Outstanding Research Award from the North American

Spine Society for his research on gene therapy in degenerative disc disease.

After completing his residency, Dr. Nenadovich completed a Spinal Surgery Fellowship

at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY. His advanced training during this fellow-

ship included new technologies in artificial disc replacement, minimally invasive ap-

proaches, and extensive experience in cervical spine surgery.

He has had several research articles published in Spine and Advanced Osteoporotic

Fracture Management, and has co-authored a chapter in Spinal Instrumentation - Sur-

gical Techniques. He is currently involved with continued research on cervical disc re-

placement, as well as other motion preservation technologies.

Dr. Nenadovich has privileges at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso; St. Mary’s Medical Cen-

ter in Hobart; St. Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point,; and Pinnacle Hospital in Crown

Point. He also has privileges at the Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery (CMIS). He

practices in the Chesterton, Crown Point, and Portage LBJI offices.

Nick Nenadovich, MD

Board Certified Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Education

University of Pitts-burgh School of Med-icine Pittsburgh, PA

Residency

Orthopedic Surgery Resident Madigan Army Medi-cal Center Tacoma, WA

Accomplishments

Major, United States

Army 2007-2011 Staff Orthopedic

Surgeon at Winn Ar-my Community Hos-pital Fort Stewart, GA

Certifications

American Board of

Orthopaedic Surgery

Board Certified

Subspecialty Certifi-cate in Sports Medi-cine

Click Here to Learn More About Dr.

Guzzo

Practice Emphasis: Sports Medicine, General Orthopedics, Work-Related Injuries and Conditions, Knee Injuries and Replacement, Upper Extremity Dr. Guzzo was born and spent the early part of his life in Pittsburgh, PA. Like the Midwest, it is a region characterized by its people – honest, hardworking, kind, and reliable — people with integrity. It is his hope that he can be described in the same way, both in his personal life and in the way he practices medicine. While in medical school, Dr. Guzzo was commissioned as an officer to the U.S. Ar-my and, upon completion, he began his residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, WA, just outside of Seattle. The majority of his patients were active duty soldiers who were usually suffering from the same maladies often seen in in-jured workers such as knee injuries; hand/foot crush injuries; sprained ankles; as well as shoulder and rotator cuff strains. Like injured employees, when soldiers are down, it is imperative to bring them back to pre-injury status ASAP, so Dr. Guzzo learned to be both accurate and efficient with his diagnosis and treatment plan. Ac-curacy and efficiency meant that soldiers returned to their team without any undue delay. Dr. Guzzo’s approach to treating injured workers is much the same, in that they have families, co-workers, and employers who rely on them to be able to pull their weight. He considers it his job to get them back to work as efficiently and safe-ly as possible. Every person and his/her condition is unique; Dr. Guzzo knows that seeing a prob-lem on an X-ray doesn't mean he should be running the patient to the operating room to fix it. He believes in performing surgery as a last resort, and only if it will make the patient (not just the x-ray image) better. Dr. Guzzo holds hours at our Crown Point and Schererville offices. To make an appointment with Dr. Guzzo, call 219-921-1444, Ext. 11712.

John Guzzo, MD

Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine

Don’t Get “SLAP”ped Around

A SLAP tear is an injury to the la-brum of the shoulder, which is the ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the shoulder joint. Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three bones: your upper arm bone (humerus), your shoulder blade (scapula), and your collar-bone (clavicle). A SLAP tear is a common injury in both overhead work and sports.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

ABOUT SLAP TEARS

Click Here to See Dr. Guzzo Talk About

His Practice

Brian T. Damitz, D.P.M.

Education Dr. William M. Scholl

College of Podiatric

Medicine Chicago, IL

Doctor of Podiatric

Medicine 2010

Residency/Internship Northport Veterans

Administration Medical

Center Northport, NY

Podiatric Medicine and Surgical Residency 2014

Chief Resident 2013-2014

Professional

Associations American Academy of Podiatric Practice Man-agement

American College of Foot and Ankle

Surgeons

American Podiatric Medi-cal Association

To Learn More About Dr. Damitz,

Click Here

A dedicated advocate for charity—his charity work includes Red Cross Blood Drives, Kid’s First Health Fairs, Dance 4 Diabetes fundraisers, College Mentors for Kids volun-teering, and Green Bay Elementary Service Project organizing - as well as a knowl-edgeable and experienced podiatric doctor, Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute is proud to welcome Brian Damitz to its team.

Dr. Damitz was born and raised in Kokomo, IN. Medical dedication and professional-ism runs in his family: his father is a physical therapist who owned and operated Re-play Rehabilitation Center in Kokomo, which was one of the area’s largest physical therapy centers. Dr. Damitz knew at a young age that he wanted to be involved in health care, but it wasn’t until college that he decided to train specifically to become a podiatrist. During his fellowship, he had the unique opportunity to learn from both podi-atric foot and ankle surgeons as well as orthopedic foot/ankle surgeons. This training allowed him to choose from differing schools of thought as to the best direction for treating many foot and ankle injuries.

Dr. Damitz is currently in the final phases of training for complete ankle replacements. This is a level of treatment for people with chronic or severe acute ankle injuries who would have needed their ankle fused, a procedure which leaves them with less pain but virtually no movement in the affected ankle. “Being able to do a total ankle replace-ment procedure, instead of the more common ankle fusion, will allow my patients to live a more normal life,” says Dr. Damitz. “Most patients will be able to return to their regular jobs with minimal restrictions. This procedure is a huge step forward for severe ankle problems, and I am very excited to be able to soon offer this procedure to the residents of Northwest Indiana.” Dr. Damitz is married to Emily Damitz, PA-C for Dr. Bruce Thoma (orthopedic surgeon) at LBJI. To make an appointment with Dr. Damitz, call 219-921-1444 and ask to see him.

Brian Damitz, DPM

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Foot & Ankle Surgeon

According to the Mayo Clinic, plan-

tar fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis) is

one of the most common causes of

heel pain. It involves pain and in-

flammation of a thick band of tissue,

called the plantar fascia, that runs

across the bottom of your foot and

connects your heel bone to your

toes. We find this condition often

with people who work on their feet

on hard surfaces all day. Its not un-

common to see it in young athletes

as well, especially if they have pes

planus (flat feet).

Click Here to Learn More

About Plantar Fasciitis

Don’t Make Me Put

My Foot Down!

Click Here To See Dr. Damitz Talk

About Ankle Sprains

Contact Us Give us a call to

schedule your

next injured

employee’s visit:

(219) 921-1444

Ask for Karen or

Michelle in our

Work Comp

Department

Visit us on the

web at

www.LBJI.com

COMMON ACRONYMS & SPECIAL TESTS IN SPINE ADL = activities of daily living

SLR = straight leg raise (tests for nerve tension)

DTR = deep tendon reflexes

Spurling’s = test for cervical radiculopathy

Radiculopathy = radiating nerve pain into the upper or lower extremities

Hoffman’s = test for upper motor neuron lesion

L’hermitte’s = test for spinal cord disorder

ROM = range of motion

Phalen’s = test for carpal tunnel

Patrick’s/Faber’s= test for SI joint dysfunction

Myelopathy = injury to the spinal cord

EHL = extensor hallucis longus

PF = plantar flexion (pushing the ball of the foot down)

DF = dorsiflexion (pulling the foot/toes upward)

MMT = manual muscle testing/strength testing (i.e., PF = 3/5)

LBJI Chesterton

601 Gateway Blvd. Chesterton, IN 46304 Phone: 219.921.1444 Workers’ Compensation: 219.921.1445 Fax: 219.921.5303

LBJI Crown Point

12800 Mississippi Parkway Suite 201A Crown Point, IN 46307

LBJI Portage

3691 Willowcreek Rd. Suite 100 Portage, IN 46368

LBJI Schererville

833 W. Lincoln Hwy. Suite 110 Schererville, IN 46375

LBJI Valparaiso

2501 Cumberland Dr. Valparaiso, IN 46383

LBJI LaPorte

Sagamore Plaza 600 Legacy Plaza East LaPorte, IN 46350

LBJI Knox

104 E. Culver Road Suite 104 Knox, IN 46534

LBJI Plymouth

2855 Miller Drive Suite 117 Plymouth, IN 46563

LBJI Michigan City Office (Podiatry)

1550 S. Woodland Ave. Michigan City, IN 46360

LBJI Michigan City

3777 N. Frontage Rd. Suite 900 Michigan City, IN 46360

LBJI Merrillville (Podiatry) 251 W. 84th Dr. Merrillville, IN 46410