It’s happening. The governors of Illinois and Ohio have bet each other ballpark favorites! 

The 2016 World Series standoff is in action with my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. 

To be sure, baseball isn’t fair. You know this already. Sometimes, perfect pitches get hit; other times, awful swings connect. 

Are you a little league player or a middle-aged armchair athlete with a real desire to get involved in hitting some home runs or throwing a mean curveball?

Many of my patients tell me that they can’t be active because of arthritis. This leads to a domino effect of decreased activity, increased weight, and finally, worsening pain. 

Arthritis does not mean that an active lifestyle must be stopped. Rather, a diagnosis of arthritis should be looked at as an invitation to change your routine and explore new stretching and exercise options that will allow you to stay fit while reducing the pain triggered by your osteoarthritis. 

There is no doubt that the pain can become severe at times. However, the right amount of exercise along with the right type of exercise can actually help ease the pain and discomfort.

As a physician and orthopaedic surgeon, I try to encourage all my patients to be active. Sports are a great way to stay in shape, spend time with family and friends, and even relieve stress. This week both the Chicago Blackhawks and Golden State Warriors have been crowned champions. 

Now that all the ice has melted and summer is fully upon us, here are a few tips to stay safe while trying to be the next Golden State Warrior and not the injured weekend warrior.

In 2011, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 1.4 million basketball-related injuries were treated in hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and emergency rooms.

As an orthopaedic trauma surgeon, I tend to see a lot of accidents and injuries. 

The most common thread among these injuries is that most can be avoided. 

With the unofficial start to summer upon us, we all hope for more sunny and fun filled days. Each year, more than 200,000 children in the U.S. are injured on playgrounds - the most common injury is from falling off monkey bars - where they will require medical attention.

My patients, family, and friends often ask me "How can I make my bones stronger?" In my last blog, I spoke about the Wonder Vitamin (Vitamin D). This time, I will focus on its counterpart calcium.

Calcium and Bone Health

Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is essential to keeping your bones strong and healthy. Without either essential nutrient, your bones may grow fragile and you may put yourself at risk for developing fragility fractures as you age. To stay healthy, it's vital that you eat foods rich in both calcium and vitamin D, or take supplements for the nutrients each day.

Vitamin D is often considered the Wonder Vitamin.

It is one of several fat-soluble vitamins. This Wonder vitamin plays key roles in body throughout our lifetime. The vitamin comes in two forms, D2 which is sourced from plants, and D3 which we synthesize from the sun. The human body benefits from Vitamin D because it enhances the absorption of iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphate from our daily diet and supplements.

Of great importance is the absorption of calcium, which plays a major role in keeping bones healthy. Without Vitamin D, our bones wouldn't be able to absorb the necessary calcium needed to be strong.