Joey Wahler (Host): This is Health Matters: Insights from WCH Medical Experts. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Our guests, all from Falcon Sports Medicine & Orthopedics, are Dr. Patrick Siparsky, orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Andrew Nowakowski, a family and sports medicine physician, and Dr. Kyle McKray Smith, a podiatric surgeon. Doctors, welcome.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Thank you.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Hey, thanks for having us.

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: Thanks for having us.

Host: So, we've got three-fifths of a basketball starting five. Do you think we can track down two others off the so we can play or—

Patrick Siparsky, MD: We're working on it.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: We need some tall guys here, yeah.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Yeah. We got muscle, but we don't have any height.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: We got muscle, but that's about it.

Host: All right. Muscle, yes. Athleticism, pretty good.

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: Questionable.

Host: Questionable, but we need some height. Okay. You know what they say, you can't teach height, even for those of you in sports medicine.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: That's right.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Correct.

Host: First, you've all, of course, worked with high-level athletic programs throughout your career. What first brought you to the community and to Falcon Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in the first place? Let's start with you, Dr. Siparsky.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: So, I was originally, years ago, one of the team physicians at University of Toledo, actually where Drew Nowakowski and I actually first met years ago. And my wife is from this area. She grew up about 20, 30 minutes north of where we are working now and just came back to be a part of the community and be a part of BG Athletics and Wood County Sports.

Host: Dr. Nowakowski, how about you?

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: So, I grew up in Muncie, Indiana, so home of Ball State University. So, kind of a small town. It's kind what used to. I was looking for a career and job. Again, I did all my training up in Toledo. And it just seemed like a really good fit. And again, even though it's, you know, two and a half hours away from home, it felt very similar to home just with the size of the town and then, being able to, you know, fit right in with the university to take care of athletes and then help people out in the community as well.

Host: And Dr. Smith, how about your quick backstory?

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: Yeah. My quick backstory. So, I grew in a small town as well, playing sports, always enjoyed sports, and actually have some family in the Bowling Green Waterville area. So, that was part of But the truth on specifically here is these two guys. So, I mean, these two guys kind of giving me the support and the opportunity and taking advantage of it.

Host: All right. So, we were joking earlier, but all kidding aside, a real team feel among the three of you, yes?

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Very much.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Absolutely.

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: Yeah.

Host: Dr. Nowakowski, tell me about that. What makes it so?

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Yeah. You know, I mean, it's a really strong relationship we have here. Again, Dr. Siparsky mentioned it earlier. I mean, I've known him well early on in my training. So, we are very familiar with one another, and we're fortunate to kind of reunite now in our, you know, future careers here.

And so, we've really kind of known how to work together really well over the years. And so, the practice we have, you know, is unique the that we have a very strong friendship and bond. So, it's very easy to consult with him. And again, we have, from a surgical standpoint, the team here, but also from a, you know, non-operative standpoint, people to evaluate patients as well.

So again, I think we can fill in the gaps very nicely here in terms of what patients are looking for and what their needs are. And again, the efficiency of communication and all that, it's awesome. It's a fun place to work because I don't hesistate to pick up the phone to call Dr. Smith about something or call Dr. Siparsky, and we're able to squeeze people in quick. If I see someone that, you know, needs something more, more interventional like surgery, you know, I don't hesitate, and we get them in really quick. So, it's really not something where services are lacked or there's lack of efficiency. Any of us are capable of seeing patients and moving them on to the next person if need be in a quick manner.

Host: Yeah, I'm sure that part about squeezing people in quick is comforting news for those joining us, especially nowadays when sometimes appointments are tough to come by in about any walk of life, nevermind healthcare.

So, Dr. Siparsky, other than that multidisciplinary approach that was just discussed there, what makes Falcon Sports Medicine and Orthopedics most different from other orthopedic and sports medicine programs? What do you really hang your hat on, do you think?

Patrick Siparsky, MD: So, I think, you know, as Drew mentioned, the sort of the multi-specialty part of is the biggest thing, but I think it's that we share a common vision, honestly. And we are directly in the BG area. I mean, our goal is to be able to take care of people from everywhere, but we're right in the heart of it.

I mean, we're literally located across the street from the college, and we really want the community and the people that go to school here and the people that work here and their families to feel like they have a full service sports medicine entity. I mean, the modern sports medicine world requires lots of different specialists. And you know, it's everything from primary care sports to orthopedics, to radiology, to, you know, all of our different, you know, specialists.

Dr. Smith is there all the time for us for various different, you know, things of the foot and ankle. But we have a large group of people that are intentionally together to try to make care smooth and easy and quick for our patients. I think, as you mentioned, it's very difficult to get everything you need quickly in our medical world now.

And the good news is we have all the tools and, you know, the hospital's located, less than five minutes away from the Falcon Health Center, and we're literally across the street from the college. So, I mean, we are right there, and we purposefully want to be members of the community.

We want to be people that the community knows, that the people trust, and that, you know, we're not just the doctors for athletes, we're doctors for everybody. And, you know, I want to be able to help everybody from the BG community and the surrounding areas.

Host: And speaking of serving everyone, you led me beautifully into my next question. Dr. Nowakowski, what are some of the most common sports injuries and orthopedic issues you're seeing right now? And we're talking just about athletes, but in any active adults as well.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Absolutely. Yeah. You know, a lot of injuries we see, you know, it can range from a lot of overuse-related injuries. So, people who, you know, are doing a lot of running and developing a lot of knee or ankle issues, you know. So, we deal with injuries that kind of accumulated and progressed on themselves over time.

But at the same time, for those injuries that acutely happen where you feel a pop in your knee or roll your ankle too much, you know, I mean, all common things that we see. And again, it's for all walks of life. I think the big thing that we like to let people know is that we're not just here to serve the athletes at Bowling Green State University. But for anyone who gets injured, whether it's a weekend warrior or someone in high school or junior high or elementary, you know, we're fully capable of treating everyone no matter kind of what age you are or what activity you're engaged in. So, I think, we definitely have the ability to assess all that here.

Host: Dr. Smith, how about way in which you and yours here decide when someone may benefit from physical therapy and other conservative treatment options versus having surgery? Is there general rule of thumb there that you think you apply to most cases?

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: I think the general rule of thumb would be that Dr. Nowakowski is largely advanced in that realm of conservative care. So, just to kind of echo what these guys were saying, I think you can't underestimate multidisciplinary aspect of the practice. So, to have a patient in front of you and be able to walk down the hallway and talk to him or call him and almost have an immediate consultation, that's pretty rare in today's medical world.

I mean, most doctors are just like anybody else. We're too busy to pick up the phone, and we're all distracted by all the busyness we have in our lives. So I think to have these guys at our disposal is great. But generally speaking, we do rely on Dr. Nowakowski and the dynamics of this practice to kind of guide when conservative care has been exhausted.

And we do work closely with our physical therapy team as well. So, they're not in our office per se, but they're an extension. We all have their phone numbers. They text and they call. We have had some routine meetings with them as well to make sure that our patients are staying on track and getting the most advanced care they can get when it comes to sports.

Host: Gotcha. So, Dr. Nowakowski, we hear so about minimally invasive surgery nowadays in just about all walks of healthcare. What does that actually mean days in your practice in terms of recovery, pain, and getting to normal activities for patients?

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Yeah. You know, I think, from a conservative standpoint, there's a lot you can offer. You know, again, part of my practice in ultrasound-guided therapies, whether that be diagnostically looking at soft tissue structures under an ultrasound to get a quick assessment to see if there's significant injury to a muscle, a ligament, or tendon.

So, I kind of label it as a mini MRI machine. So instead of kind of waiting a few weeks to be able to get feedback or results on kind of the extent of an injury, we can get a pretty quick at things and give a pretty good detailed explanation to patients in terms of what to expect recovery-wise, but also diagnosing kind of what they likely have going on.

And to that point as well, you know, from a procedure standpoint, we do a lot of ultrasound-guided procedures and injections. The ultrasound machine has kind of changed the game in terms being able to accurately inject areas that are injured rather than poking blindly and hoping that you get the right spot.

And so in that regard, we've kind of evolved things to using, you know, regenerative medicine and your own blood to help heal tissue and injuries as well. So, it's kind of just another tool that we have to utilize kind of on that conservative path. So, that's kind of a potential option for a lot of people.

So again, we do rely a lot on physical therapy. But when those realms aren't helping, you know, we explore next steps. And so, a lot of that being ultrasound-guided injections and exploring regenerative medicine as well before considering surgery in some cases.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Yeah. And as surgeons, think, you know, I'm pleased to be able to speak for both Dr. Smith and myself, that our goal is not to need to do surgery on everybody. Our goal is to try to give people the least invasive but most effective treatment. And I will say that, in my years in the sports world, the use of ultrasound-guided injections has, like, vastly improved our ability to take care of patients, oftentimes non-surgically.

And even if things ultimately end up being surgical, they don't necessarily have to be surgical immediately, and it's just given us a whole new avenue by which take care of people in conjunction with all of our additional services like therapy and whatnot. But really, the ultrasound has changed our ability to take care of people and to offer additional treatments that weren't there years ago.

And it's hard for me to even imagine not having, you know, Dr. Nowakowski's capacity to be able to do those injections, because we'd be doing a lot more surgery, unfortunately, than we probably need to if it weren't for that.

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: From our standpoint speaking for probably Siparsky and I, minimally invasive surgical options, arthroscopic procedures largely we both do. So Dr. Siparsky in the shoulder and the knee, and me in the ankle. And just broadly speaking, I mean, that allows for a lot of percutaneous or very small incisions. And in my world, probably half the recovery time is like a standard open procedure. So, there's been advancement in scopes, but also ultrasound. So, tools that we can use to keep things minimally invasive.

Host: Amazing stuff, right? These days that you guys get to use, yes?

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Absolutely.

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: Yeah.

Host: Even amazing to you at times, I would imagine.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Oh, it's ever evolving. The technology's always changing.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Well, and it's interesting, you know, the diagnostic capacity of ultrasound is it's not just the treatments that we can do with it, it's the diagnostic part. I mean, certainly with our college athletes all the time, we use it regularly for a diagnostic ability to immediately get answers on complex questions and it really has helped a lot. And it's the best part is it's quick. We don't have to wait forever to get a result. We get it right there and then.

Host: Yeah. Great stuff indeed. Couple of other questions. Dr. Smith, how about prevention? mean, one thing about seeing your team, I'm sure, is you can offer people some great advice on trying to avoid injuries before they happen. Any good general advice you can give people joining us along those lines? What's the most important part or two of the body, for instance, that needs to be looked out for as you get a little bit older, as you become more athletic and maybe tend to push things or overdo them a little bit as people are prone to do? Is it the joints? What do we need to look out for here to keep from really being in pain?

Kyle McKray Smith, DPM: Yeah. I think from a preventative standpoint, Dr. Nowakowski mentioned one of the things we see is overuse. So, like the overuse type injuries are common, and then the weekend warrior type things are common. So from an overuse perspective, just doing things to support whatever joint would be stressed or the ligaments or tendons being stressed.

So in my world, orthotics and supportive shoes go a long way. So, you know, every step you take, all the stress of your body and gravity is going through your foot. So if you augment it with a good orthotic or an ankle brace or a good shoe, you're minimizing the stress on it. So, that can help just share the load.

But the other thing anywhere in the body is just dynamic warm-ups. I mean, that's a big one that I always recommend to my patients that are running, especially weekend warriors. You don't want to be the patient that kind of has a sedentary job and then decides you're going to go play, you know, six hours of basketball with the guys on the weekend, and you don't do any type of warm-up beforehand. So, doing dynamic warm-ups specifically really helps kind of prepare the body to take some of those stressful maneuvers better than not warming at all or than static stretching does.

Host: Yeah, that stretching, boy, it's especially as you get a little bit older, i can attest it becomes more and more important. It's not as glamorous as curls and bench presses, but it goes a long way, doesn't it?

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Yes.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Yes. It does.

Host: And finally here, Dr. Nowakowski, in summary, what's the best first step for someone listening in on us right now dealing with pain or an injury who's like, "You know what? I think it's time to get this out," but don't know where to start. do they start?

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Yeah. I mean, the big thing is don't be afraid to call. I think our front desk does a great job of helping direct people in terms of where need to be and needs to be seen first. I think it's great here because again, we have several providers and we can get people in fairly quickly.

So again, we've really designed our practice to get people in quick. Again, when it comes to orthopedics and injuries, you can't sit on it, you know? So, it's one where if you're having some aches and pains and not going away, just don't be afraid to call. There's, you know, probably a good reason for why you're still hurting. And so, definitely have the tools and people here that can take care of you.

Host: Well, folks, great advice indeed. We trust you're now more familiar with the world of sports medicine and orthopedics. Doctors, keep up all your great work. Thanks so much again. And folks, let's remind you that they are looking for someone to possibly join the practice. If you're 6'10" or taller, if you have an orthopedic background and you can rebound and block shots, reach out.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: We're accepting applications.

Andrew Nowakowski, DO: Yeah. Perfect.

Patrick Siparsky, MD: Thank you, Joey

Host: Absolutely. Sure. And folks, for more information, please do visit woodcountyhospital.org/ortho. If you found this podcast helpful, please do share it your social media. I'm Joey Wahler. Thanks so much again for being part of Health Matters: Insights from WCH Medical Experts.