One of the Nation’s Largest Private Pediatric Orthopedic Practices Provides Keen Focus on the Specialized Needs, Injuries of Female Athlete
Cedar Knolls, NJ (May 11, 2022) –The Pediatric Orthopedic Center (TPOC) has launched the Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete to meet the specialized needs and injuries of young female athletes. Comprised of three female pediatric orthopedic surgeons, Samara Friedman, MD, FAAOS; Anna Katsman, MD, and Sarah Stelma, MD, and a nationally-certified orthopedic physician assistant, Jaime Morley, MS, PA-C, the Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete will focus on the unique medical conditions and injuries due to trauma or overuse of young female patients.
According to Dr. Samara Friedman, the leading physician at the Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete, “Our keen focus is on the specialized needs and injuries of female athletes, including their unique physical and medical conditions, as well as psychological pressures. The Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete offers a safe space for female athletes to discuss their injuries, concerns and needs with highly-credentialled, compassionate female providers. As athletes, sports team coaches, and physicians that have experience working with professional sports teams as well, we bring deep expertise to this specialized area of practice.”
Girls’ participation in high school sports has grown from less than 300,000 in the early 1970s to almost 3.5 million during the 2018-19 school year. In fact, female adolescents now make up almost 43% of high school athletes, according to the National Federation of State High School Federations. Due to their unique anatomical differences, female athletes are at an increased risk of sustaining ACL tears and overuse injuries compared to their male counterparts, for example, and are especially susceptible to injury during periods of rapid growth.
TPOC offers cutting-edge diagnostic tools, including the highly-accurate, low-dose EOS Imaging system, the only one of its kind in northern N.J., as well as the latest treatment options, such as the BEAR (bridge-enhanced anterior cruciate ligament repair) technique, to treat a myriad of injuries and orthopedic conditions, including:
- Knee injuries: ACL tears, meniscus tears, and knee cap dislocations
- Shoulder and elbow injuries: sprains, tears, dislocation, and instability
- Hip injuries: hip dysplasia, sprains, strains, impingement, and labral tears
- Foot and ankle injuries, including ankle sprains
- Scoliosis and other spine deformities
- Fractures, ligament and muscle/tendon injuries
- Overuse and growth plate injuries, including osteochondritis dissecans
“We created the Center of Excellence for the Female Athlete to treat the specific needs of pediatric and adolescent female athletes, allowing them to return to the court, track, or field as quickly and as safely as possible,” noted Dr. Mark Rieger, founding partner and senior physician at The Pediatric Orthopedic Center.
The Pediatric Orthopedic Center is the largest pediatric orthopedic practice in New Jersey and among the largest private pediatric orthopedic practices in the United Sates, with four offices located in Cedar Knolls, Wayne, Jersey City and Springfield. It is the only pediatric orthopedic practice in NJ that provides an urgent care center with evening and Saturday hours. The practice specializes in youth and adolescent sports trauma, spine deformities, hip disorders, and foot and ankle surgery. It features seven board certified and/or fellowship-trained pediatric orthopedists, a pediatric specialized foot and ankle specialist and a nationally certified orthopedic physician assistant.
