Doctor Dialogue Preps Fall Athletes to Avoid Knee Injury

Spectrum Health Medical Group Hosts Free Seminar at Prince Conference Center

Is your body ready to take on the physical demands that come with participating in fall sports? Don’t let a knee injury keep you on the sidelines!

Athletes of all ages are invited to find out how to keep knees strong for athletic performance and fitness at a free seminar in August. Spectrum Health Medical Group’s Doctor Dialogue series continues with “Strong Knees, Strong Game” on Tuesday, August 21, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Prince Conference Center, Calvin College, 1800 East Beltline Avenue SE, Grand Rapids.

Sports medicine specialists Dr. James Lebolt and Dr. Matthew Axtman will explain injuries and treatment options for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), meniscus and patella, as well as patellar tendonitis and osteoarthritis of the knee.

Dr. Lebolt, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, earned his medical degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Axtman, board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, earned his medical degree from De Moines University and completed a fellowship in sports medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

The seminar is free and open to the public. Register online at shmg.org/doctordialogue or by phone at 616.267.2626 and select option 4. Refreshments will be provided.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state of the art children’s hospital that opened in January 2011, and 190 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 600 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 600,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with more than 18,000 employees. The organization provided $176.5 million in community benefit during its 2011 fiscal year.