Kevin Plancher, MD Named Top Doc by Connecticut Magazine

Jan. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- Greenwich, CT, and New York, NY, January 2011 -- Kevin D. Plancher, MD, MS, FACS, FAAOS, a leading orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine expert with offices in Greenwich, CT and Manhattan has been named a Top Orthopaedic doctor in 2011 by Connecticut Magazine. This is the third year in a row that Dr. Plancher has been recognized by Connecticut Magazine.  This honor is the result of a ballot of practicing physicians around the State asking them who they would send a loved one to in various medical specialties.

Dr. Plancher is an Associate Clinical Professor in Orthopaedics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and is an attending physician at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT and Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY.

Dr. Plancher has served as team physician for many high school, college, national championship and professional athletic teams and is currently the head team physician for Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY,  an official surgeon of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, Team Physician for the Long Island Lizards, a professional lacrosse team, and most recently named League Physician for the United Football League (UFL), an independent professional football league that began in October 2009.

In 2001, Dr. Plancher founded The Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles (www.ofals.org) , a non-profit foundation focused on maintaining and enhancing the physical well-being of active individuals through the development and promotion of research and supporting technologies.

Dr. Plancher has been included in Castle Connolly’s list of Top Doctors in the New York Metro area, as published in New York Magazine's yearly "Best Doctors" issue, every year from 2001 to 2010. He was a winner of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) – 2003 Richard Caspari Award.  He has developed new surgical and non-surgical techniques to improve patient outcomes and comfort and many of these techniques have been adopted by surgeons worldwide.

Dr. Plancher specializes in helping adults under age 40 to recover quickly from knee, shoulder and elbow injuries suffered during social and competitive athletic activities.  

“Sports injuries are growing by leaps and bounds,” Dr. Plancher says. According to an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery study that looked at anticipated trends over the next 20 years, the number of knee replacements performed in the U.S. will grow to nearly 3.5 million, or by 700%, by the year 2030. “The good news is that with proper treatment, adult athletes not only recover but can get back in the game quickly,” he says.

Dr. Plancher uses minimally invasive, bloodless surgeries that rely on innovative techniques to help his patients return to normal activities, be they running, football, baseball, snowboarding and more, faster and with less pain.

“Computer-assisted technology has made it possible to navigate procedures with a level of accuracy so precise it may improve the results of surgery, while also minimizing blood loss and incision size,” Dr. Plancher says. “With the knee, minimally invasive surgery is a giant step forward for many reasons, including shorter hospital stay, less blood loss and potentially less scarring,” he says. “Today, ACL reconstruction is one of the safest and most successful types of major surgery. In well over 90% of cases it is complication-free and results in significant relief from pain and restoration of mobility.”

Shoulder surgery, too, is on the rise. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, approximately 23,000 people have shoulder replacement surgery each year.  “With new modular shoulder components, we can replace any piece of the shoulder area to ensure that each patient gets an individualized shoulder replacement,” Dr. Plancher says. This system replicates the function and stability of the natural joint.
“The under-40 age group plays more sports than ever before,” Dr. Plancher says. “That means they’re getting hurt more than ever, as well.  When they are injured, they don’t want to experience downtime away from their chosen activity. With small incisions and arthroscopically assisted procedures, we give both professional athletes and weekend sports enthusiasts the ability to get back up and running more quickly.”

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About OFALS: Based in Greenwich, Conn., The Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles (www.ofals.org) is a not-for-profit foundation whose principal mission is to promote, support, develop and encourage research and education concerning orthopaedic care and advancements in technologies and treatment of arthritis, orthopaedic injuries and musculoskeletal diseases. Focusing on medical education for doctors and other health care professionals, research and community outreach, the Foundation was developed by Kevin Plancher, MD, a resident of Greenwich and one of the leading orthopaedic surgeons in the Northeast.

About Plancher Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
Plancher Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, formed by Kevin Plancher, M.D., is a leader in the field of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine, and acute emergency treatment of sports injury and rehabilitation. Visit our website at www.plancherortho.com.