Leader0810b

Page 1B • The Leader • August 10, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

When your healthy lifestyle goes awry The ABCs of ACLs

to have the surgery, Dr. Shani says, adding: “With these newer techniques, we can get children back to playing the sports that they love and feel like normal kids again.” Meanwhile, the occurrence of ACL injuries in females can be three to 10 times higher than in males, he says. In part that’s due to more females participating in more sports. Other factors are physiological and include their typically looser joints as well as wider-angled pelvis-to-knee biomechanics. The latter can affect the angle at which their feet meet the ground, adding further stress to the knees. Training programs can teach young female athletes to land correctly. Strengthening the hamstring muscles can also help. Dr. Shani also sees a lot of ACL injuries in older adults who have been punching through the physical activities on their so-called “Bucket List.” A typical example is someone who decided to do a marathon but was not physically ready to do so. Similarly, people getting back in shape who decide to resume a previous sport often forget how hard an activity it was. “That’s when it can get dangerous,” Dr. Shani says. In either scenario, he says, “It’s important to prepare yourself.”

by Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader Could having torn an ACL become a rite of passage in today’s athletic lifestyle? “It’s a common injury – and a common reconstruction,” says Raj Shani, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon afﬁliated with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital and The IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute as well as an assistant professor at UTHealth Medical School. Among sports enthusiasts, exercise buffs and weekend warriors working to regain their ﬁtness, injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament continue to send a steady but limping stream of patients to sports medicine specialists. Last year, for example, an estimated 200,000 ACL procedures were performed nationally, according to the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Fortunately, according to Dr. Shani, ACL reconstruction techniques have evolved over the past 10 years to better replicate the knee’s biomechanics, so treatment and recovery ultimately can enable a return to exercise, athletics and even high-level competition.

Dr. Shani’s preventive advice:

Staying connected

The ACL is one of four ligaments in the knee. Connected to the femur (thigh) and tibia (shin), it plays a stabilizing role that helps limit knee rotation and the forward movement of the lower leg. Today’s ACL repairs better replicate that natural positioning, says Dr. Shani, and better restore both sources of its motion-limiting function. ACL injuries can happen across the spectrum of exercise and athletics, regardless of an athlete’s age. Often thought of as a contact injury, the occurrence is more likely to be caused by non-contact mechanisms, such as misaligned landing of the feet on a surface, says Dr. Shani. A sudden stop, twist, pivot or hyperextension can stretch or tear the ACL. Surgical repairs replace the ligament’s bone-to-bone connections via a centimeter-sized tunnel drilled into the bones, he explained.

An equal opportunity injury

Dr. Shani says the most common ACL patient is someone

Dr. Raj Shani, an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Memorial Hermann Northwest, consults with a patient about ACL reconstruction, a common injury suffered during the course of exercise or sports. (Photo from Memorial Hermann) having a good time in the pursuit of staying in shape. As children have become involved in sports programs at younger ages, the incidence of ACL injuries has increased, accounting for about 30 percent of all knee injuries in children, according to the International Journal of Orthopedics. Younger children with ACL injuries pose a particular challenge, he says, since they’re still growing. Reconstruction techniques are finding better ways to work with and around growth plates, when warranted. This is particularly important as children previously were told to wait and not play sports until they were old enough

* Work with a trainer or coach and work into the goal slowly. The longer you’ve been away, the more you must prep – as well as build in rest and recovery between training sessions. * Prepare mentally and nutritionally, and that includes hydration levels. * Have the right “tools,” meaning proper shoes, equipment and a brace, if needed. “These small things can have an impact on your bio-mechanics,” he says. Dr. Shani completed his fellowship at Emory Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center and begins his afﬁliation with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital in September. Within sports medicine, his specialties include the care and repair of the shoulder, knee and ankle. Dr. Shani, who grew up in Memorial and Jersey Village, says he gravitated to sports medicine because it’s an opportunity to care for patients of all ages. He understands that being active in sports is an integral part of staying healthy.

Cooking healthy and seasonal, for clients or family by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Fellow members of her Community Supported Agriculture delivery co-op know Candlelight Plaza’s Megan Rasmussen as someone who can always come up with a tasty new way to use produce – even when, due to nature’s bounty – there’s a lot of it. Her talent is also her business as a personal chef. “I make a variety of healthy, delicious foods available to people who either don’t cook, or don’t have time to cook,” said Rasmussen, who plans menus based on her clients’ preferences and dietary needs and then prepares and packages three to five different meals at their home. She also has a discounted service where she prepares an assortment of meals that can be frozen and placed directly in a family’s slow cooker when needed. Starting next month, Rasmussen will be selling healthy baked goods at the weekly Farm Stand on Wakefield near Golf, in the neighborhood. She’s able to do this because of the new Texas Cottage Food Law, which allows the sale of certain homemade foods, which do not require refrigeration. Rasmussen said her love of cooking came from her upbringing in South Louisiana in a family of cooks. “My dad grew up cooking with his French grandmother, and playing in his grandfather’s bakery on Magazine Street in New Orleans. My parents had a very active gourmet group while I was growing up,” she said. During her third year as a practicing lawyer in Baton Rouge, she said she rediscovered her love of cooking and baking as a way to relieve stress. She took the Texas Bar in preparation for finding a job in Houston but ended up switching gears entirely. “My first client--a

Megan Rasmussen is a personal chef who makes healthy – and delicious – meals a priority. (Photo by Betsy Denson) former attorney herself--found my website and referred me to a friend. The rest is history.” In addition to cooking for clients, Rasmussen enjoys preparing meals for her family. “Besides always knowing what my family is eating, I’m relaxed and happy when I’m tucked away in the kitchen, and it’s a love that is easily shared with all my family and friends,” she said. While she understands that people might feel that healthy eating requires too much work, she says that it only requires a small amount of planning to make a homemade meal in place of an “old standby.” “If you keep your pantry and

freezer stocked with healthy ingredients, it’s possible to ﬁnd a quick recipe using what you have on hand,” she said. Her pantry staples include low sodium chicken broth, evaporated milk, bread crumbs, canned beans, canned pumpkin, diced and crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, coconut milk and assorted grains/pasta. Of course the biggest hurdles for many parents are their ﬁnicky little ones who could make do with pizza and hot dogs into perpetuity. “For me getting the kids involved is key--in even the smallest ways,” said Rasmussen. “I’ve offered cooking lessons where kids

cook dinner for the family, and it’s fun to see how excited they are to present their work to their parents. In our house the oldest has to take at least one bite of everything, and that’s easier when she has helped make it.” She doesn’t believe in hiding every vegetable but rather keeping things small yet identifiable. “I also refuse to make something different for the kids on weeknights,” said Rasmussen. “If I can prepare their part of dinner early, I do, or they’ll get leftovers from the previous night’s meal. They may not be eating exactly what we are eating but it’s close enough that they don’t know any different.” Although her two children are good eaters she says she’s not immune to the nights when her oldest says she doesn’t like dinner as soon as she sits down and the toddler drops much of his food on the floor. “I do realize they’re young and their tastes and opinions can still change weekly,” she said. She emphasizes that parents help set the tone for their youngsters’ attitude about food. Rasmussen may not be crazy about the herring her husband eats as a snack but she keeps it to herself. And as for the food she does like: “You don’t have to jump for joy at every meal, but show that you like [it] without making a big deal about it. If they see us enjoying the same foods they’re more likely to try it.” Rasmussen’s web site is http:// www.mychefmegan.com/. She is not currently able to accept new personal chef clients, but all baking services are still available. She’ll soon join The Farm Stand, which runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday in the 900 block of Wakefield.

From Megan’s kitchen

Megan is a member of Bren-

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ham’s Home Sweet Farm CSA delivery. This summer she’s gotten a lot of eggplant, onions and potatoes. “I decided to use them with the canned diced tomatoes (I buy Muir Glen because they’re BPAfree), and grass-fed ground beef I always have on hand to make a deconstructed ‘Moussaka.’ The kids ate it up. I haven’t included it in the ingredients but I may have also thrown in some fresh spinach the ﬁrst time I made it.”

Megan’s “Moussaka”

1 lb lean ground beef (or lamb or turkey--your preference) 1 med eggplant, diced (peeled or unpeeled) 2 small yukon gold potatoes (diced the same size as the eggplant) 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz) 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional) Preheat oven to 425. Toss eggplant and potatoes with a little bit of olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast while you work on the next step, being sure to keep an eye on them and toss them occasionally. Brown the beef over mediumhigh heat and add the onions and garlic after it has broken up a bit. Sauté everything until the beef is browned and the onions are nice and soft. Drain any grease, if desired. Add the tomatoes, parsley, cinnamon and oregano and simmer to let the tomatoes break down a bit and the ﬂavors develop. When the eggplant and potatoes are browned and tender, add them to the pot and simmer a few minutes more. Stir in feta (if using), season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

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