Sports Medicine Weekly

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush and Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.

TJ Sullivan is the Center Manager and Director of Instruction at GOLFTEC in Oak Brook. He is a Master PGA Professional in Teaching and Coaching. He has taught for over 12 years and given over 20,000 lessons with GOLFTEC.

The NFL has recently seen its fair share of achillies injuries. Is it an epidemic? What does the treatment and recovery plan look like? Dr. Brian Cole explains. 

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.

Dr. Jason Wersland “Dr. Jason” is the founder and inventor of Theragun. Like so many before him, Dr. Jason embraced the mother of invention: necessity. His story began in 2007 when he survived a severe motorcycle accident that left him with debilitating, chronic pain. With nothing providing the long-term relief he needed, Dr. Jason got creative. He took a power tool from his shed—its up-and-down motion could travel deeper into his muscles—and modified it with a cushioned attachment. This became the first prototype for Theragun in 2008, and marked the early beginnings of percussive therapy. Eight years and five prototypes later, Dr. Jason officially launched Theragun in 2016 and released the G1, the world’s first handheld percussive therapy device. The release of the G2PRO in 2017 cemented Theragun's status as the world leader in percussive therapy. Today, the award-winning G3PRO is the seventh-generation flagship percussive therapy device, and the G3 and liv have launched as new

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.

Ellen Shanley PhD, PT, OCS is a clinical research scientist for ATI PT. She works as senior faculty for the ATI Upper Extremity Baseball Fellowship in collaboration with the MLB.  

Karen Malkin, NBC-HWC, is a Board Certified Integrative Health Coach and Eating Psychology expert. Her clientele includes executives, professional athletes, men and women of all ages, students, and motivated individuals who are ready for a new level of vitality. Some of her specialties include cleansing, emotional eating, weight loss, the science of nutrition, high energy super foods and smoothies, supplementation, managing cravings, and healthy lifestyle makeovers. She frequently appears on Sports Medicine Weekly and presents in corporate settings.

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.

David Strickland has worked as an executive in the sports nutrition industry for almost a decade, most recently at Glanbia Performance Nutrition, a manufacturer of Optimum Nutrition and other popular sports nutrition brands. At Glanbia, Strickland oversees all commercial and strategic operations for North America, including key customers such as GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, and Amazon. Strickland was a varsity athlete and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration, with honors, from Laurentian University in Canada. He also volunteers his time as a youth hockey coach and board member of the Geneva Cyclones Amateur Hockey Association.  

Karen Shanahan is a physical therapist / athletic trainer who has worked for Athletico for 15 years. She currently is the facility manager at the Lake in the Hills clinic.  She did her undergraduate in Athletic Training at North Central College and received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from University of Illinois at Chicago.  Karen is an endurance athlete herself and enjoys treating this patient population.  She also treats pediatrics and vestibular/concussion patients. 

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.  

Darren Rovell is a Senior Executive Producer at The Action Network, covering all angles of sports betting. He spent two stints at ESPN where he wrote for its website and contributed to Sports Center and Outside The Lines. He served as a business correspondent for ABC News, and made appearances on Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline. At CNBC, Rovell anchored five primetime documentaries, including Swoosh! Inside Nike, which was nominated for an Emmy. Rovell contributed to NBC News, where he earned an Emmy as a correspondent for the network’s Presidential Election coverage. He authored two business books, including a book on the history of Gatorade, First In Thirst.

Emmett Cleary played for seven NFL teams, including the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and the Detroit Lions over a five-year professional career. He is now a second-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He grew up in Arlington Heights, IL and attended Boston College where he earned a bachelor’s in biology and played football as an offensive tackle, serving as team captain and earning all-ACC honors. His research interests include CTE, orthopedics, and the impact of social and professional factors on athletes’ health.

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.

Fred Smith is founder and CEO of BandGrip. Inspired to realize a faster, easier, and non-invasive way to safely close wounds, Smith and the company’s team of medical professionals developed the patented technology behind BandGrip Micro-Anchor Skin Closures. It came about after extensive canvassing of surgeons to identify ways to reduce closure time, improve ambulation, and minimize scarring. Founded in 2015 in Chicago, Smith and his team remains committed to delivering medical innovations that allow hospitals and doctors to reduce procedure time and improve the patient experience. He also envisions a future where its products can help improve the lives of people around the world. He is using his years of digital ad agency experience and entrepreneurial endeavors to make BandGrip an essential item in surgical suites, first responder vehicles and eventually, home emergency kits – to stop the bleeding and heal wounds more efficiently and effectively.

Hellowater- Why should people drink a fiber infused water, specifically a ready to drink, drink? Tom Bushkie became a certified nutritionist in 2005 and also is a serial entrepreneur creating a variety of companies over the last 20 years. His passion to create "better for you" products that fulfill an unmet need is what drives him each and everyday. Hellowater is a great example of the lessons learned over his 10 years in the beverage space. Prior to this, Bushkie had started Better Body Solutions to work with individuals and workplace wellness teams to improve the health and lives of thousands of people.  

Dr. Brian Cole MD at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Steve Kashul address questions sent in by Sports Medicine Weekly followers.

Illinois has legalized sports betting, and we are awaiting the specific rules and guidelines that the gaming commission is preparing. In the meantime, USA Sports Gaming has signed an agreement with a casino in Indiana and will be launching BetIndiana in September of this year. By the end of the year, they will be operating both BetIndiana and BetChicago.  They will be at the forefront of the legal sportsbook market in Illinois and Indiana, and there are plenty of questions about the products that they will provide in these legalized states.

David Rivera is passionate about rehabilitation and incorporates a friendly, energetic, and functional approach with an emphasis on manual therapy. He appreciates that every individual is unique and their treatment plan should be as well.