Kevin Plancher Named Top Sports Doc for Ninth Straight Year by New York Magazine

Dr. Kevin D. Plancher, MD, MS, FACS, FAAOS, a leading orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert with offices in Greenwich, CT and Manhattan has been named a top sports medicine specialist for the ninth year in a row by New York Magazine. Since 2001, Dr. Plancher has been recognized by the magazine for his outstanding knowledge and devoted patient care in the field of sports medicine and orthopaedics.

In addition to his private practice, Dr. Plancher is a Clinical Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and is an attending physician at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn. and Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y.

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, N.Y. and an official surgeon of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. Most recently Dr. Plancher has been named team physician for the Long Island Lizzards, a professional lacrosse team.

In 2001, Dr. Plancher founded “The Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles”, 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 also been recognized as a Connecticut Magazine Top Doctor in Sports Medicine in 2008 and is 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; 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.”

About Dr. Plancher:

Kevin D. Plancher, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.O.S., is one of the nation’s leading orthopaedic surgeons and sports medicine experts, specializing in the treatment of knee, shoulder, elbow and hand injuries. He is Associate Clinical Professor in Orthopaedics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and on the editorial review board of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a New York City research company, named Dr. Plancher America’s Top Doctor in Sports Medicine. Every year from 2001 to 2009 he 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. Dr. Plancher received his M.D. degree (cum laude) and an M.S. degree in physiology from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He completed his residency at Harvard University’s orthopaedic program and a fellowship at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo., where he studied shoulder and knee reconstruction and served as consultant to the clinic for six years. He has been team physician for more than 15 high school, college and national championship teams. He is currently the Head Team physician for the professional lacrosse team, the Long Island Lizards.

An attending physician at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City and Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT, he maintains offices in Manhattan and Greenwich, CT. Visit http://www.plancherortho.com for more information. Dr. Plancher lectures extensively in the U.S. and abroad on issues related to orthopaedic procedures and injury management. He also has been named to the sports medicine arthroscopy program subcommittee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Plancher has been awarded the Order of Merit (magna cum laude) for distinguished philanthropy in the advancement of orthopaedic surgery by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation. In 2001, he founded The Orthopaedic Foundation for
Active Lifestyles, a not-for-profit foundation focused on maintaining and enhancing the physical
well-being of active individuals through the development and promotion of research and supporting technologies. See http://www.ofals.org for more information.