Dr. Thomas Lombardo

Williamsville, N.Y. – Dr. Thomas A. Lombardo, Jr., M.D., a practicing Orthopedic Surgeon at Northtowns Orthopedics, was installed as President of the Erie County Medical Society at the annual dinner held on May 7^th, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency.

A member of the Medical Society since 1980, he has been on the Executive Board since 2006 and served as Secretary and Treasurer (2010), Vice President (2011), and President Elect (2012). He also chaired multiple committees, including Health and Law, Workers Compensation, and the nominating committee.

During his term as President, Dr. Lombardo will be responsible for upholding the mission of the Medical Society, which is to “promote and preserve 
the science and art of medicine in our community through advocacy for 
patients and physicians.”

Dr. Lombardo received his undergraduate degree in 1969 from the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and his medical degree from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1973. His post-graduate training included a two-year surgical residency at Millard Fillmore Hospital and a four-year orthopedics residency at the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Lombardo began in private practice in 1979 and became a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon in 1980. Over the years, he has held a variety of elected positions, including President of the Western New York Orthopaedic Society. He has also been Chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Millard Fillmore Hospital since 1995 and serves on the Board of Directors for the New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He resides in East Aurora, NY.

Dr. Peter Gambacorta

Youth athletes are once again taking to the field – signaling the approach of spring and inevitably throwing and pitching arm injuries. To help combat the growing problem of these kinds of injuries, Dr. Peter Gambacorta, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) specializing in sports medicine at Northtowns Orthopedics, along with Steven Gonser, a physical therapist at Buffalo Rehab Group, presented a lecture called “ThrowSmart: Protecting the Arm of Throwing Athletes” on Thursday, March 7th. The event was held at the Williamsville YMCA and nearly two dozen parents, coaches, certified athletic trainers, and youth athletes were in attendance.

According to Dr. Gambacorta, each year, more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under receive medical treatment for sports-related injuries. And unfortunately, when injuries do occur, players can be out for the season; some may even require surgery or sustain permanent damage. The good news, though, is that 50% of youth sports injuries are preventable.

During the talk, Dr. Gambacorta discussed trends and statistics about throwing arm injury types (including little league shoulder, little league elbow, labral tears, rotator cuff injuries, apophyseal injuries, and ulnar collateral ligament tears), along with the differences between injuries in youth and adult athletes. “A child athlete is not a small adult athlete,” he said. “Their bodies are different and such are subject to different types of injuries.”

Dr. Gambacorta also provided information about pitch counts and types of pitches to be thrown at what age, along with other sports injury prevention tips.

Call 716-204-2550 M-F 8:15- 4:30AM To make an appointment to see Dr. Peter Gambacorta at his Buffalo, East Amherst, Williamsville, or Kenmore Office. 

View the full story here: http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=198704

For more information or to schedule an appointment call (716) 636 -1470

Dr. Craig Chertak, MD -Total Joint and Reconstruction Specialist

Dr. Donald Douglas, MD – Sports Medicine Specialist

Dr. Kevin Lanaghan, MD – Hand and Upper Extremity Specialist

To schedule an appointment today with one of Northtowns Orthopedics doctors call

(716)636-1470.

Photo Courtesy of Buffalo Spree Photographer kc kratt, published in Buffalo Spree 2013 January Top Docs

Buffalo Spree Top Doctors – Dr. Kevin Lanighan Hand & Upper Extremity Surgeon

Join Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C. as we congratulate our very own Dr. Kevin Lanighan for being named as one of Buffalo Spree Magazine’s 2013 Top Docs.

January 2013 Buffalo Spree publishes Castle Connolly’s Top Docs list, click here to be redirected to the Buffalo Spree website.

Photo Source: Buffalo Spree Magazine January 2013, Photo Credit kc kratt

Check out your local newsstands to purchase the January 2013 Buffalo Spree Magazine and turn to page 77 to read Donna Hoke’s article “The long way home: Dr. Kevin Lanighan”.

Read on for more information about
Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C.’s own
Dr. Kevin Lanighan

The Buffalo Boomerang: Buffalo Brings this Johns Hopkins Graduate Home

Kevin Lanighan, M.D. is a Lockport native whom discovered his love for helping others while obtaining his Eagle Scout. His passion for athletics, earned him a Cross-Country and Track Scholarship to Niagara University. Dr. Lanighan then went on to pursue medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School, where he would later complete his residency after a surgical internship at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, time spent as a ship physician for a US Navy Helicopter Carrier, and staff orthopedic surgeon at Charleston Naval Hospital. Kevin Lanighan M.D. then completed his Fellowship at Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore.

In 1996, Dr. Lanighan returned to the greater Western New York area with his wife and three children and practices at Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C. located in East Amherst. Dr. Lanighan works closely with his two highly skilled Physicians Assistant’s Beth Gillezeau, PA-C, and Lori Gmerek, PA-C in caring for conditions of the hand and arm. While he enjoys caring for all conditions of the hand and upper extremity, Dr. Lanighan cites his most gratifying surgeries to perform are carpal tunnel releases, wrist fractures, and surgery for thumb arthritis.

Dr. Lanighan is a hand and upper extremity surgeon whom works out of Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C.’s Transit Road location 8750 Transit Road, Suite 105, in East Amherst, NY 14051. Call 716-636-1470 to make an appointment.

Dr. David Ratliff of Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C. presents his new commercial:

If the above video fails to play please click here: Dr. David Ratliff Hand & Upper Extremity Specialist Video

Don’t forget to friend Dr. Ratliff on Facebook and on Twitter!

You can find his page on our website here: Dr. David Ratliff Orthopedic Surgeon

You can friend Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C. on Facebook as well!

Dr. Ratliff is an Orthopedic Surgeon with specialty in Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery. A general partner of Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C., his practice focuses on the management of musculoskeletal and neurovascular conditions of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, and fingers in adults, children, and infants. David Ratliff, MD also frequently treats fractures and injuries such as distal radius fractures, humerus fractures, finger fractures, and other various fractures and problems relating to the finger, hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm / bicep / triceps area, and shoulder.

Call 716-636-1470 and ask our scheduling department to make an appointment with Dr. Ratliff today! 

Special thanks to award winning Matthew Lorentz of IDLE Entertainment for his amazing videography services, as well as City Under Siege for the original music.

Link: Dr. Gambacorta on traumatic and overuse sports injuries in young athletes.
(Tip for iphone users: If above video does not play automatically, click on above link to view video)

Dr. Peter Gambacorta of Northtowns Orthopedics and Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, Department of Sports Medicine, sits down with Janet Snyder to discuss the growing trend of sports injuries found in younger athletes. Dr. Gambacorta explains that early detection is key in identifying traumatic sports injuries and overuse injuries.

Traumatic Sports Injuries

Associated with a specific event or injury.  These are acute injuries

Overuse Injury
Occurs with athletic activiities when rest periods are not taken and continued repetition leads to damage (microtrauma) to bones, growth plates, ligaments, tendons or muscles.

Frequently asked questions from parents about detecting sports injuries and overuse injuries

What warrants a visit to the doctor?
When should I take my child to the doctor?
What signs should I look for in my child before taking them to a doctor?

Dr. Gambacorta recommends parents ask themselves the following:

Did the pain begin after an injury?
Is your child complaining about pain regularly?
Are they walking with a limp? Or feeling pain when doing a certain activities?
Is the pain bothering them with their daily activities?

If the answer to these questions is yes then a visit to a physician may be warranted.  Remember that pain is the bodies way of tell us there is something wrong.  The old saying  of “No Pain No Gain” does not apply to the young athlete.

“Is my child playing too many games?”

Many children are playing a single sport year round. Often times the athletes are playing on several teams at one time and are not taking time to rest. This combination can lead to overuse injuries.  As always, education is the key in preventing and identifying an overuse injury.

Where can parents and coaches go to learn about if their children or young athletes are suffering from overuse sports injuries?

Physicians such as Dr. Gambacorta and his partners at Northtowns Orthopedics, P.C. are a great resource for information. Dr. Gambacorta explains:

“We as doctors have a responsibility to not only treat the child and the injury itself, whether it be a surgical or non-surgical treatment, but to also educate the patient and the family- which is key.”

A resource highly recommended for information about preventing sports related injuries is:  STOPsportsinjuries.org

The STOP sports injuries campaign is a collaborative effort Orthopedic surgeons, Physical therapists and Atheltic trainers uniting to educate athletes, coaches and parents about injuries and how to prevent them from occuring.

To book an appointment with Dr. Peter Gambacorta or to learn more about your child’s potential injury- Call 716-636-1470, The staff at Northtowns Orthopedics will be happy to assist you and your young athlete with professional grade care.

To learn more about Dr. Gambacorta click here to see his webpage, or call 716-636-1470 to schedule an appointment.