Our Physicians
Robert Rolf, M.D.
Just What You KNEE-d: How to Prepare for Knee Replacement Surgery
Whether you have a total or partial knee replacement surgery scheduled, it’s surely been a long time coming, and you’re experiencing a whole spectrum of emotions. From the natural anxiety that surgery can trigger to the excitement of finally living life with less knee pain, you're probably ready ...
Beacon expands physician options in Batesville and Lawrenceburg (2022)
Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is expanding its physician presence in the southeastern Indiana communities of Lawrenceburg and Batesville. The expansion includes a total of eight physicians between the two offices, with four physicians visiting Batesville and five physicians holding clinic ...
Cincinnati Magazine Top Doctors 2022
Each year, physicians are selected by their peers in a survey, asking them which physicians they would turn to for their own personal care. Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is proud to have 49 doctors listed on the latest Cincinnati Magazine’s Top Docs List of 2022. We are very proud of all ...
Meet Your Physician: Dr. Robert Rolf
To read the full story in The Eagle, click here. Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine’s Robert Rolf, M.D. grew up in Cincinnati. He graduated from La Salle High School and then attended the University of Notre Dame where he earned a BS in Chemical Engineering. When he was young, he was deeply ...
Getting a Total Joint Replacement? Avoid These 7 Common Post-Surgery Mistakes
Is it time for a total joint replacement? Surgery can be scary, but when it’s medically necessary, it’s good to not only prepare for the procedure but also prepare for your post-surgery recovery. As orthopedic specialists, we see common mistakes that patients make as they rehabilitate. Most missteps ...
Is Your Knee Pain Arthritis or a Torn Meniscus? 3 Questions to Help Figure it Out (And a Bonus Tip!)
Sometimes it’s all in the wrist. Other times it’s all in the hips. So what happens when it’s all the knees? When you have knee pain, especially if you’re an older adult, it can be hard to know what’s causing it. In today’s blog article, we break down the difference between arthritis and a ...
ASAP Podcast with Beacon Orthopedics Surgeon & Shoulder Specialist Robert Rolf M.D.
Robert Rolf M.D. is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and a graduate of La Salle High School. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he received a BS in Chemical Engineering. This served as the foundation for furthering his studies into medicine and eventually, a specialty in the shoulder following ...
No, You Aren’t Too Young for Arthritis
And other facts about arthritis you should know If you suffer from arthritis, you aren’t alone. More than 54 million adults in the United States live with doctor-diagnosed arthritis. The actual total of those who experience it could be almost double that number since most people don’t ...
Cincinnati Magazine Top Doctors 2021
Each year, physicians are selected by their peers in a survey, asking them which physicians they would turn to for their own personal care. Beacon Orthopaedics is proud to have 34 doctors listed on the latest Cincinnati Magazine’s Top Docs List of 2021. We are very proud of all of our physicians and ...
Top Doctors 2020 at Beacon
Each year, physicians are selected by their peers in a survey, asking them which physicians they would turn to for their own personal care. Beacon doctors – 25 Tri-State physicians - were named to Cincinnati Magazine’s Top Docs List of 2020. We are very proud of all of our physicians and thank the ...
Meet the Best Knee Surgeons in the Cincinnati Area at Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
At Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, we are lucky to have some of the best knee surgeons in the country on our staff. When you have a knee injury and don’t know where to go, our doctors are available without a referral from the ER or a physical therapist. Meet our talented knee surgeons here! Dr. ...
Is My Shoulder Pain from Arthritis or Bursitis?
Your shoulders are packed with bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Shoulder pain can develop from a variety of conditions that affect one—if not many—of these structures. While this can make it difficult to pinpoint the exact source of your shoulder pain, an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment ...
Shoulder Trauma and Recovery: Fractures
Shoulder pain is far too common. Unfortunately, the discomfort of a stiff, painful shoulder is often made worse by the frustration of pinpointing its exact cause. The shoulder can be injured in a variety of ways, including dislocations, labral tears, rotator cuff tears, rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder ...
Total Shoulder Replacement Recovery Plan
Total shoulder replacement surgery, also known as total shoulder arthroplasty, is an effective way of treating permanent joint damage caused by arthritis. It can relieve the severe pain and stiffness in a patient’s shoulder and allow them to return to sports they enjoy such as baseball, golf, or swimming. While ...
Tendon Injuries in the Shoulder FAQ
The shoulder is the most flexible joint in the human body. It consists of the three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone). It also consists of four joints: the glenohumeral joint, acromioclavicular joint, sternoclavicular joint, and scapulothoracic ...
FAQ Shoulder Fractures: Clavicle, Proximal, Humerus, Scapular
Any high-energy impact to the shoulder can cause a fracture in the bone; these types of impacts include falling, colliding with a wall, body-on-body collisions in sports, or acute trauma from a motor vehicle accident to name a few. Shoulder fractures commonly involve the clavicle (collar bone), the ...
The Most Common Shoulder Injuries and How They’re Treated
The anatomical structures of the shoulder are all highly interconnected. So much, in fact, that shoulder injuries rarely affect just one area of the joint. A single shoulder injury can affect multiple muscles, ligaments, cartilage areas, tendons, and bones. Unfortunately, injuries are most likely ...
A Practical Guide to Common Shoulder Pains
There’s no shortage of shoulder pain going around. In fact, in 2006, an astonishing 7.5 million people went to the doctor complaining of shoulder issues, according to OrthoInfo. It’s no wonder, since the shoulder is an essential part of everyday life no matter what you do. While athletes rely ...
Exercises to Prevent Shoulder Injuries in Athletes
The shoulder is indisputably the most complex joint in the body. The arm would be drastically less useful without the range of motion the shoulder provides. Unfortunately, the shoulder’s complexity also means there are countless complications that can impair its function. Consider this: the shoulder ...
Total Shoulder Replacement or Reverse Shoulder Replacement
Shoulder arthroplasty, often called a total shoulder replacement, is a well-established surgery for treating severe pain and stiffness. In fact, approximately 53,000 people in the U.S. have shoulder replacement surgery each year in order to regain comfort and function, according to the Agency for Healthcare ...
Frequently Asked Questions about Rotator Cuff Tears
Your rotator cuff is an integral part of your shoulder—helping stabilize the shoulder by holding the ball (humerus) and glenoid socket (scapula) together as you raise and rotate the arm. When the rotator cuff is torn and not functioning properly, shoulder weakness and pain is the result. In this ...
Frequently Asked Questions about Shoulder Arthritis
Inflammation in your joints may be a result of degeneration called arthritis. This can cause symptoms ranging from pain, stiffness, loss of mobility to other consequences that can limit your lifestyle. Because your shoulder is comprised of three major bones (the humerus, scapula, and clavicle), inflammation ...
Shoulder Instability and Labral Tear FAQs
Because of the complex composition of the shoulder, you can position your arms and hands basically anywhere in space. But, for the very same reason, your shoulder is one of the easiest parts of your body to injure. One of the most common of these injuries is shoulder instability or “shoulder looseness.” ...
Frequently Asked Questions: Scapulothoracic Bursitis and Snapping Scapula
Over one third of shoulder movement occurs via the scapula (shoulder blade) and thoracic cage. As we’ve mentioned before, the shoulder is comprised of many intricate parts. Between these components, you’ll find bursa, fluid-filled sacs that cushion and protect body tissues from excessive friction. The ...
Frequently Asked Questions: Suprascapular Nerve Entrapment
Suprascapular nerve entrapment is a rare condition that can be easily misdiagnosed or even go unnoticed by those who are affected. Let’s get to the bottom of this condition and talk about who could be affected, what body parts are involved, and what are the symptoms, causes and treatments of this potentially ...
Frozen Shoulder FAQs
Frozen shoulder is a common, complex problem that affects many individuals. Despite ample research, a consensus over the true cause of frozen shoulder eludes us. Dr. Robert Rolf, a board certified orthopaedic surgeon at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, has compiled a collection of frequently ...
Preventing Shoulder Cuff Injuries in Athletes
The shoulder has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body. It allows the arm to move away from the body’s midline, towards the body’s midline, forward, and backwards. It can also move the arm in a full circle, as well as rotate it towards or away from the midline. The articulation of ...
Frozen Shoulder: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
The shoulder is one of the most complex joints of the body. In its most simplified form, it is made up of the humerus (bone in upper arm), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone), as well as numerous muscles, ligaments, and tendons that provide the shoulder with its full range of motion. ...
Total Shoulder Replacement: A Treatment for Shoulder Arthritis
Shoulder arthritis can be debilitating in many patients, resulting in persistent lateral arm pain that limits many activities of daily living, such as getting dressed, putting deodorant on or washing your hair. Many times, the pain of arthritis even awakens a person at night. Osteoarthritis, which ...
UCL Injuries of the Elbow
What is the UCL? The UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) is a ligament on the inside part of the elbow. There are three bones that make up the elbow joint: Humerus, Ulna and Radius. The elbow joint is unique because it can bend and straighten as well as rotate and twist. There are two ligaments in the elbow ...
Shoulder Labral Tears
Shoulder labral tears are a common acute injury. Learn more about how tears occur and some of the best options to fix them. What is the Labrum? Let's start simple: The shoulder joint is comprised of 3 major bones: wing bone (scapula), collarbone (clavicle) and upper arm bone (Humerus). The Labrum ...
Meniscus Tears in the Knee
What is a Meniscus Tear? The meniscus is a cartilage cushion between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (large lower leg bone). There are two menisci in each knee. The lateral (outside) meniscus is small c-shaped cushion, whereas the medial (inside) meniscus is a larger c-shaped cushion. Both ...
What is a Biceps Tendon Rupture and How is it Fixed?
The biceps muscle group (biceps brachii) is made up of two heads, the long head and the short head. The muscles originate at the shoulder and insert on the radius (short bone in the forearm). The main function of the biceps brachii is to supinate the forearm (pretend like you are holding a cup of ...
Shoulder Impingement
What is a Shoulder Impingement? Shoulder impingement occurs when the tunnel between acromion process off of the shoulder blade and the humeral head is small or the structures that run through the tunnel are inflamed. The tunnel is known as the subacrimial space. The structures that become inflamed ...
Shoulder Sling Education (Breg SlingShot™ 3)
The SlingShot™ 3 Brace is a shoulder sling manufactured by Breg. The brace is specially designed to hold the arm in the correct position to ensure that it heals quickly and correctly. Patients usually wear the brace for 4-6 weeks following surgery, and longer in some cases. One of the primary reasons ...
Pre-Operative Packets
Pre-Operative Packets: Below you will find a list of Pre-Operative Packets for some of the common procedures performed by Dr. Robert Rolf. He specializes in elbow, hand, wrist, shoulder, knee, total joint replacements, and sports medicine. The pre-operative packets detail what to expect during and ...
Physical Therapy Protocols - Dr. Robert Rolf
Below you will find a list of physical therapy protocols that can be followed after having a procedure performed by Dr. Rolf. These are intended to provide guidelines of progression in recovery. They include weight bearing status, ranges of motion, use of a brace, exercises or stretches, and other information. AC ...
Sports Injury Prevention
Sports Injury Prevention: Stop the Injuries In the world of orthopaedics, few things are as important as sports injury prevention. From pro athletes to competitive high school students to weekend warriors, most of us aren't doing enough to prevent common sports injuries. Below is a list of common ...
Ankle Sprains
Rolled, Twisted and Turned: How to Get Back on the Court After Ankle Sprains Rolled, twisted, and turned: three words that no one wants to associate with their ankles. All are common descriptions of ankle sprains. Ankle injuries can result in fracture, tendon injury, or most commonly an ankle sprain. ...
Achilles Injuries
Preventing Achilles Injuries: What can go wrong on the court? Most people are familiar with the great story of Achilles who was dipped into the River Styx to become invincible. Unfortunately, Thetis held him at the ankle and so is born the “Achilles heel.” According to Homer’s Illiad, Achilles ...
Hand Only CPR: A Better Way to Save Lives?
Hand Only CPR: A Better Way to Save Lives? Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest affects more than 300,000 people annually in the United States. It is certainly something that could happen on the handball court. When this happens, the heart stops beating. A person usually collapses, stops breathing and is ...
Shoulder Treatment Education
Why an Article on Shoulder Treatment Education? Proper shoulder treatment education is important when you or someone you love has a shoulder injury. The shoulder is a very delicate joint. Simple tasks like picking up pans, opening a window, moving a chair, or carrying a child can cause shoulder injuries. ...
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