Dr. Scott Schonewolf and
Dr. Jon Humphrey examine a patient

Dr. Scott Schonewolf checks an ankle injury

April 11, 2007                                                   

Southern Illinois Family Medicine Offers Sports Medicine Expertise

A new sports medicine program at SIU School of Medicine in Carbondale is providing all types of athletes the medical expertise needed for them to remain healthy and active.
The program has been developed by SIU faculty physicians at Southern Illinois Family Medicine Center in Carbondale.  It uses an accredited one-year fellowship in sports medicine as its foundation.

“Our focus is on treating all ‘athletes,’ anyone engaged in sport, exercise or physical activity at the recreational, industrial, competitive, professional or elite level,” explains Dr. Scott Schonewolf, director of the program and an assistant professor of family and community medicine at the medical school.  “The same expertise we might use for an athlete is used to help a ‘weekend warrior’ return to full function as quickly as possible.”

The fellowship provides training for one physician each year while also expanding the clinical services available for patients in the region.  Sports medicine focuses treating all athletes engaged in sport, exercise or physical activity including recreational, industrial, competitive, professional or elite level.  The training takes place at a variety of locations in addition to the Southern Illinois Family Medicine facilities.

“Many patients experience problems that have musculoskeletal symptoms and in fact, those are the second most common reason they seek medical attention,” Schonewolf explained.  “Our focus is to maintain the quality of patient care, minimize their suffering and prevent extra or expensive tests, while getting them back to their activities.”

The diagnosis and treatment options used by sports medicine physicians include exercise, physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, nutrition, pharmacology and sports psychology.  New technologic advances in the field include a wide variety of braces now available for rehabilitation and prolotherapy and osteopathic manipulation used for pain relief or to restore motion.  Traditional care such as casting and splinting can be provided.  More traditional medical problems such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes also are addressed.

There are three faculty physicians involved in the program – Schonewolf, Dr. Jerry Goddard, and the newest addition, Dr. Jon Humphrey.  They work with the other SIU faculty at the center as well as with nine orthopedic surgeons at Southern Illinois Orthopedic Clinic (SIOC), two of whom have sports medicine fellowship training.  Dr. Rollie Perkins, SIUC team physician, also provides training experiences with most of the SIUC teams.

“I’m pleased that this program came together so well in such a short time,” said Dr. Jerry Goddard, assistant professor of family and community medicine, who started the planning for the fellowship several years ago.  “We are benefiting from having a great deal of interactions with our medical colleagues here in Carbondale and we all enhance each others’ work and together expand the expertise available here in the area.”  Goddard, who is retiring, is board certified in emergency medicine and family medicine and has a CAQSM certification.

The fellowship is accredited nationally by the Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education.  The fellow’s clinical experiences include seeing patients at Southern Illinois Family Medicine, Carbondale Memorial Hospital, SIUC Health Services, SIUC athletic training rooms and other medical offices such as SIOC and Rehab Unlimited.  The fellowship program is supported with funds from SIUC Health Services and Southern Illinois Healthcare.

“In addition to helping patients, this fellowship is important for SIU’s family medicine training program here in Carbondale because new rural family physicians need to have a major emphasis on orthopedics and sports medicine in their experience,” added Schonewolf.

Schonewolf also is a team physician for Southern Illinois University Carbondale and for John A. Logan College.  His sports medicine experience includes working with high school, college and professional sports teams in Utah and Pennsylvania.  He completed a one-year Utah Valley sports medicine fellowship in Provo (2005).  He is board certified in family practice and has a certificate of added qualifications in sports medicine (CAQSM).
Dr. Jon Humphrey, assistant professor of family and community medicine, is the newest faculty member, joining the SIU faculty this spring after having completed his sports medicine fellowship at SIU.  He also is a team physician for John A. Logan College.  Humphrey is board certified in family practice and is eligible for CAQSM certification.

For more information regarding appointments, contact Southern Illinois Medicine Center at 618-536-6621 weekdays.

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Sports Medicine Faculty Physicians – Southern Illinois Family Medicine
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale

Dr. Scott K. Schonewolf, assistant professor of family and community medicine, is director of SIU’s sports medicine fellowship.  He also is a team physician for Southern Illinois University Carbondale and for John A. Logan College.  His sports medicine experience includes working with high school, college and professional sports teams in Utah and Pennsylvania.  He completed a one-year Utah Valley sports medicine fellowship in Provo (2005).

Schonewolf is board certified in family practice and has a certificate of added qualifications in sports medicine (CAQSM).  He is a member of the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine, American College of Sports Medicine, American College of Osteopathic Family Practitioners, American Academy of Family Practitioners and American Osteopathic Association.

Dr. Jerry Goddard, assistant professor of family and community medicine, founded SIU’s sport medicine fellowship program.  After ten years on the faculty, he is retiring this spring.  Goddard is board certified in emergency medicine and in family medicine, and has a certificate of added qualifications in sports medicine (CAQSM).

Dr. Jon Humphrey, assistant professor of family and community medicine, joins the SIU faculty this spring after having completed his sports medicine fellowship at SIU.  He also is a team physician for John A. Logan College.  He was previously in private practice in Wisconsin for six years.  Humphrey is board certified in family practice and is eligible for CAQSM certification.  He is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians.