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Category Archives: Home Magazine

Dr. Bright McConnell, III, MD

Posted on May 12, 2011 by admin

Dr. McConnell is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty expertise in sports medicine and human performance. He has completed physician training and certification in age management medicine, jointly sponsored by Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation (CERF) and the Foundation for Care Management (FCM). He is also a certified clinical densitometrist.

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Anti-Aging Strategies for Men and Women

Posted on May 11, 2011 by admin

Normal effects of aging like weight gain, aching joints, sagging skin, mental fatigue, physical weakness, mood swings, reduced libido, and energy loss challenge men and women differently from age 16 to 90. But although aging is inevitable, you can significantly improve your amount of energy, physical fitness, mental performance, and quality of life no matter your age or whether you’re male or female.

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Customize Your Nutrition Plan to Your Body: Advanced Micronutrient and Cardiovascular Risk Testing!

Posted on January 6, 2011 by admin

Dr. Bright McConnell, III, Founder of FitMed Partners, revolutionizes nutrition with a way to customize your nutrition plan to your body. Medical research has scientifically documented the vital role that micronutrients play in achieving and maintaining good health and overall disease prevention.

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Safely Navigating the Risks & Benefits of Hormone Therapy

Posted on January 5, 2011 by admin

Recent news stories have many people confused and concerned about hormone replacement and its associated risk for cancer. FitMed Partners helps patients make educated, informed decisions about hormone therapy by offering bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Learn about proven and…

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Charleston Sports Medicine

Posted on January 3, 2011 by admin

In addition to founding FitMed Partners, Dr. Bright McConnell, III, MD is Board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and specializes in Sports Medicine and Human Performance at his orthopaedic practice, Charleston Sports Med. With over 20 years of experience, Charleston Sports Med treats all general orthopaedic and sports injuries and specializes in the treatment of knee and shoulder disorders.

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Categories

The Science of Better Living

Trouble losing weight? WCIV anchor Victoria Hansen puts the spotlight on FitMed’s Age Management Program

Can’t lose weight? Maybe hormones are to blame

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — You exercise, you eat right, but still you can’t lose weight. If you’re over the age of 40, hormones may be to blame.

Read the Article

Dr. McConnell makes national news in Golf Swing story

Local doctor provides inside info: PGA Tour golfers get chance to have body scans for data
(Post and Courier) When Jim Furyk tees off today in the PGA Tour’s The Barclays tournament, he will do so armed with inside information provided by Dr. Bright McConnell, a local orthopedist.

McConnell has been performing body scans this week on PGA Tour golf pros, giving them a detailed look from the inside-out on what exactly is going on inside their bodies.

“It actually shows you what you are made of,” said McConnell, who scanned 14 golfers on-site Wednesday in Edison, N.J.

McConnell, of Charleston Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, uses an X-ray body scanner made by GE Healthcare — the machine, known as the iDXA system, costs up to $100,000 — to give golfers specific data on body composition, such as percent body fat and lean muscle mass.

The information, delivered in a detailed five-page report along with a high-resolution image, can help golfers adjust their swings, alter their nutrition or training habits, and even lengthen their careers.

The body scans are part of a partnership between GE and the PGA Tour announced earlier this year. Sean O’Hair was one of the first golfers to use the technology at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla., last spring.

“I think it’s a huge tool to help you be better,” O’Hair told reporters then.

McConnell said body scans are the next step in the evolution of studying body composition.

“For so long in this country, we’ve looked at body-mass index, height and weight tables, and it’s just not accurate,” McConnell said. “The whole concept of body composition, whether it’s in golfers or other athletes, is to look at lean body mass, percent body fat and the distribution of body fat — not only how much, but where exactly is it?”

The PGA Tour includes all sorts of body types, from the buff Tiger Woods to the lumpy John Daly, and everything in between. Some golfers will be intrigued by the data McConnell can provide; some won’t want to know, he said.

“There really is no one ideal form,” McConnell said. “You have bigger guys and smaller guys who have success. But we are seeing some differences and concern with where body fat and muscle mass is located in the left side of the body versus the right. Is there really a left versus right dominance in terms of swing mechanics?”

Furyk said that’s an issue he discussed with his trainers for years.

“Now we can actually measure it,” he told the New York Times. “I think there’s going to be quite a few guys out here who are going to see a big imbalance. They’ll realize it, get a tool to manage it and maybe prolong their career.”

Said McConnell: “They can take this information and work with their trainers. Maybe they learn that they need to be working on their left quad or their left upper body for their turn. Without this information, they may not see the difference.”

To get a body scan, a golfer lies down on a table beneath a curved arm that travels the length of the body, sending out bursts of low-dose X-rays. The whole process takes six to eight minutes.

“It’s very low-dose radiation,” McConnell said, “so you can get multiple scans without any concern.”

In a sport where athletes are constantly tweaking their swings, their clubs and balls, and firing their caddies — all in search of the slightest of advantages — body composition is one more area that can provide an edge.

“At this level of the sport,” McConnell said, “even a two or three percent difference in performance is huge.”

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