| Leland, NC
Orthopaedic Specialists
by Kelli Bemelmans
The board-certified physicians of Orthopaedic Specialists are affiliated with the Novant Medical Group and have offices in Southport, Leland (Waterford), Supply and Carolina Beach. Drs. John Azzato, Michael Marushack, Eric Lescault and Joanne Allen rotate between the four offices, treating everything from back pain to sports injuries, and they perform surgery at Brunswick Community Hospital and Dosher Memorial Hospital. In addition, the practice offers physical therapy services at each of its locations.Drs. Azzato, Marushack, Lescault and Allen also serve their community in a novel way as the team physicians to West Brunswick and South Brunswick high schools. For athletes in football, basketball, soccer, softball, swimming, wrestling, cheerleading and other sports, the doctors provide pre-season physicals, prevent injuries by working with athletic trainers, and evaluate and treat injuries. They also care for the visiting teams.
“Eric Dyer, our Physician Assistant, is also on the field,” Dr. Azzato says. “He works with the athletic trainers and is an extra set of eyes and ears on the field.”
The physicians stay busy because they are also team doctors to the athletes at Brunswick Community College and the Wilmington Sea Dawgs of the Premier Basketball League. While most of the athletes’ injuries are only abrasions and sprains, when an athlete does get injured he or she gets treatment and a rehabilitation plan from the doctors.
“Most athletes are highly motivated and want to return to play tomorrow,” says Dr. Marushack. But, he explains, the athlete who takes time to recover fully will prevent re-injury.
The physicians of Orthopaedic Specialists are distinguished in their own ways. Dr. Lescault has served seven years in the military, his most recent tour in Iraq, and practiced medicine around the world. He has won many awards, including the Airborne Award in 1991. Dr. Azzato was the first board-certified orthopaedic surgeon in Brunswick County and has been in practice since 1983. The “Grand Old Man” in his field, he is a member of many medical societies, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Marushack has done extensive research on bone metabolism and has authored several publications. Dr. Allen is unique in that she is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and that she has participated as a doctor for the U.S. Olympics since 1996.All the physicians show a passion for their work.
“The big difference between orthopaedic patients and those in other areas of medicine is that my patients aren’t sick, they’re injured,” says Dr. Marushack. “My athletic patients want to return to the game and my older patients want to enjoy their retirement years without pain. It’s a privilege to be part of that process.”
Drs. Azzato, Marushack, Lescault and Allen are true examples of Novant Health’s mission of excellence in patient care and community health outreach.
“We recently performed a hip replacement for a man who could not afford it,” Dr. Azzato says.
“Novant is based on the continuity of family care in the community.”
Novant Health is a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare system based in North Carolina. Partnered with Brunswick Community Hospital, the health system’s physician division called the Novant Medical Group now includes 44 physicians and 23 practices in the coastal area.
You can reach Orthopaedic Specialists at (910) 457-4789 or www.theorthospecialists.com
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