Research & Innovations

There’s an old medical adage we like at OFAC: Patients want their health care from people who write the books, not just those who read them. To our practice, that means not just perfecting current-generation practices, but looking ahead to where we want to be in five to ten years. We're happy to say that, in nearly every case, by the time a procedure becomes routine, we’ve already been doing it for a decade. And that’s largely due to our extensive work in medical research.

The research performed at OFAC not only results in progress in the field, but ultimately improves the level of care that our patients receive. Our surgeons are always at the leading edge and frequently pioneer new medical procedures. Their work has been featured in national publications and has earned accolades from the top institutions in the field.

Featured Projects

Amniotic Membrane in Surgical Repairs

Will the use of human amniotic tissue help decrease the amount of inflammation, scarring, and recovery time of surgically repaired peroneal tendon tears?

Total Ankle Replacement

The virtual ankle replacement technology allows the surgeon to perform the total ankle replacement operation on his computer before the patient ever enters the operating room. This technology will insure a better placement of the implant resulting in a better outcome for the patient.

Achilles E-Stim Study

The immobilization period after an Achilles tendon repair surgery can cause the calf muscle to atrophy. We are investigating whether electrical stimulation applied to the calf in the 6 weeks following surgery could reduce this atrophy and improve patient recovery.

Awards & Recognition

Research is the cornerstone of our practice because its findings have allowed us to improve patient care and outcomes. We are honored to have received over 15 different awards for our research presentations, manuscripts, and findings. In 2011 we received the Pioneers in Medicine Award from the Arthritis Foundation of Central Ohio, and were the recipients of a Manuscript Award at the 2014 annual conference for American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons for research into degenerative joint disease following Total Ankle Replacements.

Recent Publications(by Physicians)

Gregory Berlet, MD

Principal Investigator: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled, Multi-Center, Pivotal Human Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of D ™ Compared to Autologous Bone Graft as a Bone Regeneration Device in Foot and Ankle Fusions, 2008

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Saline Controlled, Multi-Center, Prospective Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of Carticept’s Agilus Device for the Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis, 2008

Tibial Non Unions: The effect of internal bone stimulation and healing – A Data Bank. EBI, $100,000. Study closed July 2007.

The Role of COX-2 Inhibitors in Rat Achilles Tendon Healing, 2004

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Terry Philbin, DO

Hyer CF, Berlet GC, Bussewitz BW, Hankins T, Ziegler HL, Philbin TM. Quantitative assessment of the yield of osteoblastic connective tissue progenitors in bone marrow aspirate from the iliac crest, tibia, and calcaneus. J Bone Joint Surg. 2013 Jul 17;95(14):1312-6.

Digiovanni CW, Lin SS, Baumhauer JF, Daniels T, Younger A, Glazebrook M, Anderson J, Anderson R, Evangelista P, Lynch SE; North American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Study Group*. Recombinant Human Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB and Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate (rhPDGF-BB/β-TCP): An Alternative to Autogenous Bone Graft. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013 Jul 3;95(13):1184-92. *acknowledged as a study investigator

Cuttica DJ, Smith WB, Hyer CF, Philbin TM, Berlet GC. Arthroscopic Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Tibial Plafond. Foot Ankle Int. August 2012;33(8): 662-8.

Hatic II SO, Philbin TM. Management of the Recurrent Deformity in a Flexible Foot Following Failure of Tendon Transfer: is Arthrodesis Necessary? Foot Ankle Clin. 2012 Jun;17(2):299-307.

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Christopher Hyer, DPM

Galli MM, Scott RT, Bussewitz B, Hyer CF. A retrospective comparison of cost and efficiency of the medial double and dual incision triple arthrodeses. Foot Ankle Spec. 2014 Feb;7(1):32-6.

Hyer CF, Galli MM, Scott RT, Bussewitz B, Berlet GC. Ankle valgus after hindfoot arthrodesis: a radiographic and chart comparison of the medial double and triple arthrodeses. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2014 Jan-Feb;53(1):55-8.

McAlister JE, Hyer CF, Miller JM, Rush S, Saxena A, Steinberg JS, Weil L Jr. DPM foot and ankle fellowships. Foot Ankle Spec. 2013 Oct;6(5):356-63.

McAlister JE, Hyer CF. The Direct Plantar Plate Repair Technique. Foot Ankle Spec. 2013 Sep11;Epub ahead of print.

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Granata JD, Ellis TJ. Special Focus: Trauma. Management of Tibial Nonunions. Current Orthopedic Practice. 2009; 20:522-526.

Granata JD, Philbin TM. Distal tibia-fibular bone bridging in transtibial amputations. Current Orthopedic Practice. 2010; 21(3):264-267.

Granata JD, Philbin TM. The midfoot sprain: a review of ligamentous lisfranc injuries. The Physician and Sportsmedicine. Phys Sportsmed. 2010 Dec;38(4):119-26.

DeVries JG, Granata JD, Hyer CF. Evaluating two types of fixation for a first tarsometatarsal arthrodesis: a retrospective comparative cohort. Foot Ankle Int. 2011 Feb;32 (2):158-62.

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