IU Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Bloomington is always there to help, win or lose

IU Football is experiencing a Cinderella season, and the IU Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine – Bloomington team has been a source of support even before the wins started adding up.

It all began in 2021 when IU Health became the primary medical provider of IU Athletics.

Loriann Fechtman, Team Lead Athletic Trainer shown to the right with Joshua Everhart, MD, explains, “We work to expedite care for the student athletes and use a wide network of providers in the region to keep our student athletes functioning and performing optimally.”

“This partnership provides IU athletes with direct access to world-class medical care in Bloomington, rather than requiring travel to Indianapolis—an increasingly important advantage given the intensity and volume of care required for elite athletes,” says John Shaffer, MD, IU alum and neurointerventional pain specialist with specialized sports neurology training. “It was a natural alignment centered on shared priorities of performance, safety and continuity of care.”

Dr. Shaffer is part of IU Football’s primary medical team, which also includes Everhart; Michael LaGrange, MD; and James Lindner, MD; with Fechtman serving as key administrative and athletic training liaison.

Football is a collision sport, and injuries happen. This team is proud to help mitigate risks by applying the most current, evidence-based medical care when and where it’s needed.

And the group’s collaboration with IU’s coaching, strength and conditioning, and athletic training and rehabilitation teams has shown great results with IU Football leading the Big Ten in player availability.

“Our goal is to support athletes in performing at the highest possible level while prioritizing long-term health,” Dr. Shaffer says. “We focus on keeping athletes safe, available and performing at their best—day in and day out.”

“There’s always a balance between the immediate and the long-term goals and our providers do a really good job of coming up with plans for both,” shares Fechtman.

The healthcare team’s efforts include:

• Conducting pre-participation physicals
• Covering practices year-round
• Performing surgeries and procedures as needed
• Coordinating ongoing care throughout the season and offseason

It also provides comprehensive coverage for all home and away games.

Dr. Shaffer explains, “The medical team is available for all player medical needs prior to kickoff in close coordination with IU’s Head Athletic Trainer, Kyle Blackman. We conduct a formal medical timeout to review emergency protocols, communication pathways and available resources. During the game, we provide real-time sideline injury evaluation and management. Post-game, injured athletes are evaluated in the training room, where imaging, treatment and follow-up care can be initiated immediately.”

While being part of one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football has been a great privilege, the team has always taken pride in supporting the team.

“All of us work to provide comprehensive, patient-centric care regardless of winning or losing,” adds Fechtman. “That being said, there is a lot of fun in winning, and we have enjoyed the highs of that.”

“As Coach Cignetti would say, we are always looking for an edge, and I take great pride in finding ways to create value for our players and our program,” shares Dr. Shaffer.