By KELLY WILSON
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Dr. Adam Derhake doesn't care if it's the NBA's Dwyane Wade or a local high school athlete, he's going to approach them -- and their sports injuries -- the same.

"I treat all of my athletes just as I would the professional athletes," said Derhake, who spent a year as a team physician with the Miami Heat before beginning his practice at Quincy Medical Group in September. "Whether it's a serious athlete or a leisurely sportsman, returning people to the lifestyle they love and restoring their function is very rewarding."

Derhake, a Quincy native, is a board eligible orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician whose specialties include orthopedic sports medicine, arthroscopic surgeries of the knee and shoulder, rotator cuff repair, meniscal repair and ACL reconstruction.

He's performing surgeries new to Quincy.

"That's why I came here. It's a great opportunity to provide a service to a community that really needed it," Derhake said. "I want to develop something special here that hasn't been offered before."

He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois Chicago Medical School in 2003, and completed his residency there in 2008 before going to Miami for his orthopedic sports medicine fellowship.

He's been trained in the latest arthroscopic procedures, in which he uses a tiny tube, lens and light source to view and perform surgery on a joint.

Patients who undergo arthroscopic procedures can return to normal activities in as little as one or two days.

"An arthroscopic procedure is far less invasive, resulting in less pain and can lead to quicker recovery times," Derhake said.

Click here to view animations of the surgeries that Derhake performs.

His fellowship with the Miami Heat, under the direction of head team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick, prepared him well for his practice.

"He was such a great mentor," Derhake said. "He's such a well-respected guy throughout the NBA. A lot of players throughout the league would come to us for a second opinion. That's where I wanted to be, so I would have that experience to draw from when I started my own practice."

His time with the Miami Heat was exciting, with the talent of Wade, as well as top draft picks Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers.

"We were the worst team in the NBA before I got there. Dwyane Wade was hurt, the team was in shambles, Shaq got traded," Derhake said. "Then last year, Wade completed rehab, he came back and won the Olympic medal and came to training camp in mid-season form. We had the best draft. ... The result was the team was the most improved team record-wise in 15 to 20 years."

While the NBA experience was "super exciting," Derhake equally enjoys working with young athletes and recreational "weekend warriors."

"I love it," he said. "Athletes really truly want to get better. They listen to you. That's what's rewarding to me, to see them get back into the game, to see them flourish.

"This area has been starting for someone who thinks like athletes do, who thinks like trainers do, who thinks like coaches do. Athletes expect results that are quicker and that are at a higher functional level."

He works with Dr. Anthony Biggs, medical director of sports medicine at QMG, as well as Drs. George Crickard and William Holt, orthopedic surgeons, and three mid-level providers -- Matt Bruns and Jean Cross, certified nurse practitioners, and Steve Dement, physician assistant.

"We have all the pieces together now," Derhake said. "People shouldn't have to go out of town for this stuff."