Sports medicine specializes in the treatment and prevention of sports and exercise related injuries. At the offices of Mitchell J. Wachtel we are experienced in sports medicine. Dr. Mitchell J. Wachtel knows common injuries related with sports and podiatry because he is involved in sports himself. There are several different treatments that the offices of Mitchell J. Wachtel offer for sports related injuries. If you feel you may have a sports related injury that Dr. Wachtel could help you with, visit one of this convenient locations.
We see patients with all sorts of foot ailments that are related to sports medicine. We have xrays in our offices and use new technology, such as a diagnostic ultrasound. An ultrasound can provide information that an x-ray cannot provide, such as evaluating soft tissue problems like tendons and ligaments. We also use diagnostic ultrasounds to diagnose sprains, tears, and fractures for our pregnant patients. We have many removable casts within the office. We have a soft cast called an Unna boot dressing which is a flexible, fiberglass casts and all sorts of braces that are removable. The type of treatment depends on the severity of the injury. Some injuries involve the ligaments rather than a bone break or a bone bruise. Our main goal is to provide treatments which have the shortest recovery and healing time.
Ligamentous injuries can be very difficult to deal with. We provide multiple types of bracing to our patients and as the patient progresses so does the type of support they will need. All goals are to shorten the recovery period while supporting the foot and ankle correctly.
Tendonitis or inflammation of tendons can occur from trauma such as landing on the foot incorrectly or the overuse of the foot. Sometimes patient develop pain on their shins and develop tendonitis, which is secondary to nothing other than their foot type: flatfoot. Custom made orthotics typically will relieve this problem. Sometimes the tendonitis is severe causing swelling in the foot. The foot and ankle need to be immobilized with a simple brace, but sometimes need to have some type of casting.
Ankle sprains are a common problem seen in the office. Sprains range from mild to severe. Swelling typically occurs with pain. X-rays are usually taken to rule out a fracture. Depending on the severity a soft removable cast can be used or a hard fiberglass cast is utilized. Most important with an ankle sprain is that the patient needs to be evaluated quickly to prevent long term damage to the foot and ankle.
Many times what we see, from a sports medicine standpoint, is that the injury can be treated in a conservative manner. There are a multitude of stretching exercises we can provide to patients to insure long term control and relief of symptoms. Our on site physical therapist is a good source of helping our patients long term goals of healing within a short period of time.