TOWSON, Md. — Everyday people come down this hallway for GBMC orthopedics to help ease their pain.
“That can range from things that are just nagging pain. Things that have been related to injuries, sometimes related to sports, sometimes related to work," said Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Todd Melegari.
While the patients Dr. Melegari sees are all encompassing, a good amount are young athletes.
He told WMAR-2 News sports injuries are split up into two categories, one being overuse injuries like tendinitis
"Tendinitis is essentially a situation where that tendon became overwhelmed and hasn’t had a chance to repair itself. Thankfully those injuries tend to be things that can be treated with simple things like rest and activity, modification and medication.”
Another category is acute traumatic injuries.
“If you injure a ligament, that can range in severity, in orthopedics, we usually use the term sprain.”
Common sprains he sees involve knees and ankles.
Baltimoreans have become quite familiar with hearing about sprains after Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered a high ankle sprain leaving him unable to hit the field for three games.
“When you’re talking about a high ankle sprain, you’re generally talking about the ligament between the shin bone and the small bone on the outside of your leg called the fibula. It takes a little bit more force to injure that ligament and those ligaments are a little bit more stout, so that means they generally take a bit longer in terms of healing.”
Treatment includes rest, taking anti-inflammatory medicine, and spending a lot of time in recovery.
Melegari advises on why you don't want to push any injury too far.
“Number one, it’s gonna keep you out longer. Number 2, it might actually require surgery.”
Sound advice for GBMC orthopedics to see their mission though, keeping patients pain free.
“If you come to see us here in orthopedics, your care is gonna be directed by a fellowship trained specialist, and it’s gonna be the best way for you to heal, get back on your feet, and get back to doing the things that you like to do.”
For more information on GBMC Orthopedics, head here.
