Our talented and compassionate doctors all have clinical appointments at the Mt Sinai School of Medicine or are part of the Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Faculty practice.
As the official podiatrists for the NYC Triathlon, Hamptons Marathon, Bridgehampton Half and NY Lizards, we know the needs and concerns of runners, triathletes, and other athletes.
Dr. Geldwert is now seeing patients at Manhattan Orthopedic and Sports Medicine at 57 West 57th Street on Wednesdays between 8:30am and 12:30pm
At the Center for Podiatric Care and Sports Medicine, our only goal is to get you walking, running, biking, hiking, or whatever you enjoy- without pain.
Most parents’ worst fear is seeing their children in long-term chronic pain. The story of 8-year-old Taylor Aschenbrenner touches upon this sensitive subject which, while discomforting, is vital to consider so that we can be alert to important issues in our children’s foot care.
A roller skating accident led to two years of unidentified foot pain for one young girl. (Image credit: Flickr CC user David Bedard)
Melanie Bett feared her running days were over when her Achilles tendon trouble started up again. The 49-year-old woman from Worcestershire, England had already experienced pain at the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships last September. Betts’ story is a familiar one at our NYC clinic (and at most sports medicine centers): worldwide, there are more than 30 million tendon and ligament injuries treated by professionals each year.
Recovery from Achilles trouble has been a 10-year struggle for Melanie Betts of Worcestershire, UK. Sound familiar? (Image Source: Facebook user melanie.betts1)
We’ve seen a lot of feet in our day, but the Framingham Foot Study could give us a run for the money. It was one of the largest foot condition studies in history, examining more than 6,000 feet and types of footwear (we’d call that a pretty busy day at the office). One of the study’s findings was that conditions like bunions and high arches tend to run in families. “Foot disorders have high heritability,” said study author Mariam T. Hannan of Harvard Medical School, adding: “That’s important, especially for younger people, as there are things you can do to slow the rate of progression and even to prevent many of these problems in the first place.” Our NYC podiatrists have a few suggestions.
If you have inherited bunions or high arches, athletic tape could help stop or slow progression of deformity and prevent pain from developing. (Image Source: HealingFeet.com)
Sports injury rehab is a sore subject for most athletes. It takes the average person a month or two for exercise to become a habit, but once it does, it’s an integral part of your life. To stop because of an injury can feel like a rug’s been pulled out from beneath you. The advice for recovery used to be to “just take it easy.” Not only was that almost impossible for driven athletes, but it could also make things worse.
Swimming is a great way to stay in shape while recovering from injury. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons user Cpl. Justin Wheeler )
Imagine winning a 3,200-meter run in 10 minutes, 28.25 seconds. Then they nominate you as “The Press Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year”. Now imagine being able to achieve all of that – pain-free – after having foot surgery to treat plantar fasciitis. This is what happened to Southern Regional High School Senior Kaitlyn Mooney’s. Foot surgery is difficult, but Kaitlyn Mooney shows that diligence and self-care can lead to a speedy and healthy recovery.
High school senior Kaitlyn Mooney was able to return to running pain-free after plantar fasciitis surgery. (Image credit: Flickr CC user Steven Pisano)
You’ve slipped, tripped, and twisted your ankle. You’ve seen the doctor but months later, you’re still wincing with pain every time your foot makes contact with the floor. What gives?
Approximately 2 million Americans sprain their ankles every year. 60-70% of them will wind up in emergency rooms that lack the specialized knowledge needed to address such an injury. At best, at any foot and ankle specialist’s office, roughly 30% of patients with an ankle sprain will go on to suffer chronic instability or pain. We’ve got the answers on how to do your best in preventing long-term complications.
Could be a sprain or a fracture? Get an MRI to know for sure. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons user Boldie)
As NYC foot specialists, we never like to hear about horrible foot injuries, yet we’re aware the general public loves a good, strange story.
The Herald Sunreports that a Melbourne man spent four years recovering from a bizarre toe injury involving a pair of high heels. The injury occurred when Jackson Wood’s left toe was accidentally stabbed by a stiletto as a woman stumbled across the grass at a backyard barbecue. Years later, he still doesn’t know who invited the woman to the party—or why someone would wear heels at this type of event. “Maybe she was just new to the whole barbecue scene, I just don’t know,” he said.
Think twice before wearing stilettos at a backyard BBQ. You could ruin someone’s life—other than your own! (Image Source: Flickr CC user HeelsandFeet)
Imagine running 2.5 marathons every single day for a month and a half. This was essentially what Robert Young signed up for when he decided to try to break the 36-year-old record for the fastest trans-America run, traveling by foot from Huntington Beach, California to New York City in roughly 45 days.
Sadly, Young’s bid ended prematurely just outside Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, June 18th after he ran 36 days straight for more than 2,000 miles. According to Runner’s World, “The a 33-year-old ultrarunner from London sustained a broken right fifth toe and cellulitis.” The old trans-American run record, set by Frank Giannino Jr. in 1980, still stands at 46 days, 8 hours, and 36 minutes.
Imagine running two and a half of these each day! Before a fifth metatarsal fracture put a stop to his plans, runner Robert Young was having no problem with it. (Image credit: Flicker CC user JBLM MWR)
Sports medicine doctors see a lot of people who want the “latest and greatest” medications to deal with the chronic pain they are suffering, as well as people who are willing to immediately go under the knife as a perceived “quick fix” to their longstanding troubles.
The answer that many do not expect to hear, though, is that there are often surprisingly simple answers to big pain problems. Sure, we have board-certified podiatric surgeons in office, as well as the latest technology in the field. Yet, why spend the money on these procedures if you don’t have to?
Medications designed to treat foot pain are also often avoidable as they frequently do little to fix the root cause of your suffering – rather, they merely dull the pain signals. Or perhaps you’re of the patient class that prefers, instead, to handle the pain in a non-invasive way. If so, this post is for you as we’ll go over a few simple remedies for managing foot, ankle and toe pain without surgery or medication.
Non-Invasive and Medication-Free Foot Pain Treatment Options (Image Source: Flickr CC user frankieleon)
We see so many people suffering from chronic, crippling pain that we always love hearing patient success stories. And we love it even more when we can be the ones to help achieve amazing results for people with seemingly impossible foot, ankle, and toe problems. One of our patients at The Center For Podiatric Care and Sports Medicine – who we’ll call “C.H.” – has agreed to let us share her “floppy toe” story.
Got a floppy toe? Not sure where to turn? Try Dr. Mariola Rivera, a board-certified foot and ankle specialist at The Center For Podiatric Care and Sports Medicine in NYC. (Image Source: Twitter user @drmariolarivera)
“I am so grateful for having had Dr. Geldwert perform bunion surgery on both of my feet. I have complete confidence in him and continue to see him for other sports related injuries. I was cautious about having surgery for the first time, but his knowledge, patience, and skill made me completely comfortable in trusting him. And I couldn’t be any happier with the results!! When anything else feels wrong with my feet, I love that I now know to go immediately to him. He is my top choice for anyone searching for the best foot fixer/surgeon/sports doctor in NYC! Thank you, Dr. Geldwert!!!”
– J. M., Manhattan, NY
Our Offices
Manhattan Office 111 East 88th Street New York, NY 10128 (212) 996-1900 See map here
Westchester Office 10 Mitchell Place Suite 105 White Plains, NY 10601 (914) 328-3400 See map here
Manhattan Orthopedic and Sports Medicine 57 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019 (212) 996-1900 See map here