Physiatry

Several members of the Department of Physiatry also perform electrodiagnostic studies such as nerve conduction and electromyography to help determine whether patients may have nerve or muscular disorders such as lumbar or cervical radiculopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome and other debilitating conditions. Physiatrists are integrated in the office setting with other surgical and nonsurgical musculoskeletal expert providers, enabling them to effectively communicate and coordinate patient care. HSS physiatrists participate in interprofessional educational and patient care conferences facilitating advanced knowledge base in holistic care for people with musculoskeletal conditions.

The Department of Physiatry continued to expand in 2021 with key faculty additions. Heidi Prather, DO, joined the department as an attending physiatrist. Prior to arriving at HSS, Dr. Prather served as Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Founder and Division Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine. Among the various initiatives she is leading at HSS includes a new program focused on the emerging discipline of lifestyle medicine.

Also joining the medical faculty in 2021 were assistant attending physiatrists Jesse Charnoff, MD, and Elizabeth Nguyen, MD. Physiatrist Angelie Mascarinas, MD, joined the faculty of HSS Florida.

In 2021, the Department of Physiatry initiated mechanisms aimed at providing greater access to care for patients. We played an integral role in the opening of the HSS Midtown location, a new comprehensive musculoskeletal center based in midtown Manhattan, where a number of our physiatrists are now offering in-person appointments, including on Saturdays. In addition, we increased the availability of our online scheduling and telehealth visits to improve access to HSS physiatrists for all levels of musculoskeletal care. Over the past year we have seen more than 48,000 patient visits and performed more than 6,000 fluoroscopically guided procedures. Our department provides care for all levels of sports teams, including the Miami Ballet, St. John’s University, Brooklyn Nets G-League, US Soccer's National Beach, Futsal, Paralympic Soccer and USA Women’s Gymnastics National and Olympic Teams.

Under the direction of Ellen Casey, MD, department research has continued to grow its output, with a fourfold increase in accepted peer-reviewed publications from 2015 to 2021. Of note, Kristina Quirolgico, MD, was the recipient of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Young Investigator Research Grant Award for her project “Treatment of plantar fasciitis with radial shockwave therapy vs. focused shockwave therapy: a randomized controlled trial.” Physiatrists presented over 50 presentations at national and international meetings this year.

Kirschner J, Cheng J, Hurwitz N, Santiago K, Lin E, Beatty N, Kingsbury D, Wendel I, Milani C. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle tenotomy (PNT) alone vs. PNT plus platelet-rich plasma injection for the treatment of chronic tendinosis: a randomized controlled trial. PM&R. 2021 Feb 28.

Bonanno J, Cheng J, Tilley D, Abutalib Z, Casey E. Factors associated with Achilles tendon rupture in women’s collegiate gymnastics. Sports Health. 2021 Jul 31: 19417381211034510.

Leopold M, Santiago K, Cheng J, Keller L, Abutalib Z, Bonder J, Sharma G, Tenforde A, Casey E. Efficacy of an online core strengthening program for diastasis rectus abdominis in postpartum women: a prospective observational study. J Women’s Health Phys Ther. 2021 Oct/Dec;45(4):147-163.

The fellowships at HSS continue to be highly sought by residents across the country. Fellowship Director Jonathan Kirschner, MD, leads the comprehensive program that includes two accredited Sports Medicine and two NASS-recognized spine fellowship spots. The department continues to receive excellent teaching remarks from fellows, residents and medical students.

The department is continuing to recruit physiatrists to provide improved access for patients with all sports, spine and musculoskeletal disorders. We continue to increase the overall impact of HSS Physiatry research with the opening of an international multidisciplinary study group dedicated to golf athletes and a new study site for an NIH-funded investigation for pre-arthritic hip conditions. This growth is leading to an increase in regional, national and international presentations. Next year we will have two internal department competitive grants to fund promising research initiatives. Finally, we are actively involved in the growth of the interprofessional Osteoarthritis and Regenerative Medicine Programs at HSS and we will lead the launch of the intensive lifestyle medicine program.