Medical emergencies happen every day. It is how we respond to them that makes the biggest difference. Say you are playing soccer and hear a pop in your knee or playing basketball and feel your shoulder pop out of place while blocking a shot. Sports, playground, and athletic injuries are all too common in our tropical environment. Every day is a play day! Having someone local to count on is one of the most valuable options in cases like this. Fellowship trained in orthopedics and sports medicine, Dr. Howard Gelb has been practicing and living in Coral Springs since 1995. In the year 2000 he opened his private practice office in West Boca Raton where he has a knowledgeable staff and an outstanding physical therapy department, overseen by Jay Itzkowitz PT, DPT. Dr. Gelb’s professional interests include treatment of adult and pediatric athletic injuries, arthritis, and traumatic injuries. His practice focuses on minimally invasive approaches to the knee, shoulder and elbow using the most up-to-date arthroscopic techniques. One of the things that he is most proud of is that his practice is still a private practice. Dr. Gelb says, “I do not work for a hospital or anyone else.” Dr. Gelb is not in a large group of doctors, so each patient is treated as an individual and interviewed thoroughly to ascertain both short and long-term care options. “You are not just a number when it comes to seeing me.” Dr. Gelb says with confident compassion. He goes on to talk about the importance of understanding each person’s unique lifestyle and how the recovery can be best accomplished. He tells us, “Medicine is always evolving, and I have incorporated some of the newest technologies into my practice including biologics such as PRP, ultrasound guided procedures and robotic surgery.” Dr. Gelb’s outside interests include spending time with his family, two daughters and his wife. He enjoys outdoor sports activities including water skiing, snow skiing and golf. He also enjoys working out, staying fit and participating in martial arts including Jeet kune do, Brazilian jujitsu and boxing workouts. “Martial arts have been a part of my life since my late teens and has become a big part of my medical practice.” He has taken care of all types of athletes at all levels. Caring for high level mixed martial artist is particularly challenging. “It is one of the things I enjoy the most,” he tells us. “I get to take care of people who appreciate my advice. Helping them understand how to heal more quickly and avoid further injury is very satisfying to me.” Whether they are a weekend warrior, high school athlete, a Little League Baseball player, a travel soccer player, or an elite professional athlete, they all strive to recover from their injury as soon as possible and get back into action. “What gives me the most satisfaction is my ability to help someone to achieve their goal on the road to recovery.” A new caregiver on Dr. Gelb’s team is Brandon C. Maisel, D.O., a nonoperative sports medicine physician. He grew up in Boca Raton, where he was an avid baseball player and graduated from West Boca Raton community high school. Happy to be working in his hometown, he enjoys his off time at the gym and spending time with his wife and their bulldog. Specialties include concussion management, fracture management, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and joint injections. Have you had a recent injury that you have not seen a doctor about yet? Do you have a nagging painful old injury that has been preventing you from going back to what you enjoy? Seeing someone who has compassion with your best interest in mind is necessary! Do not hesitate to make an appointment with Dr. Gelb or Dr. Maisel and get some important answers for your best health! For more information about his practice in each of the doctors, see www.gelbmd.com or call for an appointment at 561-558-8898.