Treatments

Without sending you to the Operating Room, Orthopedic Specialists utilize cutting edge technology and practices such as Ultrasound Guided Injections to get you back on your feet as quickly and safely as possible. Therefore, along with skillful Joint Injections, we offer:

• Trigger Point Injections
• Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy
• Custom Exercise Programs
• Permanent Impairment Ratings
• Conservative Management of Orthopedic Conditions
• Second Surgical Opinions
• Workers Compensation Case Management
• Second surgical opinions
• Athletic Injury Management

Below you will find informatin about our Ultrasound usage, Osteopathic Manipulation, and Eduction on Diet and Exercise.

At Orthopedic Specialists, Ultrasound Technology is used as a diagnostic tool. In the same way that Ultrasound provides detailed examinations of a child in the womb, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound facilitates precise examinations to be made of tendons, muscles, bones and ligaments to establish where inflammation, scar tissue, or a small spur may lie. Treatment can then be efficiently and effectively pinpointed to exactly where the pain or problem is, with no guesswork involved.

To stimulate healing, Dr. Herzog commonly inserts a local anesthetic such as 1% Xylocaine or cortisone with a small amount of platelet cells derived from your own blood into the targeted region In concert with this technique, the region of scar tissue is Revascularized with a procedure called Multiple Trephination. Consequent to not requiring an MRI, this technique is extremely efficient (taking approximately 10 minutes), frequently entirely painless, and cost effective; not even requiring an x-ray in most incidents. Aside from accuracy, efficiency, and the ability to get back on your feet in a short amount of time, perhaps the best advantage to this technique is that there are little to no side effects.

Dr. Herzog comes from a family heritage of Osteopathic Physicians, including his grandfather, two great uncles, father, uncle and two brothers. In the study of Osteopathy, he paid special attention to bodily Biomechanics, and the philosophy and technique of Osteopathic Manipulation.

In the 130 years that Osteopathic medicine has been approved in the United States, many practitioners have copied its various forms of manipulation; originally developed by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in the late 1800’s. Given proper nutrition and blood flow, in Osteopathy’s holistic philosophy, the body will heal itself if given time and appropriate attention to improving structure and function.

A skilled Osteopath not only uses standard tools such as a knife and appropriate drugs, but also the added ability “to see” with his hands. Using his hands as sensors for simple osteopathic techniques, the Osteopath gathers volumes of data concerning what is normal and abnormal in the Musculoskeletal system.

Once an area of the body is recognized to have a problem or “somatic dysfunction”, a skilled Osteopath performs appropriate physiologic manipulations to restore mobility and blood flow to the region; offering tremendous relief for pain.

An example of a common sense Osteopathic approach is as follows:

Let’s say you take a fall, twist your back to the right and land on your right side. Over the course of the next several days, you have a severe backache, have trouble straightening up and cannot utilize your body the way you would like in every day activities or sports. Through palpation with his hands, an Osteopath recognizes where the body is out of alignment and skillfully reproduces just enough force to positively address the injury. As the normal range of bodily motion is restored, natural healing begins to take place.

Any doctor can get out his prescription pad to provide a person with a remedy. However, a skilled Osteopath may rarely need to do this, by alternatively focusing on healing the problem without the perils of drug interactions and possible problems with dependency

A large part of your visit at Orthopedic Specialist concerns educating you in simple to understand terms about general factors of health and a logical treatment program. Of course, not everything learned in an Orthopedic office is amenable to some “whiz bang” cure, and nobody can boast 100% success with every Musculoskeletal affliction. If however, a person gains a clear understanding of what is wrong with them, and agrees to change certain behaviors and go along with treatment protocols, improvement is sure to be expected in most instances.

A unique thing about Orthopedic Specialists is that Dr. Herzog is from a family with 100 years of Osteopathic lineage. Currently, he is a professor at the University of New England School of Osteopathy and is passionate about teaching people healthy lifestyle choices. Teaching first year medical students about all the systems in the human body keeps him in touch with in-depth holistic medical knowledge. Having trained over 50 residents to become Orthopedic Surgeons and hundreds of interns on their way to becoming full fledged physicians not only gives Dr. Herzog great satisfaction, it hones his skills as an educator.

Diet

At Orthopedic Specialists, we take one’s diet very seriously as a major contributor to one’s health. The saying ‘you are what you eat’ is not far from the truth. And, in today’s world, it is possible to be in poor health based on a poor diet, while thinking that your diet is good. In general, people are very opinionated about what is good or bad food, whether or not they are vegetarians, vegan or sponsored by the diary and cattle industries. In a way, it seems almost un-American not to have our diets totally branded as “fine and good”, purely based on the commercial interests of media marketing. Wholesome diets are under-represented for popular consumption, while unhealthy choices are regularly supported for commercial success. Realizing the importance of diet, I provide strong recommendations for reading on this website.

When it comes to a wholesome diet, it would seem preposterous to rely on a clown, a Hollywood star, or a cartoon character trying to pitch what sugary breakfast cereal will make you feel ‘Cocoalicious’. Realizing what an affront it is to many people to talk scientifically and passionately about diet has caused some people to retreat, therefore, I won’t go into any form of manifesto on diet but will have strong recommendations for reading on this website.

Suggested Reading: T. Colin Campbell "The China Study" Read More.

Exercise

At any age, in any state of health, exercise is important for everyone. Generally speaking, no matter how unhealthy or disabled one may be, starting appropriate exercise improves well-being and the ability to heal yourself. As a general rule, without moderation in all forms of exercise, injury may be incurred in the pursuit of health. Likewise, as we age, forms of exercise must change along with our bodies. Younger people heal faster, respond better to stress, and therefore tolerate much more vigorous exercise than older people. As we age, our Musculoskeletal system becomes a bit more fragile. But, properly nurtured along with exercise, it will hold up for many decades when treated appropriately and utilized with good common sense.

To maintain health, the Musculoskeletal system, Respiratory system, and Cardiac system must be occasionally “stressed” into higher action. This essentially means that working up a sweat, breathing hard and turning your body pink actually indicates that your circulation is in a high performance mode. Thereby, it becomes easier for your respiratory system to deliver oxygen and your circulatory system to deliver nutrients and healing growth factors. Here again, it must be stressed that individuals require different forms of exercise and Dr. Herzog is an expert at identifying and individually customizing beneficial programs for health.