By Mabel Pais

“(What) makes me most excited about going to work everyday is that I have the ability to truly help people get back to the activities and things that they love to do in their life.”-Arun Rajaram, M.D.

Dr. Arun Rajaram, M.D. is a New Jersey native, born and brought up in Morris County, New Jersey.

Dr. Rajaram completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Yale University. He completed his orthopedic sports medicine fellowship through the Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. During his fellowship, he gained phenomenal experience while serving as an assistant team physician for multiple professional teams, including the Houston Texans, Rockets, Astros and Dynamo. He received his medical degree (with distinction) and bachelor’s degree in computer science from The George Washington University.

An orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery, Dr. Arun Rajaram uses the most advanced techniques available to surgeons.

Dr. Rajaram chatted with Mabel Pais about his work as an Orthopaedic surgeon.

What is your specialty?

I’m a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon with a specialty in Sports Medicine andarthroscopic surgery, using the most advanced techniques.  I’m from the IGEADivision of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.  Prior to returning home to practice in New Jersey, I was anassistant team physician for multiple professional teams, including the Houston Texans, Rockets, Astros and Dynamo.

What are some of the most common causes of back issues?  Are there preventive measures?

Some of the most common causes of back issues can come from traumatic injuries, overuse injuries or postural imbalance.

Many of these injuries can be prevented by strengthening the lumbar muscles and the core muscles of our body.

What are some of the common problems you have found in your patients?

When you are sitting at a desk for several hours a day, a lot of your muscles tend to develop tightness and weakness.  We see a lot of patients develop shoulder problems such as rotator cuff tendonitis and shoulder pain because of their position on the keyboard, the position at their desk.  We also see people develop knee pain issues from their position at the desk or sitting in their vehicle for long periods of time.  This puts a lot of pressure on the inside of the knee and causes knee symptoms.  The problems we see in a lot of athletes, we also see in a lot of professionals working at the desk.

Do you use holistic approaches to treatment?  Explain.

As a result of the experience I gained working with professional athletes, I have incorporated many biologic treatment options into my practice.  Working in that world of orthopaedics, I have included alternative methods, therapies in my practice.  Many of these treatments help the body repair and recover from a variety of athletic, work related, and day to day activities.  As a result, in addition to surgical options, biologic therapies are also available for my patients.

Ortho-Biologics such as Platelet Rich Plasma is an alternative therapy where we draw blood from the patient’s arm and then the blood is placed in a centrifuge.  It is then spun for 5 minutes in the centrifuge, which then separates the blood from the plasma layer.  We then extract the plasma layer with all of the platelets.  Then we inject the platelet-rich plasma back into the site of the injury.  This is a common form of biologic cell therapy.

It has been very successful.  The 4 most common joints that we use this therapy for are the knee, elbow, hip and shoulder.  We have many other treatments whereby we are able to optimize the patient’s recovery and healing and enable them to return to their normal activities.

What is the connection between the brain, spine, and sports medicine?

The most common brain injury we see in sports medicine is concussions.  Spine injuries can also occur in sporting activities.  The brain and spine injuries must be taken very seriously and cared for by the appropriate team of specialists.

Explain the use of the Stability Ball?

The stability ball helps to strengthen and stabilize the core muscles of our body which help improve and prevent a lot of injuries.  The two most important core muscles are the abdominal muscles and the lumbar muscles.  These muscles stabilize your core, whether you’re standing, walking or sitting. These muscles stabilize the central portion of the body in all activities.

What self-help or healing modalities do you recommend to your patients?

We absolutely recommend exercises on quadriceps-strengthening to help improve the function of the knees.  I demonstrate these exercises to the patients in our office.  I also work closely with many physical therapists to continue our patient’s treatment plans outside of the office.

Do you incorporate exercise and nutrition in your therapy?

I spend a lot of time on nutrition.  Protein in the diet will help with muscle healing and growth.  We discuss the importance of fruits and vegetables in our diet, and Vitamin D for the need for strong bones, and overall a well- balanced diet to fuel the body.

I’ve been in practice with IGEA since December 2017 and in Sports Medicine since 2014.

Why choose to practice in IgeaNeuro?

What I like about IGEA is that we are a multi-specialty practice that is able to help patients from head to toe and we’re able to provide world-class care in a comforting private practice setting.  We strive to provide excellent care and create great relationships with our patients in the IGEA.

Why do you love your job?

One of the things that makes me most excited about going to work everyday is that I have the ability to truly help people get back to the activities and things that they love to do in their life.

The entire mission of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine is to help people get back to doing everything they want to do in life.

At which locations do you practice? 

I practice at the following locations:  Union, Florham Park, and Hazlet in New Jersey; and New York City at 86^thStreet & Park Avenue and Broad Street in the Financial District.

For more information on Arun Rajaram, M.D. and IGEA, visit

https://www.igeaneuro.com/nj-neurosurgeons-physicians/arun-rajaram-md/

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)