“Working with athletes is a challenge, a pleasure, and rewarding all in the same.” – Dr. Shylaja Arya
Dr. Shylaja Arya enjoys working with patients that love moving. From beginner athletes to professionals, sports medicine has always been her passion. With the very nature of athletics comes many potential issues for the lower extremities. The association between the feet to the ankles, ankles to knees, knees to hips, hips to back, back to shoulders, shoulders to neck is undeniable. Everything starts from the ground up!
At Arya Foot & Ankle we treat a number of patients from very different realms of sports medicine. From walkers, runners, dancers, lacrosse players, soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, and so much more. As a yoga instructor, hiker, and tennis player herself; Dr. Shylaja Arya understands the athlete’s mentality. As a physician, she understands the importance of getting people back into their sport safely, efficiently, and quickly. She focuses on methods of injury prevention, so her athletes return to play even stronger and more balanced than before.
She understands shoe gear and the importance of the appropriate shoes for sports and activities. Well versed in the structure and design of cleats, jazz/character shoes, running shoes, and sports specific shoes (basketball, tennis) Dr. Shylaja Arya works to get her patients in the right shoes the first time to keep them as efficient as they need to be on the court, track, and field.
Athletics lead to a number of injuries we treat. Here are just a few pathologies we treat to help our athletes get back on their feet quickly…and we do so much more!
STRESS FRACTURES and FRACTURES
Stress fractures are small cortical bone breaks that start out minimal, but with incorrect/inconsistent treatment can quickly become overt fractures. It is imperative to diagnose and treat stress fractures as soon as symptoms become evident, as if they linger on the time for return back to activity is oftentimes tripled. Often a stress fracture cannot be seen on x-ray for up to 3 weeks!
Overt fractures, occurring usually after direct trauma are another type of injury we treat. Dr. Shylaja Arya has experience dealing with these injuries in their preliminary stages, and prides herself on early diagnostics. Using digital x-ray and diagnostic ultrasound, she can quickly pick up the presenting problem and works to treat her patients quickly and efficiently. While stress fractures do require down time, Dr. Shylaja Arya knows how important it is for her athletes to get back on her feet. She gives her patients a “pay now, pay later” approach, and with extra conservative care early on so that they can be released to activity often times stronger than before the injury.
Dr. Shylaja Arya sometimes elects for therapy that includes bone stimulators and vitamin supplementation to help augment bone healing sooner than later. While her patients are in the non-weight bearing stages of healing, Dr. Shylaja Arya puts together an exclusive non-weight bearing home training workout for each of her patients in order to keep them moving and their cardio up, so they are maintaining some cardio-vascular health during their times of rest.
PLANTAR FASCIITIS
Heel pain, or plantar fasciitis, is one of the most common pathologies we see in the office. The good news is very few of people (around 5%*) will go on to needing surgery. The other piece of good news is often plantar fasciitis can be linked to tight hamstrings and calves. Dr. Shylaja Arya drafts workouts and stretching protocols for her patients to get them moving and stretching what needs to get elongated in order to decrease the symptoms of their plantar fasciitis.
Good diagnostics are very important, as sometimes what seems like plantar fasciitis could also be a stress fracture, calcaneal fracture, Achilles Tendonitis, or other pathologies. Therefore it’s important to ensure Plantar Fasciitis is the correct diagnosis, as treatment is very different for all of these pathologies. Advanced work up may be necessary if the patient is not responding appropriately to plantar fasciitis, and Dr. Shylaja Arya is always flexible in her differential diagnostics and treatment plan. Treatment can include medications, special splints, custom orthotics, advanced injections including amniomatrix derivatives.
PERONEAL TENDONITIS, ACHILLES TENDONITIS, POSTERIOR TIBIAL TENDONITIS
Tendonitis is one of the most common pathologies when it comes to any part of the body for athletes. Lower extremity tendonitis can be a symptom of tightness in the involved musculature, tearing of other muscles, in appropriate shoe gear, ankle instability, hip issues, and back injuries. Correct diagnostics including advanced imaging work up that can be done in our office at Arya Foot & Ankle, like diagnostic injections, ultrasound, and digital x-ray become very important in treating patients quickly. Dr. Shylaja Arya prides herself in coming up with a treatment protocol to get her athletes on their feet quickly and efficiently with any tendonitis. Using bracing devices and custom orthotics are also very common ways to keep her patients on their feet, and we have those tools ready for dispensation in our office.
SINUS TARSI SYNDROME, ANKLE INFLAMMATION
Chronic repetitive activity can create a lot of inflammation in the ankle joint. It is important to address this quickly, as many sports like tennis, soccer, and basketball do require a lot of lateral movements including cutting, start and stop, etc. where the ankle joint is necessary to maintain its mobility. Treatment includes appropriate diagnostics, bracing, injections, and many rehabilitation programs which Dr. Shylaja Arya specifically orchestrates for her patients.
At Arya Foot & Ankle we take pride in getting athletes back on their feet. Dr. Shylaja Arya may change the level of intensity or degree of activity with safe limitations, but she will never say “you’re doomed to never do your sport or be active again.” Her biggest joy is keeping people doing the things they love, and she is dedicated to keeping her athletes, no matter how advanced, on their feet.
* American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Academy of Pediatrics (2010). Plantar fasciitis. In JF Sarwark, ed., Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care, 4th ed., pp. 839–844. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
