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In this episode, Dr. Ariana Gianakos joins us to talk about sports foot and ankle injuries. We cover common athletic injuries, evaluation strategies, treatment options, rehab, and the challenges of getting athletes safely back to play. Dr. Gianakos shares her journey into sports foot and ankle surgery, how her own athletic injuries shaped her career, and the international fellowship experiences that helped define her approach to treating elite athletes.

We also discuss:

• Common sports-related foot and ankle injuries

• Key anatomy and physical exam pearls

• Imaging strategies and when to order MRIs

• Conservative vs surgical treatment options

• Return-to-play timelines for athletes

• Managing instability, tendon injuries, and high ankle sprains

• The role of PRP, biologics, and peptides in sports medicine

• Building global consensus in foot and ankle sports care

Enjoy!

Arianna Gianakos, DO, is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related injuries of the foot and ankle, including Achilles tendon injuries; ankle sprains and instability; ligament reconstruction; and trauma-related foot and ankle fractures, as well as various other foot and ankle conditions.

Dr. Gianakos' interest in sports medicine—particularly foot and ankle sports medicine—is the result of a long, personal history with sports. She was an All-American Athlete, former collegiate basketball player, and track and field athlete who had her own share of injuries and orthopaedic surgeries. "My experience taught me the importance of having a physician who was passionate about getting patients back on their feet so they are able to return to sports," she says. "I chose a career where I could help patients in the same way my orthopaedic surgeons helped me."

Her approaches include cutting-edge, minimally invasive surgeries, including in-office needle arthroscopy, and a variety of nonsurgical interventions, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, stem cell therapy, and fat cell therapy.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Gianakos is an assistant professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. She has collaborated on studies of cartilage regeneration, tendon healing, and bone growth, and has a personal research focus on gender- and sex-related differences in foot and ankle injuries and outcomes.

Dr. Ariana Gianakos earned her Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University before completing her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. She went on to complete her orthopedic surgery residency at Rutgers Health, followed by a fellowship in Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital through Harvard Medical School. She also completed advanced international training in foot and ankle IONA and sports medicine through NYU Langone Health. In addition, she is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, where her research focuses on gender and sex-related differences in foot and ankle surgery.

Articles for reference:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26045406/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18656779/

In this episode, we're joined by renowned orthopedic oncologist Dr. James Wittig for an in-depth conversation on osteosarcoma, orthopedic oncology, and the art of limb-sparing surgery. From his early days at NYU to becoming a leader in tumor surgery education, Dr. Wittig shares the experiences and mentors that shaped his career, along with the passion behind the educational videos that have helped countless residents prepare for boards and better understand orthopedic oncology.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How osteosarcoma presents and why it's often missed
• Imaging findings every clinician should know
• Limb-sparing surgery and complex tumor reconstructions
• The role of chemotherapy and long-term follow-up
• Real-world lessons for residents, trainees, and practicing surgeons

James C. Wittig, MD is an internationally renowned orthopedic oncologist and sarcoma surgeon. He has been practicing in the New York Metro and New Jersey area for over 25 years. During his career, Dr. Wittig has held numerous roles at several prestigious teaching institutions including NYU, Mount Sinai, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack Meridian and most recently at Morristown Medical Center and Atlantic Health System. His clinical practice is focused on limb saving surgery for children and adults with bone sarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas as well as complex surgeries for all types of musculoskeletal tumors and bone cancers.

Dr. Wittig performed a unique 2-year fellowship in orthopedic oncology at Washington Hospital Center, Children's National Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NCI) under the tutelage of limb saving pioneer, Martin Malawer, MD. This 2 year fellowship, as opposed to the typical one year fellowships, afforded Dr. Wittig additional specialized training in the radiological and pathological diagnosis of musculoskeletal tumors at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) as well as further specialized training and experience separating tumors safely from major blood vessels and nerves and utilizing plastic surgical techniques to repair complex defects utilizing distinctive tissue transfers and reconstructive techniques.

Dr. Wittig has performed surgery on over 10,000 children and adult orthopedic oncology patients since he started practicing in 2001.

Dr. Wittig received his Bachelor of Science degree from Seton Hall University, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from New York University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan where he served as chief resident, followed by a unique two-year fellowship at the Washington Cancer Institute of the Washington Hospital Center and Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. During fellowship, he served as Sarcoma Consultant to the Surgical and Pediatric Oncology Branches of the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Enjoy another episode of our monday missteps. Knee pain??

Articles for reference:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26170377/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33798500/

Trevor W. Turner, M.D. RMSK is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physician and Co-Founder of Pravida Health. Pravida uses data visualization and modeling from multi-omics, imaging, labs, and wearables to deliver care that is truly predictive, preventative, and personalized. By integrating polygenic DNA sequencing, metabolomics, microbiome metagenomics, Al-enhanced imaging (ultrasound, DEXA, CT, MRI), advanced blood panels, exercise physiology, novel cancer screening, and wearable data for sleep and glucose tracking, we create a digital twin to help patients and clinicians better understand health risks and guide future decision-making.

Dr. Turner specializes in minimally invasive image guided orthopedic procedures to place platelet rich plasma and autologous bone marrow and fat derived stem cell injections into damaged tissue to help patients recover function faster with lower risk. He has completed advanced certification in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound and serves as a laboratory director to quantify and refine the use of cellular grafts at the point of care. Dr. Turner completed his medical training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School before completing an internship in General Surgery at the University of California San Francisco. He then completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham during which he was selected to be a student researcher on ACL injuries with the American Sports Medicine Institute.

After residency, Dr. Turner had the privilege to spend 4 years working with Dr. James Andrews at the Andrews Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute where he regularly treated a wide range of professional, collegiate, and amateur athletes. However, he is most proud of his role in caring for our nation's Special Operations personnel, by whom he is continually humbled with their enduring commitment to courage and sacrifice. Dr. Turner is passionate about healthcare entrepreneurship, and he serves as both an advisor and strategic partner to numerous start-ups focused on disruptive innovation in medicine. He has a special focus on commercialization of university and government lab intellectual properties, and he enjoys working as a national speaker at events which emphasize building high-performance teams.

In this episode we discuss the physiology and application in orthopaedics of:

• PRP (platelet rich plasma)
• BMAC (bone marrow aspirate concentrate)
• Adipose Therapy
• Peptides

+ More

Enjoy!

Research Paper: Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions

Don't miss these pediatric elbow injuries again!

Articles:

Supracondylar Humerus Fractures - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19468905/

Supracondylar Humerus Fx statpearls- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560933/

Radiologic Considerations- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35357346/

Ped Supracondylar assessment: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40544198/

Most surgeons spend years building their reputation, their practice, and their brand but never take the steps to legally protect it.

In this episode, we discuss how trademark law and business structures play a critical role in safeguarding what you've worked so hard to build. From understanding the difference between LLCs and S-Corps to knowing when it's time to file for a trademark, this conversation explains the essentials in a way that actually makes sense.

If you're growing a personal brand, running a private practice, or thinking about stepping into business, this episode will help you avoid costly mistakes and move with intention.

Bailey Read has built a solid legal background with a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctor from Texas A&M School of Law. As a licensed attorney in the great state of Ohio, she has dedicated her practice to helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex world of intellectual property with clarity and confidence.

Her passion for cultivating creativity is the driving force behind Read Law, LLC, a boutique law firm dedicated to providing personal intellectual property services to businesses nationwide and globally. She believes that every entrepreneur's brand is one of their most valuable assets, and its protection should not be limited by borders.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why this niche of law matters for physicians

• When you should start thinking about legal protection

• LLC vs S-Corp: what they mean and how they protect your assets

• The real benefits of operating as a business

• Common mistakes surgeons make when forming an LLC

• When to file for a trademark and why it matters

• What the timeline looks like

Here is another episode from our Monday Missteps. Back by popular demand! We go over mistakes that have been made in the field of orhtopaedic surgery, and try to learn from one another about them!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1262367/

Are you heading to AAOS 2026 in March? Stop by booth 830 and chat with the consultants at St. John Associates Physician Recruiting. Their orthopedic surgery team, one of the top national recruiting teams in the ortho market, has over 30 years of combined experience in the market and hundreds of matches in all ortho subspecialties. Their services are always free to job seeking physicians.

Stop by booth 830 at AAOS 2026 in New Orleans, March 3rd through the 5th or visit them at StJohnJobs.com/ortho.