Press Release – Dr. Myles Samotin is proud to announce that July, 2022 will mark 25 years since he opened his first private orthopaedic practice in Naples, Fla. Since 1997, Dr. Samotin, a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon with a sub-specialty in foot and ankle, has performed over 8,000 surgeries in Florida.

“25 years of practicing orthopaedics in Naples is such a wonderful accomplishment,” said Dr. Samotin. “I’m thankful for all of my patients who have trusted Samotin Orthopaedics with their treatment and care for a quarter of a century.”

Dr. Samotin founded Samotin Orthopaedics with the goal to provide the highest quality of non-surgical and surgical orthopaedic care to local residents in Florida. Due to the success of the Naples practice, Samotin Orthopaedics has since expanded to Orlando and Sarasota, Fla.

“I truly care for my patients, and I want to help restore their lives so they can continue to maintain active lifestyles without experiencing foot, ankle or joint pain. In order to do this, we devote a significant amount of time to understanding the issue, addressing any underlying causes for pain and correcting the condition,” said Dr. Samotin. “At Samotin Orthopaedics, we strive to offer peace-of-mind to patients by educating them on their particular needs, providing them with realistic expectations for recovery and ensuring they understand the role they also play in their recovery. We don’t just perform surgery and send patients along on their way — we work closely with them before and after treatment or surgery to ensure their recovery stays on track.”

ABOUT DR. SAMOTIN

Born in New York City, Dr. Samotin attended Columbia University during his undergraduate years and received his MD from the State University of New York at Brooklyn in 1998. After graduating from the Hospital for Joint Diseases – Orthopaedic Institute, Dr. Samotin became a Fellow in Foot and Ankle Surgery in 1997. His surgical training was conducted at Maimonides Medical Center, where he completed the Orthopaedic Surgery Program in 1996.

Dr. Samotin is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon, Fellow of the American Academy for Orthopaedic Surgeons, and a member of the American Foot and Ankle Society. Prior to opening his own practice, Dr. Samotin worked with the Harkness Center for Dance Medicine where he treated dancers from the Alvin Ailey Company and the Joffrey Ballet.

For more information about Dr Samotin, Samotin Orthopaedics or to schedule an appointment, call 239-514-4200, read through patient testimonials here or contact us here.

MORE ABOUT SAMOTIN ORTHOPAEDICS

Since 1997, Samotin Orthopaedics has been providing patients with exceptional, caring, professional and efficient orthopaedic care in Florida.

Samotin Orthopaedics treats all manner and type of joint injuries including those to the foot and ankle, hand or wrist, knee, hip, shoulder or elbow. Dr. Myles Samotin is associated with and has admitting privileges at NCH Downtown Naples Hospital and is the recipient of the 2008 Patients Choice Award.

In addition, Dr. Samotin Naples FL is an orthopaedic specialist in sports medicine working closely with physical therapists to design optimal follow-up sports therapies for everyday athletes of all ages.

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Optimizing Postoperative Recovery: A Comprehensive Pain Management Guide

Recovery following surgery can be a challenging process, often accompanied by discomfort and pain. Valuable insights have been shared by an orthopedic specialist at Sameton Orthopedics regarding postoperative recovery and the crucial role of pain medication in managing discomfort effectively.

Understanding the Importance of Pain Medication

It is a well-known fact that surgery can be painful, necessitating the use of pain medication for relief. While the anesthesia administered during surgery may offer temporary relief, its effects may not last beyond the immediate postoperative period. Therefore, a personalized approach to prescribing pain medication based on the nature and complexity of the surgery is essential.

Tailoring Pain Medication

Understanding your allergies and past experiences with pain medication is crucial in ensuring that the prescribed medication is suitable for your individual needs and medical history. Preparing to fill the prescription before the surgery ensures that you have immediate access to the medication upon returning home, facilitating a smoother recovery process.

Dosage Considerations

A general guideline for taking pain medication is one pill every four hours. However, individual responses vary, and adjustments may be necessary. Exploring different dosages, such as two pills every four hours or one and a half pills if needed, can help tailor the medication to your specific requirements. Supplementing with Ibuprofen between doses can also enhance the effectiveness of the pain medication without exceeding safe limits.

Effective Communication

If you find that the prescribed pain medication is not providing adequate relief post-surgery, it is important to communicate this to your healthcare provider. Seeking assistance in modifying your medication ensures that you are comfortable and effectively managing pain during your recovery.

Conclusion

In conclusion, navigating postoperative recovery with a personalized pain management plan tailored to your unique needs is essential for a successful healing journey. For further guidance on postoperative recovery and pain management, consider reaching out to Sameton Orthopedics. Effective communication and personalized care are key to optimizing your recovery experience and focusing on regaining full health.

For additional information or assistance with your postoperative recovery, do not hesitate to contact Sameton Orthopedics. Your journey to a smooth recovery starts with personalized care and expert guidance

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Have you looked down recently at your foot and it seems your toes are not laying on the ground the same? Does it seem they are bending up or down too much? Have they become more painful, and have they started to develop a painful corn or callus? Does it seem that some of your toes are starting to “shorten”? What may be occurring is that you may be developing a hammertoe or claw toe, which can be correctly diagnosed by an orthopedic surgeon.

WHAT IS A HAMMERTOE?

A hammertoe is a common flexor deformity that generally occurs at the lesser toes of the foot – the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th.

WHAT IS A CLAW TOE?

Claw toe is exactly as it sounds; that your toes are “claws”, digging into the soles of your shoes and creating painful calluses. The tops of the toes eventually develop painful corns.

WHAT CAUSES HAMMERTOES AND CLAW TOES?

The main cause of hammertoes/claw toes is generally the result of wearing too short of a shoe! We generally measure our footwear to the length of our great toe (big toe), but our second toe and sometimes even our third toe is longer. This “forces” the toes into our shoe, which causes our toe(s) to start bending to conform to the shoe. Pointed, narrow shoes which have a small toe box (area for the toes) will make this much worse. Put that same foot into the same shoe, but with high heels, and the toes could easily be “squished” into the end of the shoe. A hallux valgus (the great toe turning outward toward the second toe) with an associated bunion could easily exacerbate the hammertoe/claw toe problem.

Some people are also prone to claw toes because of high arches. Other causes can include rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and advanced age.

WHEN DO TOES TURN INTO HAMMERTOES OR CLAW TOES?

Whatever the cause, the change starts to happen when the muscles, which work in pairs to straighten and bend the toes, can’t do that because the toe(s) are held in a poor position and the muscles tighten; and therefore, the toe or toes do not straighten out, even when there is no confining shoe. If this continues, pressure starts to develop at three places on the toes: the MTP joint, the PIP joint and the tips of the toes. A contracture may start at the joints, and this happens when scar tissue tightens a joint and keeps it from moving through its normal range of motion.

The physical changes that occur when you suffer from claw toes or hammertoes involve the joints of the toes. The MTP joints (at the ball of your foot) go into extension, which makes the joint bend downward and causes the proximal phalanx of the affected toe to go upward. Then the next joint, the PIP joint, goes into flexion, bending the rest of the toe down. The result causes a painful toe or foot with pain both on the bottom and tops of your toes. This is true for both hammertoes and claw toes. The difference between the two is that with a claw toe, the last joint of the toe, the DIP joint, also flexes, making the toe look almost like a claw.

I THINK I MAY HAVE HAMMERTOE OR CLAW TOE – WHAT SHOULD I DO?

What happens if you think you may have a claw toe or hammertoe? The initial proper treatment is to be seen by an orthopedic surgeon who is a foot and ankle specialist, like Dr. Myles Samotin in Naples, FL. They can determine if there are any special causes such as nerve damage which might make your toes become hammertoes or claw toes. They will also do a complete evaluation of your feet, determining the extend of damage to your toes and whether they are flexible or fixed.

TREATMENTS FOR HAMMERTOES OR CLAW TOES

Treatment plans will be dependent upon what your orthopedic surgeon (specializing in foot and ankle issues) will find. Very early stages of hammertoes or claw toes can be treated with a change of footwear, therapy, special pads and maybe orthotics to help ease the pain and alleviate the problem.

Keep in mind that it’s important to work with a doctor who has the proper credentials and unique training to help you safely and correctly with your problem. Not all doctors who treat foot and ankle problems have the proper credentials, so be sure to work with an orthopedic surgeon in Florida who specializes in foot and ankle issues.

WHEN SHOULD I GET A CONSULTATION FROM A FOOT AND ANKLE DOCTOR?

Unfortunately, many people wait too long before they treat a hammertoe or claw toe, so it’s important to contact a doctor as soon as possible. When a patient waits too long, generally the treatment involves a surgical procedure by an orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle. Procedures generally involve straightening of the joints and getting proper alignment of the toes; much will be dependent upon what your orthopaedic surgeon finds.

For example, if you also have a hallux valgus with a bunion present on the same foot, then that must also be surgically straightened as well as your claw toes or hammertoes. What many patients must realize is that the greater the current deformity of your toes, the harder it is to put the toes back into proper position and to have them stay in that position.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH AN EXPERIENCED ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON TO DISCUSS YOUR ISSUE

If you are unsure of the status of your toes, or would like a better understanding of the current anatomy of your foot, the best thing Dr. Samotin at Samotin Orthopaedics recommends is to see an orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle for a thorough and comprehensive evaluation.

With 28 bones in your foot, you need to be evaluated by a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with a Sub-speciality, Fellowship Trained in Foot & Ankle Surgery. Dr. Samotin is one of the only surgeons in the Naples-area with these qualifications. This makes Dr. Samotin uniquely be able to handle these problems in a state-of-the-art atmosphere with a method that will help provide you with the most desired result.

With offices in Bonita Springs, Orlando and Sarasota, Dr. Samotin is able to serve a wide area of Florida. Call Samotin Orthopaedics to schedule a consultation today at – 239-514-4200.

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As a practicing orthopedic surgeon with over 20 years of experience, invariably, if I tell someone who asks this question that they should use ice, they then tell me a long story about why their relatives going back 10 generations always use heat.

On the other hand, if I recommend heat for something I usually get an ear full about why ice has always worked in this particular genetic strain of family.

The truth is there are no hard and fast rules in medicine.

For every rule there are many, many exceptions. In the orthopedic world we treat injuries to a large extent. An injury typically results in swelling, edema, inflammation, pain, and bleeding. In my personal practice, the best way to bring down all of these things is rest, elevation, and ICE. I have found in orthopedics that ice is the patient’s best friend. After a fracture, after a sprain, after an injury, and certainly after surgery, the liberal application of ice not just for a day or two but for the full length of healing seems to be very beneficial in a positive way for healing purposes. Ice cools down the area. It decreases the inflammation. It decreases the heat.

It seems to work to bring the injured or operated body part back to a relatively normal status. In my opinion heat plays very little role after a fracture, after a sprain, and certainly after surgery. Heat will only inflame and make the situation worse. When muscles are sore, deep heat can sometimes be soothing and relieving, but this is the only time that I myself recommend heat and I am recommending ice 99 times to every 1 time I recommend heat.

Now, the reason that there are any hard and fast rules is we are all human beings with different genetic programming inside. Ice may be effective for 99 out of 100 people, but there will be that 1 out of 100 who claims that the ice has made things worse. Obviously for that person ice is not the answer and we have to find other solutions. When professional athletes perform on the baseball field, the football field, the tennis court and the game is finished very often they go back to their trainer inside the stadium and ice is a big part of the treatment to cool off a shoulder, to cool off a pitching arm, to cool off a kicking leg. Ice is the orthopedic surgeon’s best friend and it can be yours as well.

 

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I am currently treating a lot of tennis players and I am seeing a lot of tennis elbow. Tennis elbow formally known as lateral epicondylitis is an inflammation of the tendons as they insert onto the lateral epicondyle, which is on the outside right above the elbow joint. It comes from repetitive motion activities, stress, overuse, and sometimes just activities of daily living. This problem usually presents as pain on the outside of the elbow. Sometimes it radiates up, but often times it radiates down to the forearm. Some twisting, lifting, some use of the arm and the elbow can be painful and can be extremely disabling.

When this problem is caught early, generally it is simply an inflammation of the tendons in the location where they attach to bone. When this problem is advanced, the tendons could be extremely inflamed and even could be partially torn and have unhealthy tissue that has become a permanent part of the tendon. In the early stages, treatment usually starts with activity modification meaning rest for instance; if you are a tennis player playing tennis 7 days a week probably cutting that or eliminating that for a while will allow this problem to get better.

Continuing to play tennis at an undiminished rate or any other activity will more it more difficult to get it better. A cortisone shot not into the tendons but around the tendons stops the inflammatory process and can increase comfort dramatically. Sometimes rest or physical therapy is beneficial. Often a brace or support that sits right below the elbow on the proximal forearm can stop some of the muscle forces that go up to the elbow and can give relief as well. Conservative treatment may take time to work, but generally it is effective for an early condition. If the condition is advanced, an MRI may be in order to actually see what the pathology is. If the pathology fails to get better with conservative therapy, a quick outpatient surgery with an incision about 1 inch in length is the surgical answer to restore you to better elbow health.

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In the last several years I have diversified my practice and have started to take care of a greater number of people who have shoulder problems. I have had literally hundreds of patients come to me with surgical recommendations. I have treated most of these people conservatively back to great shoulder health without surgery.

Often I am scratching my head trying to figure out why surgery was recommended in the first place because these people have minor problems that most of the time could get better with a cortisone shot, physical therapy, and activity modification. In fact over the years I have kept a log of these patients who were strongly recommended for surgery who were very intrigued to hear there were conservative measures that could work. With the list several hundred patients and growing; simple conservative remedies have gotten them completely better. No surgery had to be entertained and no surgeries were performed.

I can only remember the teachings of Dr. Hubert Pearlman my mentor and the chairman of my orthopaedic surgery residency. He was a guru of all things orthopaedic in Brooklyn, NY. In fact he was the doctor that brought joint replacements to Brooklyn, NY. He always lectured us that sleazy, shady, unnecessary selling is something that fits in very well with owning a used car lot. If that’s what you want to do when you grow up, it’s your right to do it, but then you should work or own a used car lot. He always told us as physicians and surgeons to do the right thing. We did take a Hippocratic Oath to attempt never to do harm, to always be on the right side of medical treatment, to do your best. Even in spite of your best, sometimes bad things happen to people. And at least if you tried to do your best you can feel good about your treatment. He warned us that even in a busy practice there could be weeks or months where our offices could be near empty and we would be wondering if we would ever get a new patient again. With a reputation for doing the right thing, trying your hardest and best for patients, patients will continue to come.

To err is human. But, I have always tried to live by those words of wisdom from my old chairman, may he rest in peace, and those words have never failed me. Do the right thing, do only the treatments that are necessary. There will always be enough people with real medical problems that you don’t have to make them up and do unnecessary things. Treat each patient the same way you would treat a family member. These are words to live by and I try my best.

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