Physician Spotlight on Dr. Joseph Rothenberg

What is your practice philosophy?

There are a few parts to my professional philosophy. First and foremost, I treat all my patients as if they were part of my family. Every patient’s recovery is my top priority. I also want to educate my patients about their ailment to help them understand their pain and the road to recovery. Being an interventional physiatrist and not a surgeon gives me a different perspective on my patient’s treatment options. My goal is to treat conservatively if possible, and then, if necessary, treat with injections. Lastly, I would refer for surgery if surgery is truly the best course of treatment.

What made you chose to become a sports medicine physician / physiatrist?

My interest in sport medicine and physiatry goes back to when I was a child playing sports myself. Whether it was due to injury or optimization of performance, I have been interested in improving the function of the human body for a very long time. During college and graduate school, I worked as a trainer and exercise physiologist. While in medical school, I worked at a summer internship in physiatry. Interestingly, I did not know the field of physiatry existed until then. It seemed like a field that was a natural extension of my prior endeavors. While in fellowship at Beth Israel (currently Mt Sinai), I honed my skills as an interventionalist and as a Sports Medicine team physician.

What trends in your specialty area do you see emerging?

Regenerative medicine is a great emerging segment of my specialty as both a physiatrist and sports medicine physician. Standard injections have not changed significantly in the last 50+ years. Now that regenerative medicine has advanced in acceptance, we are performing more treatments to aid the healing of the body through its own mechanisms. These include but are not limited to PRP (platelet rich plasma), and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC). I look forward to further advances in treatment options to help patients maintain and improve their functional outlook in their daily lives and/or on the sports field.

How do you stay current in your field?

As a lifetime learner, staying current in the field is hard yet very enjoyable. I have been a leader in the field since residency when I participated in the NY Society of PMR on the resident executive board and subsequently while an attending physician. I look forward to conferences to hear about the latest news and advances. I especially enjoy having residents, students, and in the future, fellows to train. Having other physicians and my patients ask questions keeps me on my toes. Seeing patient’s never feels like work as I enjoy helping them and keeping current just helps me to further optimize my patients’ outcomes.

What are your personal interests?

Outside of work my family comes first. Prior to Covid we would regularly visit the zoo and museums in NYC or see go to see the philharmonic perform. Over the summer we spent endless hours at the beach building sandcastles, watching for whales, dolphins, or swimming.  We all look forward to the end of Covid when we can travel and experience the arts, go to a ballgame, or meet up with friends and family regularly.