Podiatry Services Offered by Arthur Kaplan, D.P.M.

At NY Sports Podiatry we specialize in lower limb biomechanics. Put simply biomechanics is the motion of the body during activity. We study gait, the way you walk and run, the way your foot bones and ligaments interact with your leg bones, hip and low back. Along with your chief complaint or injury history, we evaluate whether or not your problem is caused by poor biomechanics.

• Achilles Tendonosis
• Ankle Instability
• Ankle Sprains
• Flat Feet
• Heel Pain
• Ingrown Toenails
• Injuries
• Metatarsalgia
• Neuromas
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Warts
• Orthotics/AFO
• Biomechanical Assesment
• Camera Assisted Computerized Gait Analysis
• Shock Wave Therapy (Radial Pulse Therapy)

What sets NY Sports Podiatry apart from other podiatrists?

We offer an in depth camera assisted computerized gait analysis service and superior clinical experience.   Dr. Kaplan has extensive training in biomechanical abnormalities of childhood and adolescence such as flat feet, knock knee, in toe walking and foot fatigue.  Pediatric visits to NY Sports Podiatry account for 50% of the practice.

What We Do

Many lower limb injuries are caused by faulty biomechanics. Put simply, biomechanics is the motion of the body during activity. At NY Sports Podiatry we specialize in lower limb mechanics and along with your injury history evaluate whether or not a patient's problem is caused by poor biomechanics.

How Do We Do It?

At NY Sports Podiatry you can expect an appointment where attention to detail is paramount. Your initial consultation will be broken down into 3 phases: one is the detailed history and the other 2 involve the gait analysis.

Detailed Medical History

At NY Sports Podiatry we feel that an accurate recording of a detailed history or your problem is the key to a proper diagnosis and subsequent successful treatment. Biomechanical instability can often be ascertained just by the history alone. For example chronic low grade nagging injuries all on the same side of the body can point to biomechanical asymmetry.

The Comprehensive Gait Analysis

The comprehensive gait analysis , if needed to be performed, involves a detailed biomechanical examination and computer assisted analysis. Measurements of your lower extremities (angles at which your upper leg make with your lower leg, lower leg with your heel and heel with the front part of your foot) are taken while you sit and while you stand. Attention is given to the alignment of your knees, hips and the positon of your shoulders. You will be asked to walk on a computerized pressure mat. This state of the art software works by walking over tens of thousands of sensors.  The generated data gives information about the pressure on each part of the foot during the gait cycle and the time the foot remains in each phase of gait.

LED markers will be placed on numerous anatomical landmarks (shoulders, hips, knees, ankle, heel and foot) and you will be asked to walk in our gait lab, run on a treadmill or ride a bicycle (if cycling is what you do) while being filmed from 3 different angles.  This will allow Dr. Kaplan to track the colored LED markers automatically in live stream and review your gait, running or cycling in slow motion speeds (500 frames/sec).  The LED markers create angles between the anatomical landmarks to better assess foot function in relation to your knees, hips and low back.

This comprehensive gait analysis instantly reveals several important parameters.  Angular relationships:  angles created by the LED markers on anatomical landmarks are studied to determine if your pain source is coming from repeated movement of a misaligned joint.  Trajectory:  the central path of pressure that goes through the foot and Symmetry:  the angular relationships and trajectory of each foot.  These parameters will indicate the effect of a condition on foot and gait function and will guide Dr. Kaplan in your individual treatment approach.  Alterations of these parameters will improve foot function and diminish pain to improve performance.

Who We Treat

Everyone. We specialize in treating patients who participate in sporting activities that involve lower limb motion, whether they are a professional soccer player, cyclist or a weekend runner.

NY Sports Podiatry also has extensive experience treating children's biomechanical abnormalities, quite unique to this practice.

Biomechanical development reaches relative maturity by the age of six or seven. Our experience is that screening active children at an early age may help in preventing problems later on in the child's life. Many biomechanical problems are hereditary. If you, the parent, is suffering from foot problems, it is more likely that your children will too

What We Treat

At NY Sports Podiatry, we specialize in lower limb biomechanics.  Put simply, biomechanics is the motion of the body during activity.  We study gait which is the way you walk and run, the way your foot interacts with your leg, hip and lower back.  Along with your chief complaint or injury history, we evaluate if poor biomechanics are contributing to your problem.

Often poor biomechanics can lead to the following foot pathologies, all of which are diagnosed and treated here:

• Achilles tendonitis/tendonosis
• Ankle instability
• Ankle sprains, mild to severe
• Flat, over pronated feet
• Heel pain
• Foot and leg fatigue
• Stress Fractures
• Metatarsal pain
• Neuromas
• Plantar fasciitis
• Chondromalacia Patella
• Pediatric flat foot
• Intoed
• Knock Knee

How We Treat

• We address biomechanical problems and attempt to correct them using orthotics or ankle foot orthoses (AFO) in appropriate sports shoes, provide relevant stretching and strengthening exercises and vital footwear advice.
• We treat broken bones, developmental and general foot problems with a unique understanding of biomechanical vulnerability.
• We find that the vast majority of our patients benefit from out treatment.  We reduce recovery time and the incidence of further injury.

Muscular pain affects millions of people every day. For some people this type of pain is a nuisance, but for many it is physically debilitating reducing their quality of life and limiting their ability to enjoy activities with family and friends

Shockwave Therapy

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy treats chronic heel pain syndrome (Plantar Fasciitis) and chronic or acute tendon and ligament  injuries.  This treatment modality is an option for patients who are not responding to conservative therapies such as strenghtening excercises, stretching, massage, splinting, taping and who have not responded to anti-inflammatory medications.

Main Advantages of Shockwave Therapy:

• Fewer potential complications
• Faster return to normal activity.

Additional Benefits of Shockwave Therapy:

• No anesthesia
• Non invasive
• No medication
• No surgery
• Performed in office