Today we’d like to introduce you to Raj Desai
Hi Raj, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a close-knit community, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where the importance of helping others and being family oriented was a commonplace. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but it was in high school where I developed my passion for exercise medicine while spending my free time in the gym with my friends. When we were down or frustrated, I noticed that this was always boosted our mood.
Fast forward a few years to medical school; rotating in an outpatient musculoskeletal medicine clinic at Rutgers’ Kessler Rehabilitation Institute, I discovered the medical specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, where the sole focus is to improve a patient’s physical function and quality of life through exercise and rehabilitation. I learned that a thorough evaluation and accurate diagnosis with an effective treatment plan can help patients leave our clinic better than when they initially walked in.
During medical school, I had two mentors (Drs Patrick Foye and Todd Stitik) that really emphasized the importance of research in our field and challenged me to push the limits. A topic that really struck my interest was platelet rich plasma as a treatment for osteoarthritis. I was fortunate enough to publish our research supporting the use of platelet-rich plasma in knee osteoarthritis. This generated a lot of excitement because it provided an innovative and promising treatment option for patients.
Following medical school, I attended Northwestern Medicine’s Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital for my Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency. I enjoyed my residency tremendously and learned more than I ever imagined. It was here, where I learned that we can put the quality back into our patient’s lives. During this time, I decided that I really wanted to be an interventional pain physician so that I can become a one stop shop for my patients.
After residency, I completed a Pain Medicine Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I was able to hone my advanced procedural and surgical skills and further publish my research in chronic pain and participate in authoring book chapters.
After I gained valuable knowledge and experience working with various orthopedic groups in LA and OC, I decided to start my own practice. In my clinic, I focus on performance and functional medicine with the goal of getting patients’ back to their best life using a multidisciplinary approach. I’m grateful to be able to see a wide variety of patients, from high school kids to the aging retirees. Through my training, expertise, and passion for what I do, I’m able to put the quality back into my patient’s lives.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Practicing medicine in the east coast, midwest and west coast are vastly different. There are different healthcare systems, patient expectations, and patient lifestyles. Adjusting and learning the groundwork of the healthcare system is not black and white, so having patience, creating a supportive team, and leaning on mentors is key. Fortunately, I’ve moved around quite a bit in my life, which has helped me to develop the abilities to connect with new people and submerge myself in each of the communities I’ve lived in. These different communities taught me how to be the best physician I can be for my patients with different backgrounds, cultures and expectations.
I strongly believe that my patients should be treated with the respect, integrity, & compassion they deserve, similar to how I treat my family and friends. Over the past year, I have been fortunate enough to have grown my network and practice in SoCal and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Performance Sports and Spine, we believe ‘Movement is Medicine’. Our goal is to get each patient through their painful roadblock and start performing at their highest level. We focus on patients with neck or low back pain but see a wide variety of pathologies including knee, hip and shoulder pain as well as the atypical pain syndromes. We treat everyone from the high schoolers to the aging athlete using a multidisciplinary approach that includes medications, rehabilitation and advanced interventional procedures, if necessary. We currently are seeing patients in Encino and Valencia.
We are one of the few clinics in our area that offer evidence based Orthobiologics for our patients – which range from platelet rich plasma to mesenchymal stem cell injections for acute and chronic injuries. We use evidence based treatments to help patients get their life back using the body’s natural healing factors – this is the kind of medicine and science that I love and pushes me to further the field as much as I can.
Given that we are a family run practice, we treat everyone like they are family. Pain can be debilitating for many, so we understand that patients are coming to us in a vulnerable state. We have prioritized providing patients with the most confident, comforting staff and facilities. From the moment you make your first call to our clinic to the moment you complete your treatment plan, we are here to guide and support each step of the way.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid has taught me about the importance of preparedness and rapid response through adequate infrastructure on a macro-level and making sure we have the appropriate leadership in place to implement those procedures so that when this happens again, it will not be as devastating.
On a micro-level, COVID has taught me the importance, versatility and flexibility of telemedicine. Through this, my ability to help more patients increased substantially, especially those that are functionally limited. Most importantly, telemedicine has allowed me to care for more people in rural areas (some of my patients come from as far as Fresno and NorCal). Telemedicine has also improved my patient outcomes through remote monitoring and virtual follow ups. Patients don’t have to miss post-procedure appointments due to work, family obligations, or transportation issues.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drrajdesai.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_rajd?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
