Florida Orthopaedic Associates
by Kevin Fritz
Those nagging aches and pains – sure, we all experience some discomfort with our bodies from time to time, but when everyday functions become disrupted, it’s time to take back your life with the help of a physiatrist.
At Florida Orthopaedic Associates in Lake Mary, physiatrist Dr. Jonathan Waldbaum, who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and holds a board certification in Sports Medicine, works with residents to manage those disrupted functions by treating patients as a whole.
“There rarely is a quick fix to a chronic problem,” explains Dr. Waldbaum, now in his 16th year with Florida Orthopaedic Associates. “My focus is to optimize functions for a better quality of life.”
Dr. Waldbaum works on an outpatient basis treating musculoskeletal issues. His goal is to get to the root cause of a patient’s problem and avoid surgery.
“Most of what I do is non-operative orthopedics,” he says. “I help people get better without surgery, or I help to maximize their functions after surgery.”
Dr. Waldbaum explains that one of the reasons we gain weight as we get older is that we lose lean muscle mass, which lowers our basal metabolic rate (the number of calories we burn at rest). Resistance training can increase our lean muscle mass, helping us maintain our weight and reduce the trauma to our joints. A stronger core can decrease our chances of a fall and improve our posture. A stronger lower body may prevent us from overusing or straining our back. Being inflexible, meanwhile, can increase the risk of sprains and strains.
Dr. Waldbaum, like all the doctors at Florida Orthopaedic Associates, works in the community in which he lives, maintaining a close bond with area residents. He lives in Lake Mary with his wife, Laura, of 27 years. The couple has two children – a daughter who is a freshman attending Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and a son who is a senior at Lake Mary High School and will be joining his sister at the University of Pennsylvania next year. Dr. Waldbaum, whose mother was also a physiatrist, teaches future doctors, as well, including prospective physiatrists at the University of Central Florida College Of Medicine.