Osteoarthritis of Foot near New Prague, MN

Biography: Growing up in Green Bay, Dr. Boettcher was drawn to science, biology, math—and sports. ``In high school, I competed in track and field, soccer, and basketball,`` he remembers. ``As a student at the University of Wisconsin, I was a decathlete and high jumper. Training five hours every day for six and seven days a week can bring on a lot of injuries. It seemed as though I was constantly battling my way back to competition after a new injury.`` But those injuries brought Dr. Boettcher into regular contact with sports medicine. ``As my doctors cared for me, I came to realize that sports medicine was a really great field,`` he says. ``My doctors helped me do what I wanted to do. I liked that.`` After medical school in East Tennessee, Dr. Boettcher did his internal medicine internship at Wisconsin's Marshfield Clinic, as well as his residency and a primary care sports medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic. ``I like the fact that sports medicine isn't just about caring for athletes,`` he says. ``It's about caring for kids, for people with arthritis, for weekend warriors, and for professional athletes. I really enjoy the mix of people I see in clinic.`` ``Training at Mayo Clinic, my residency and fellowship emphasized getting a good sense of everything about a person,`` he explains. ``It's not enough for me to know why your ankle hurts. I want to understand how your injured ankle affects what you do recreationally. Does it affect your work? The way you play with your kids or grandkids? I want to figure out a treatment strategy that matches with your beliefs, philosophy, and goals and what you're OK with putting your body through. It's important to note that I don't make assumptions about your symptoms. I want to know what's wrong. I don't guess. When I understand the problem, I educate you about the problem and about the different strategies we could take to fix it. These could include surgical strategies, nonsurgical strategies, therapies, braces, and medications. We'll consider the whole gamut of treatment options.`` ``In my sports medicine practice, I have focused experience in several areas,`` says Dr. Boettcher. ``One is regenerative medicine. People are very interested in treatment options that are more natural and carry fewer risks. Research supports the use of PRP and BMAC treatments for defined joint conditions, and that's exciting.`` Dr. Boettcher also offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment of exertion pain, including use of advanced surgical techniques. ``I use minimally invasive treatments for chronic exertional compartment syndrome, which can be complicated by peripheral nerve entrapments and other issues,`` he explains. ``This lower leg condition can affect runners, soccer players, and cross-country skiers. Traditionally, compartment syndrome is treated with a fasciotomy surgery requiring large surgical incisions on the lower leg. I use minimally invasive procedures including ultrasound-guided fasciotomies and ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin (Botox) injections. There's no noticeable scar, and patients experience a significantly faster recovery compared to a traditional fasciotomy.`` ``My overarching goal is to get you back to what you love,`` says Dr. Boettcher. ``My favorite thing is when someone comes back and tells me, 'I can do something I couldn't do before.' That's my goal. Together, we'll work to make you function better, especially when it comes to activities that have been taken away from you or that you are apprehensive about doing because of pain or fear of further injury. I love figuring out how I can get you to do what you want. I don't make a habit of telling my patients that they can't do things. Sports medicine is about being active. It's about helping you to do the things that you love. If you are an injured runner, I'm not going to tell you that you should never run again. If you love to run, I'm going to figure out how we can get you running agai

Biography: Dr. Shelby Johnson, MD is a Sports Medicine Specialist who practices in Minneapolis, MN. She is 35 years old and has been practicing for 9 years. Dr. Shelby Johnson, MD is affiliated with Mayo Clinic-Rochester.

Biography: Dr. Jacob Sellon, MD is a Sports Medicine Specialist who practices in Rochester, MN. He is 49 years old and has been practicing for 22 years. Dr. Jacob Sellon, MD is affiliated with Mayo Clinic-Rochester.