It’s important to have a doctor who knows you and your health history. Getting to know your doctor isn’t always easy to do. Here at Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland, we’d like you to get to know the newest member of our team, Dr. Michael DeMarco.
Where did you attend medical school?
Like many people who grew up in New Jersey, I attended Rutgers University, where I first studied business. After realizing I wasn’t passionate about it, I switched my major to exercise science and quickly discovered my true passion for the medical field.
I attended medical school on an Army scholarship, earning my medical degree from the School of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2000. After medical school, I served in the US Army and completed both my internship and physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the prestigious Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital.
What do you do as a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist (physiatrist)?
Physical medicine and rehabilitation encompasses many areas of medicine, including the rehabilitation of chronic neurodegenerative conditions, such as strokes and spinal cord injuries. This specialty goes hand-in-hand with orthopedics, because it also includes the diagnosis and non-operative treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal (bones, muscles, joints) and peripheral nervous systems.
As a board-certified physiatrist, I also subspecialize in pain medicine and electrodiagnostic medicine. This means I use interventional pain management procedures to diagnose and treat back and neck pain, and I perform tests such as electromyography and nerve conduction studies to evaluate nerve disorders.
Within my profession, I am active in the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. I’m also chairperson of the Maintenance of Certification Committee of the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and have served as an oral examiner. In addition, I have authored several articles on combat casualty care, and a book chapter on the care of peripheral nerve trauma.
What do you do outside of work?
I’ve always enjoyed sports and physical fitness. I grew up playing football and rugby in college. After college and med school, I figured that if I was going to be a doctor, then learning the game of golf would be a great way to enjoy the outdoors and challenge myself.
Is there something unique about you that most people don’t know?
Ironically, I’ve never broken a bone!
At Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland, our team’s primary goal is to provide the best patient care possible. For an appointment with physiatrist Dr. Michael DeMarco, call (410) 644-1880.
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