Sports medicine, declares Dr. Robert Monaco, is a game changer.
“It’s not just about injuries,” says Monaco, who is part of the medical team for US Figure Skating and former longtime director of sports medicine at Rutgers University. “It’s about comprehensive care: from injuries to nutrition and psychology. It’s everything athletes need to keep them in the field, in the game or on the rink.”
Monaco, who works with patients at Atlantic Medical Group Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Bridgewater, says that for athletes, finding the most qualified medical specialists is as important as hiring the best coach.
“We have a robust sports medicine service offering,” he says. “Olympic competitors, Olympic hopefuls and elite athletes in all sports seek us out. We see athletes from all over the country when they are in the New Jersey area.”
Injuries are like opponents: The right treatment, delivered promptly and strategically, is crucial to conquering them.
In the field of figure skating, Monaco, who travels with US Figure Skating’s key athletes to select events and sees some of the ice skaters in his private practice, treats a lot of stress fractures, tendonitis and bursitis.
He mentions treating a 15-year-old Bridgewater skater in the second junior nationals for ankle and foot pain.
“She had trouble landing jumps because of it,” he says. “We gave her a special insert for her skate, a specialized boot for her to wear when she wasn’t on the ice and physiotherapy. In one to two weeks, she was back on the ice and went on to finish top in her competition.”
Monaco, who is board certified in sports medicine, family medicine and musculoskeletal ultrasound by the American Board of Family Medicine, began working with figure skaters five years ago when his son, Antonio, became interested in the sport.
At that time, they occasionally would skate together. (“We don’t do it anymore; he’s too advanced,” Monaco says, adding that for his part, he skips the dangerous jumps like axels and flips and sticks to the more sedate pastime of recreational ice skating.)
Living in New Jersey gave Antonio a skate up in the sport. “There are pockets of good figure skaters around the country, and our state is one of the top areas,” Monaco says. “It has great rinks, programs and well-known coaches.”
Being the best on the ice requires a lot of dedication, time and money. “It’s four hours a day on the sport over 15 years or so,” he says, adding that the rigorous training is quite expensive and requires extensive dedication.
In the 2022 Winter Olympics, which played out in Beijing, China, throughout the month of February, he says it was great to see figure skating highlighted and to watch many of the skaters he sees at the national events.
Although none of his skaters competed this time, he says that some have an “excellent chance” of going to the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy.
He has hopes that Antonio, who is 16, and some of the other New Jersey skaters will be among them.
“He’s on the national development team, but he has a way to go,” Monaco says. “He’s definitely in the pool of people from New Jersey who skate well that they hope to develop.”
Training Tips that Tip the Scales
Whether you’re an Olympic competitor or a weekend warrior, Monaco offers these tips for staying in the game (and out of the doctor’s office and hospital):
- Take it slow and steady. Start with the basics and hone your skills so you can work up to the difficult moves and poses.
- Take classes or work with a coach who is an expert in your chosen sport.
- Learn to fall and get up without getting injured.
- Use the proper equipment. It should fit well and be appropriate for your sport.
- If you do need medical attention, don’t delay. See a sports medicine specialist who has an excellent track record in the field and who understands the intricacies of your sport.
Learn more about Monaco at atlanticmedicalgroup.org/orthopedics-bridgewater.