Dr. Martin Weaver, M.D.

Areas of expertise and specialization

Faculty Titles & Positions

• Adjunct Professor Nova Southeastern University 2021 - Present

Awards

• Chief Resident 2019 University of Miami 
• Resident of the Quarter 2018 University of Miami 
• George W. Northup Medical Writing Award 2018 The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 
• 3rd Annual Critical Care Spectacular Case Presentation 2017 The College of Physicians of Philadelphia 
• Excellence in Service Award 2015 Cooper Medical School of Rowan University 
• 1st Place Abstract and Poster Presentation 2014 Cooper University Hospital 
• 1st Place Podium Presentation 2014 American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine 
• Science, Technology & Research Scholar 2008 Yale University 
• FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine 2020 FIFA 
• Top Doctor Award 2022 Find-A-Top-Doc 
• Top Doctor Award 2023 Find-A-Top-Doc 
• Top Doctor Award 2024 Find-A-Top-Doc 

Professional Memberships

• Interventional Orthopedic Foundation  
• American Medical Society for Sports Medicine  
• North American Spine Society  
• Florida Society of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation  
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation  
• American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine  
• Association of Academic Physiatrists  
• American Medical Association  

Treatments

• Minimally Invasive Treatments, Regenerative Medicine, Injections, Ultrasound

Internships

• Cooper University Hospital

Fellowships

• Emory Orthopedics, Sports & Spine

Articles and Publications

• Clinical Guide to Musculoskeletal Medicine: A Multidisciplinary ApproachSpringer May 15, 2022Presents management of MSK conditions from both the physician's and the PT's perspectivesCovers spine, joints and extremities, discussing tendinopathies, arthritis, fractures and dislocationsAn essential resource for sports medicine physicians, interventional and physical therapists.COVID-19 in Professional Team Sports: The Bubble StudyClinical Journal of Sport Medicine Mar 2021To determine if a quarantine bubble can significantly limit COVID-19 infection while safely allowing athlete participation in team-based professional sports. We hypothesized that leagues using a bubble will show a decrease in incidence, positivity rate and prevalence compared to non-bubble leagues.Investigators collected publicly available data provided by professional leagues from June to October 2020, reporting COVID-19 test results amongst players & staff. Data analysis compared incidence, positivity rate (PR) and prevalence using exact methods on the Poisson distribution between: (1) Bubble Leagues versus Non-Bubble Leagues, (2) Pre-Bubble versus Post-Bubble, 3) Post-Bubble versus Host State/Province.Quarantine bubbles significantly reduce incidence and PR of COVID-19 within team-based professional sports when compared to general population and control group statistics. Prevalence may not be a good indicator of a bubble's success as it includes pre- and post-bubble cases and does not account for asymptomatic carriers who are undiagnosed in the community but test positive within our studied professional athletes due to semi-daily testing.First-Time Sports-Related Concussion Recovery Revisited: Management Changes and Impact on RecoveryThe Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Jan 2021The authors conducted a retrospective review of medical records from 182 athletes between 11 and 18 years old who sustained a concussion between 2016-2018 and were treated by the same clinician utilizing a revised approach to concussion management, to determine whether changes in concussion management over the past 7 years have hastened the resolution of symptoms in first-time, sports-related concussions.Rehabilitation of Alien Hand Syndrome Complicated by Contralateral Limb Apraxia: A Case ReportAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation April 3, 2020A previously independent 66-year-old right-handed male presented with right-sided weakness, preferring the lower-extremities with additional impaired gait and dysarthria for 1-day duration. Imaging found a large left hemispheric anterior cerebral artery ischemic infarction with multiple lacunar infarcts. He exhibited frontal, callosal, and posterior variants of Alien Hand Syndrome which impeded activities of daily living. Although limited in evidence, a trial of clonazepam was initiated based on previous case reports describing suspected efficacy. Botulinum toxin A was not used given the patients immediate need and limited hospital length of stay. Right upper extremity constricting therapies improved intermanual conflict and spontaneous grasping and levitation (arm elevation in retroflexion) activity; however, concomitant left upper extremity motor apraxia complicated task-oriented activities. The combination of pharmaceutical and therapeutic interventions improved the patients quality of life as assessed by clinical observation, functional independence measures from 41 to 57, and patient-reporting. This case report aims to increase awareness of a potential barrier to rehabilitation of a debilitating and rare condition and to discuss current assessment tools and treatment options supported by available evidence.The Effect of Blind Platelet Rich Plasma Intra-articular Injections on Meniscal Knee Injuries in the Veteran PopulationClinical Journal of Sports Medicine Mar 2020Abstract published by CJSM and research presented at American Medical Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.Resident Education of Ultrasound Guided Procedures: A Homemade Practice Model Pilot StudyAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation July 1, 2019The goal of this study was to evaluate an agar model that could be used to train physicians to perform ultrasound-guided (USG) procedures. Eleven (N = 11) PM&R residents volunteered to be subjects. All subjects completed a questionnaire about their experience and comfort with USG procedures. In Phase I, subjects were instructed to identify specific structures and perform specific procedures on the agar models; these tasks were timed. All subjects were then given a short lecture on fundamentals of USG procedures and percutaneous needle tenotomy (PNT). In Phase II, subjects then performed the same tasks again on the agar model and completed the questionnaire again. Analysis was performed using paired t-tests. The number of structures successfully identified significantly increased from Phase I (mean = 1.45) to Phase II (mean = 2.54) (p=0.003). Time to complete the needle access task in Phase II (mean = 258 s) significantly decreased compared to Phase I (mean = 394s) (p=0.04). Subjectively, our participants reported that they felt more comfortable performing USG procedures (p=0.005) and felt more familiar with PNT (p=0.00004) after using the model. In conclusion, residents demonstrated improvement in USG procedural skills and reported increased comfort performing these procedures after training on the agar model.Percutaneous Ultrasonic Tenotomy: A Meta-AnalysisClinical Journal of Sport Medicine Mar 2019Abstract published by CJSM and research presented at American Medical Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.Pelligrini Stieda DiseaseStatPearls Jan 2019Pellegrini-Stieda lesions, named after early twentieth century Italian and German surgeons Augusto Pellegrini and Alfred Stieda, are defined as ossifications of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) at or near its proximal insertion on the medial femoral condyle. While the eponym is credited to Pellegrini and Stieda, historically, the process was first described by Khler in 1903, prior to the publications of its namesakes. Pellegrini-Stieda Disease (or Syndrome) is defined as the combination of the aforementioned radio graphic findings and concomitant medial knee joint pain or restricted range of motion.Empowering Physiatrists In-Training to the Peer-Review ProcessAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation December 13, 2018To encourage in-training physiatrists to critically evaluate and synthesize the current literature and provide them with an additional opportunity to publish in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal, we are pleased to announce the Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) of the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Miliary Tuberculosis and Herpes Pharyngitis After a Trip to a Developing Country: Dangers of BiologicsBritish Medical Journal October 2, 2018The use of biologic drugs has expanded since its introduction in the late 1990s. With growing medical use and newer biologic drugs in development, opportunistic infections like Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain important adverse effects. It carries major public health concerns, yet evidence-based clinical guidelines for more routine interval screening in patients taking immunosuppressants and exposed to tuberculosis (TB) are lacking. We illustrate a case of an elderly Indian-born man living in the USA with psoriatic arthritis who was on adalimumab for 10 years. He presented with disseminated TB and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) pharyngitis, a year after an innocuous trip to India. Our case draws attention to the adverse effects of biologic drugs and highlights the importance of regular rescreening for a high-risk population. As the use of biologic treatment increases, physicians must be vigilant in more frequent screening, monitoring and identifying related opportunistic infections, notably M. tuberculosis infections.Severe Ataxia Secondary to Bariatric Beriberi: A Case ReportPM&R September 26, 2018Abstract published by PM&R and case report presented at American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation's Annual Assembly in Orlando, Florida.Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation after Epidural Hematoma from Spinal Cord Stimulator Implantation: A Case ReportAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Mar 2018Abstract published by AJPMR and case report presented at Association of Academic Physiatrists' Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.Autoimmune Encephalitis in a Man with Bilateral Auricular ChondritisAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Mar 2018Abstract published by AJPMR and case report presented at Association of Academic Physiatrists' Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.First-Time Sports-Related Concussion Recovery: The Role of Sex, Age, and SportThe Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Oct 2017A retrospective study was performed on 212 high-school athletes who sustained first-time concussions during their respective sport to determine if any demographic factors such as gender, age, sport, premorbid conditions, or initial symptoms, effect post-concussion recovery prognosis.Diffuse Cerebral Oedema from Sickle Cell Vaso-Occlusive CrisisBritish Medical Journal August 10, 2017Case report of a middle-aged African-American male presenting with diffuse cerebral edema as a result of vascular abnormalities arising from Sickle Cell vaso-occlusive crises.Update on the Importance of Medical Education in the Changing Field of Pain MedicineJournal of Anesthesia and Patient Care Apr 2017Chronic pain is a pandemic that has spawned the disproportionate opioid epidemic of overuse and over-prescription in the United States. This challenge warrants review of physician education and curriculum to become more effective in pain management. Our current system for educating present and future physicians as well as pain specialists is flawed in a number of ways. The vast majority of physicians will encounter and manage chronic pain patients during their careers, but reviews have demonstrated dissatisfaction among medical students and practitioners with pain education and curriculum. Updating and expanding pain education will improve treatment of chronic pain while limiting over-prescription of opioids. Primary prevention of opioid dependence and abuse is dependent on education and safe opioid prescribing. Changing the educational process and requirements to focus on chronic pain prevention and integrative management to improve functional status and quality of life in those who suffer with chronic pain will require support from several areas: medical educators, clinicians, policymakers, administrators and several other organizations.10 Ideas for Healthcare 2010 "Establishing Farmers Markets in Low Access Neighborhoods"Roosevelt Institution July 23, 2010The establishment of farmers' markets in low-access communities can help establish food security, a healthy community gathering place, and become a springboard for healthier, more active living.

Areas of research

• Concussions, Regenerative Medicine, Sports Medicine, Ultrasound, and Minimally Invasive Procedures

Areas of research

Sports Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, Orthopedics, Sports Injuries, Ultrasound, Musculoskeletal Medicine, Concussion

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