On August 13, 2012 the Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute (MMI) welcomed their newest orthopaedic surgeon, Ricardo Valle, MD, to the practice. Dr. Valle recently completed a Fellowship in Sports Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, following his Orthopaedic Surgery residency at the Albany Medical College in Albany, New York.

Dr. Valle received his M.D. from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish. He recognizes the need for Spanish speaking medical practitioners in the Frederick area and is looking forward to the opportunity to serve the ever growing Spanish-speaking population here. “Being bilingual is not only a plus in everyday life, but especially in healthcare,” Dr. Valle said. “When a patient has a language barrier and is unable to understand the extent of their condition, the care that is being provided to them, or is having difficulty explaining their symptoms, it can be very frightening and unsettling. My goal is to provide the care and explanations these patients need in order to be comfortable with my ability to treat them and for them to be able to communicate to me, in their most preferred way, making sure nothing is lost in translation. Having a good relationship with my patients and honest, understandable communication is key to attaining and maintaining this.”

When asked about his interest in orthopaedics over other types of medicine Dr. Valle commented, ”The primary reason I chose Orthopaedic Surgery is my love of the physiology of the human body and the musculoskeletal system. I enjoy having a close physician-patient relationship and being able to see a patient through an acute injury or chronic problem. Being able to rehab or surgically fix a patient's problem and see them through their injury back to their pre-injury state is a very rewarding.” While he is experienced in treating all manner of orthopaedic complaints, Dr. Valle has advanced training in hip, shoulder and knee arthroscopy. During his fellowship training, he was a team physician for the Houston Texans, Houston Astros, Houston Rockets and the Houston Dynamo as well the University of Houston football and basketball teams. Dr. Valle will join his MMI colleagues serving as Team Physicians for the Frederick Keys and will work with Dr. Frank Nisenfeld as Team Physician for Urbana High school.

Dr. Valle is new to the Frederick area. When asked why he chose Frederick as the place to settle down and start his private practice he responded, “I was in Frederick for my brother's wedding and my wife and I really enjoyed the area. It has the small town feel with big city availability close by. It also seemed like a really good place to raise our family. I was looking to stay in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast area and fortunately came across a great opportunity with MMI.