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Dr. Paul Cooper, MD

Accepting New Patients

(1428 Ratings)

Specializes in: Foot & Ankle Surgery and Orthopedics/Orthopedic Surgery

Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College (1986)

Professional interests include: foot injury, diabetic limb salvage, ankle strain, and more.

3800 RESERVOIR ROAD NW
Washington, DC 20007

(202) 444-8766

Dr. Paul Cooper, MD is a foot and ankle surgeon in Washington, DC specializing in foot & ankle surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College in 1986 and has 38 years of experience. Dr. Paul Cooper, MD is affiliated with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, MedStar Health and MGMC LLC.

Office Locations

Address:

3800 RESERVOIR ROAD NW
Washington, DC 20007

Some issues Dr. Paul Cooper, MD can help you with:

Joint Aspiration

A joint is any area of the body where two bones connect. Due to injury or disease, the space between the two bones can sometimes become swollen and inflamed, which leads to pain and a loss of mobility. Injection and aspiration are two tools that physicians use to treat joint pain locally without needing to perform surgery.

Both injection and aspiration are techniques that involve inserting a needle connected to a syringe directly into the joint. Aspiration involves the removal of excess fluid, and injection is the placement of medication directly into the joint space via the needle. Both procedures may be performed at the same time. In both cases a local anesthetic may be used, the skin will be cleaned and disinfected, and then the needle will be inserted. In some cases, especially if the injection or aspiration is in a large and deep joint such as the hip or spine, ultrasound may be used to guide the needle to the exact location desired.

In some cases, irritation to the joint can cause fluid to build up so significantly that the joint hurts and can no longer move well. Aspiration removes some of the excess fluid and relieves the pressure. In addition, aspiration can be used to provide a sample of joint fluid if it needs to be examined microscopically for the presence of white blood cells, bacteria, or crystal formations.

Certain injuries and diseases that affect joints are inflammatory in nature, such as rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis or gout. These diseases may be helped by the local injection of anti-inflammatory medications directly into the affected joint. In this case, corticosteroids such as methylprednisone are usually used. Relief from the pain may be felt right away and may last for weeks or even months.

In some cases, such as with osteoarthritis, the cartilage buffer between the two bones wears down and pain comes from bones rubbing against each other. In this case, injection of a lubricating agent such as hyaluronic acid may be beneficial. It provides a slippery cushion between the bones to relieve pain that can last for months.

Joint Injections

Musculoskeletal Problems

The musculoskeletal system refers collectively to the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and nerves. It is what gives the body structure and movement. Because this system encompasses so much of the body, musculoskeletal problems are extremely varied and can happen almost anywhere. There are musculoskeletal problems that affect only the joints, those that affect the bones, those that affect tendons and ligaments, and those that can happen in any area of the body but cause pain and numbness.

Joint problems include bursitis and arthritis. Bursitis is the inflammation of a fluid-filled sac cushion on the outside of a joint, causing symptoms including pain and swelling. Arthritis is the inflammation and damage of a joint due to wear and tear or disease. There are several treatments for arthritis, but if the damage progresses far enough, joint replacement may be necessary. In joint replacement, a metal or plastic implant is surgically placed within the joint to make movement easier.

Bone problems include scoliosis, fractures, and osteoporosis. Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine, making the normally straight spine look like a 'C' or 'S.' It is treated with braces or surgery. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to weaken and break easily. It's most common in women, especially older women. Fully half of all women over 65 have osteoporosis. Fractures are any break in the bone. They can be a simple crack or a severe and complicated shatter. Osteoporosis causes fractures in people who have it, but other causes are trauma (such as a fall) or overuse.

Tendon and ligament problems most often result from injury or overuse. Two good examples are ligament tears and tendonitis. The most common ligament tear is the ACL tear in the knee. This ligament supports and stabilizes the knee and is most often torn during sports activities. Tendonitis happens when a tendon, which connects muscles and bones together, becomes irritated and inflamed. This happens most often in older patients who push their bodies too far, leading to pain and swelling. Treatment for both tendon and ligament problems usually includes rest, ice, and supporting the area to let it heal.

Pain and numbness problems can be caused by overuse, disease, an injury, or a compressed nerve. Lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome are two of the most common conditions patients encounter. Lower back pain may be caused by sore muscles that have been overworked, or an injury to the disks separating the vertebrae in the spine. Lower back pain usually goes away on its own within a few days, but it may require medical treatment depending on the cause. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the nerve at the base of the palm becomes trapped or pinched. Symptoms include tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the hand. Treatment involves rest and sometimes steroid injections.

Because the musculoskeletal system involves so much of the body, problems here can be incredibly varied in their type and severity. Some musculoskeletal problems will go away on their own or only require rest, while others may require medication, physical therapy, or even surgery.

In The News

“Dr. Paul Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in D.C., performed the all-plastic ankle replacement surgery on the 71-year-old woman a week...”—"Maryland woman becomes 'a pioneer' after receiving a first-of-its-kind ankle surgery", Washington Top News, October 2024

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	10
capsulotomy	18
doctor visit	417
implant removal	20
joint surgery	27
lower extremity surgery	78
minimally invasive procedures	27
tendon surgery	27

**Gender**
Male	119
Female	217

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	230
Black	80
Hispanic	11
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	189
From 75 to 84	72
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	59
High Cholesterol	50
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	16
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	4
Diabetes	28
Dementia	4
Cancer	8

**Gender**
Male	117
Female	212

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	223
Black	80
Hispanic	11
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	181
From 75 to 84	77
85 and over	16
Less than 65	55

Hypertension	63
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	6
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	27
Dementia	8
Cancer	14

capsulotomy	18
doctor visit	383
external fixation	14
implant removal	32
joint surgery	15
lower extremity surgery	61
minimally invasive procedures	22
tendon surgery	22

**Gender**
Male	218
Female	390

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	380
Black	168
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	24
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	362
From 75 to 84	126
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	65
High Cholesterol	58
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	14
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	31
Dementia	7
Cancer	9

capsulotomy	24
doctor visit	371
implant removal	15
joint surgery	21
lower extremity surgery	71
minimally invasive procedures	20
tendon surgery	20

**Gender**
Male	102
Female	184

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	188
Black	75
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	167
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	58

Hypertension	58
High Cholesterol	48
Stroke	6
Ischemic Heart Disease	20
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	25
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	6
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	30
Dementia	6
Cancer	8

doctor visit	409
joint surgery	10
lower extremity surgery	59
minimally invasive procedures	28
reconstructive surgery	13
tendon surgery	28

**Gender**
Male	97
Female	213

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	209
Black	68
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	13
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	177
From 75 to 84	69
85 and over	11
Less than 65	53

Hypertension	63
High Cholesterol	48
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	6
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	31
Dementia	6
Cancer	9

aspiration	16
bone marrow tests	16
capsulotomy	17
doctor visit	419
implant removal	33
joint surgery	26
lower extremity surgery	86
minimally invasive procedures	19
reconstructive surgery	11
tendon surgery	19

**Gender**
Male	91
Female	210

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	180
Black	88
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	13
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	169
From 75 to 84	73
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	64
High Cholesterol	56
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	27
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	28
Dementia	9
Cancer	8

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	9
doctor visit	470
implant removal	34
joint surgery	20
lower extremity surgery	47
minimally invasive procedures	28
reconstructive surgery	12
tendon surgery	28

**Gender**
Male	113
Female	232

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	225
Black	88
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	13
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	177
From 75 to 84	90
85 and over	17
Less than 65	61

Hypertension	61
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	27
Dementia	10
Cancer	12

doctor visit	368
implant removal	20
joint surgery	12
lower extremity surgery	55
minimally invasive procedures	26
reconstructive surgery	15
tendon surgery	26

**Gender**
Male	78
Female	188

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	156
Black	83
Hispanic	13
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	136
From 75 to 84	67
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	65
High Cholesterol	50
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	29
Asthma	14
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	27
Dementia	6
Cancer	6

capsulotomy	38
doctor visit	716
implant removal	43
joint surgery	35
lower extremity surgery	134
minimally invasive procedures	46
tendon surgery	46

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Paul Cooper, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Paul Cooper, MD treated as a foot and ankle surgeon in Washington, DC were lower extremity surgery, implant removal, joint surgery and minimally invasive procedures.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	11
aspiration	16
bone marrow tests	16
capsulotomy	24
doctor visit	440
implant removal	29
joint surgery	27
lower extremity surgery	81
minimally invasive procedures	26
reconstructive surgery	13
tendon surgery	26

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Paul Cooper, MD.

**Gender**
Male	93
Female	184

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	73
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	179
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	3
Other	6

**Age**
75 to 84	57
85 and over	4
Less than 65	22
65 to 74	155

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Paul Cooper, MD From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Paul Cooper, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and ischemic heart disease.

Hypertension	49
High Cholesterol	42
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	20
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	19
Asthma	10
Osteoporosis	9
Heart Failure	8
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	6
Diabetes	22
Atrial Fibrillation	5
Cancer	7
Dementia	5

Education & Training

Dr. Paul Cooper, MD graduated from Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College in 1986. He completed residency at Union Memorial Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery and has a state license in District of Columbia.

Medical School: Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College (1986)

Residency: Union Memorial Hospital (1991)

Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery

Licensed In: District of Columbia

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Paul Cooper, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

MedStar Washington Hospital Center

MedStar Health

MGMC LLC

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. Paul Cooper, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: CIGNA Choice Fund PPO, MAMSI, First Health PPO, Blue Choice, Golden Rule, Great-West Healthcare, TRICARE, Community Care Network (CCN), Coventry, TRICARE Reserve Select, Anthem, Aetna Managed Choice POS, Beech Street PPO, Aetna HMO, Kaiser Select, Kaiser Permanente, CIGNA EPO, Aetna Medicare PPO, CIGNA Indemnity, AARP, Medicare Advantage, Coventry National Network PPO, United Healthcare, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, Virginia Premier Health Plan, WellPoint, Aetna, CIGNA Network Open Access, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), HealthyBlue PPO, MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice, CareFirst NASCO, CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO, Traditional Medicare Fee for Service, United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO), Innovation Health: Open POS Plus, MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families, Carefirst EPO, Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus, United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program, CareFirst Administrators, United Student Resources, United Select HMO - EPO/NPP, United MD IPA Preferred (POS), United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO), Innovation Health: Network Only Plus, United MD IPA (HMO), United Choice Plus, CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans), Innovation Health: PPO, HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO, MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance, United Choice, United Optimum Choice, Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus), Innovation Health: POS, Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS), Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus, United Select Plus (POS), CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced, United Erickson Advantage Plans, Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN), Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS), D-SNP), I-SNP, CareFirst MedStar PPO, CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity, United Core Essential (HMO), Innovation Health: POS Plus, HumanaChoice PPO, United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP, Innovation Health: Open POS II, Innovation Health: Indemnity, United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose, Veterans Affairs Community Care Network, United Navigate, Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO, Police and Fire Clinic and CareFirst MedStar Select PPO.

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. Paul Cooper, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

CIGNA Choice Fund PPO

MAMSI

First Health PPO

Blue Choice

Golden Rule

Great-West Healthcare

TRICARE

Community Care Network (CCN)

Coventry

TRICARE Reserve Select

Anthem

Aetna Managed Choice POS

Beech Street PPO

Aetna HMO

Kaiser Select

Kaiser Permanente

CIGNA EPO

Aetna Medicare PPO

CIGNA Indemnity

AARP

Medicare Advantage

Coventry National Network PPO

United Healthcare

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

Virginia Premier Health Plan

WellPoint

Aetna

CIGNA Network Open Access

Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)

HealthyBlue PPO

MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice

CareFirst NASCO

CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO

Traditional Medicare Fee for Service

United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)

Innovation Health: Open POS Plus

MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families

Carefirst EPO

Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus

United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program

CareFirst Administrators

United Student Resources

United Select HMO - EPO/NPP

United MD IPA Preferred (POS)

United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)

Innovation Health: Network Only Plus

United MD IPA (HMO)

United Choice Plus

CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)

Innovation Health: PPO

HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO

MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance

United Choice

United Optimum Choice

Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)

Innovation Health: POS

Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)

Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus

United Select Plus (POS)

CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced

United Erickson Advantage Plans

Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)

Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)

D-SNP)

I-SNP

CareFirst MedStar PPO

CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity

United Core Essential (HMO)

Innovation Health: POS Plus

HumanaChoice PPO

United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP

Innovation Health: Open POS II

Innovation Health: Indemnity

United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose

Veterans Affairs Community Care Network

United Navigate

Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO

Police and Fire Clinic

CareFirst MedStar Select PPO

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Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Paul Cooper, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.69 out of 5 stars based on 1428 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Paul Cooper, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Washington, DC.

4.69

Overall Rating

(1428 Ratings)

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Reviews From Around The Web

Overall Rating: 4.0 2022-03-09