GONZALES — Monterey Spine and Joint (MSJ), which provides musculoskeletal and neurosurgical care and injury treatment service to the Monterey Bay community, is growing its staff to meet increasing medical service demand and referrals.
Dr. Nicolas Gularte, originally from Gonzales, joined the Monterey office in August as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and regenerative medicine specialist.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Dr. Gularte to Monterey Spine and Joint,” said Jason Wilfong, CEO of MSJ. “As a native of the central coast, Dr. Gularte returns home and brings outstanding clinical education, experience and, most importantly, a passion and commitment to patient care. We are pleased to have Dr. Gularte join the family at MSJ, and he will enhance our ability to continue to provide the best quality community-based care.”
Gularte graduated from the York School in Monterey and the University of California at Santa Cruz, earned a master’s degree in biomedical science and completed medical school at A.T. Still University. He finished his PM&R residency at Casa Colina Hospital in Pomona, Calif., and fellowship training at the Bodor Clinic in Napa, Calif.
Gularte is a board-certified physician with fellowship training in fluoroscopic and ultrasound guided interventional spine and sports medicine, with an emphasis in orthobiologics. He uses a spectrum of non operative, minimally-invasive techniques from osteopathic manipulation to regenerative medicine to improve function and quality of life.
In his free time, Gularte enjoys trail running in Ventana wilderness, hiking and trips to the aquarium with his daughters, kayaking, antique automotive restoration, and making his own pasta.
Gularte’s experience also enhances the regenerative medicine services introduced earlier this year at MSJ.
To meet the growing service demand, another PM&R doctor and a Sports Medicine Surgeon have been hired and will start this fall. This will allow more new patients to be accepted and shorter wait times.
MSJ is also celebrating its 15th anniversary and reflecting on its growth over that time. The increase in business is a result of the strong reputation and prestige they have established, especially since the addition of their MRI, Physical Therapy and Urgent Care facilities, making them the largest orthopedic network in the area.
In recent years, the average number of referrals has varied greatly by specialty. Orthopedic and PM&R average over 600 referrals per physician per year.
In 2021, orthopedic hand saw a 23% increase with 2,000 referrals. With the addition of four new physicians, including PM&R, orthopedic hand and Sports Medicine, MSJ projects it will be able to handle over 3,000 additional referrals per year.
For more information, visit msjhealth.com.
