Dr. Richard Cattey is a general, vascular, and laparscopic surgeon at Columbia St. Mary's and a founding member of the Milwaukee Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS). He is one of a small number of surgeons in the world who perform laparscopic athletic pubalgia repair (sports hernia), and has helped college, olympic, and professional athletes from across the U.S. and abroad.

Our mission parallels the current marketing idea for Columbia St. Mary's Health Care System, " A passion for patient care." Our ideals include treating patients as unique individuals, and evaluating each injury or symptom honestly and thoroughly. Surgery is offered as a solution only if it is necessary. We guide patients through their operation and recovery, and return them to their normal activities as quickly and safely as possible.

One of the most common and often misdiagnosed sports-related injuries is called athletic pubalgia or sports hernia. Athletic pubalgia is a condition caused by overuse of the groin muscles.

Until recently, the only way to treat this condition was an invasive procedure that required 10 to 12 weeks of healing time. However, Dr. Richard Cattey of the Milwaukee Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS) at Columbia St. Mary's hospital is one of the handful of doctors who is now performing laparoscopic surgery to treat athletic pubalgia. This minimally invasive procedure requires shortened recovery time, and allows a quicker return to sports training. Patients can return to normal activity in four to five days and can usually return to their previous level of sports activity in four weeks.

To date, he has evaluated hundreds of athletes with groin pain and successfully operated on more than 150 athletes with athletic pubalgia. He has also spoken nationally on the topic of sports hernias.