Conditions We Treat

Our board-certified orthopaedic surgeons practice general orthopaedics, with some specializing in fractures, sports medicine, arthroscopy, foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity surgery, joint replacement and arthritis surgery, and surgery of the spine. Utilizing our state-of-the-art orthopaedic medical facility, our team of orthopaedists is complemented by an exceptionally skilled support staff of registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists/dietitians, orthopaedic technicians and social workers. Our team of physiatrists also works with restoring the health and functional abilities of people after acute illness or injury such as stroke, spinal cord injuries, heart surgery, amputation, joint replacement, sports injuries or spinal disorders. The most common conditions we treat are:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If you experience hand numbness and pain, you could have carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tissues surrounding your tendons in the wrist swell and put pressure on your nerves. These tissues are called the synovium. The synovium lubricates your tendons and makes it easier for you to move your fingers. The swelling of the synovium narrows the confined space of the carpal tunnel, and over time, crowds your nerve.

Our department offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Non-surgical treatment may include wearing a brace or splint at night, anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections or changing or stopping the activity that may be causing your symptoms. Surgical treatments may include endoscopic surgery which means the surgeon makes a small skin incision and uses a small camera to assist in the procedure. This reduces your time of recovery and comfort.

Trigger Finger

If you have limited finger movement, this may be caused by trigger finger. Trigger finger is when you try to straighten your finger, but it locks or catches before popping out straight. The tendon becomes momentarily stuck and you might feel a pop as the tendon slips through and your finger will suddenly shoot straight out. The tendon can become irritated as it slides through the tendon sheath tunnel. As it becomes more and more irritated, the tendon may thicken and nodules may form, making its passage through the tunnel more difficult.

Our team of specialists offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of trigger finger. Non-surgical treatment includes anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections, rest or a splint to keep your finger in a neutral position.

Bunions

You may have a bunion if the joint that connects your big toe to your foot has a swollen, sore bump. Bunions can be in the family, but mostly occur from wearing tight shoes. According to the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, nine out of ten bunions happen to women and nine out of ten women wear shoes that are too small.

Most bunions can be treated without surgery; however prevention is always best which means never wear shoes that do not fit. If your bunion has progressed to the point where you have difficulty walking, or experience pain despite special shoes, you may need surgery. Our department offers surgery to realign bone, ligaments, tendons and nerves so your big toe can be brought back to its correct position. Our orthopaedic surgeons have several techniques to ease your pain.

Painful Flatfoot

Flatfoot is common in children, however you can acquire flatfoot later in life as well. A variety of foot problems can lead to adult acquired flatfoot deformity, a condition that results in a fallen arch with the foot pointed outward.

Flatfoot can be treated with orthotics and braces. If you have tried orthotics and braces without any relief, our experienced orthopaedic surgeons can help with the pain and deformity.
Read more about painful flatfoot »

Diabetic Foot

Most foot problems that you may face if you are a diabetic arise from two serious complications of the disease: nerve damage and poor circulation. The lack of feeling and poor blood flow can allow a small blister to progress to a serious infection in a matter of days. The outcome can range from hospitalization for antibiotics to amputation of your toe or foot. If you have diabetes, careful, daily inspection of your feet is essential to your overall health and to prevent damage to your foot. If you fracture a bone in the foot, you may not realize it because of nerve damage. Continuing to walk on your injured foot results in more severe fractures and joint dislocations.

The goal of our orthopaedic surgeons is to heal the broken bones, as well as prevent further deformity and joint destruction. Our department offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of diabetic fractures. Non-surgical treatment includes custom shoes, a cast or cast boot to protect foot and ankle. Surgical treatment is recommended if the foot deformity puts you at a higher risk for ulcers, or if protective shoes are not effective.

Fractures and Dislocations

Fractures and dislocations such as trauma to the shoulder are common. They may result from a fall onto the shoulder or a car accident. Types of shoulder injuries include fractures, dislocations and soft-tissue injuries. Fractures are when bones break. Dislocations are when the bone on the opposite side does not line up and soft-tissue injuries are when you have tears to your ligaments, tendons, muscles and joints such as rotator cuffs and labral.

Our department offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of fractures and dislocations, including fractures of the clavicle, proximal humerus, scapula and shoulder separations.

Back Pain

Almost everyone will experience back pain or low back pain at some point in their lives. This pain can vary from mild to severe. It can be short-lived or long-lasting. However when it happens to you, back pain and low back pain can make many of your everyday activities difficult to do.

Back pain varies. It may be sharp or stabbing. It can be dull, achy, or feel like a "charley horse" type cramp. The type of pain you have will depend on the underlying cause of your back pain.

Our specialists will examine your back, discuss your medical history as well as use imaging tests to determine the cause of your back pain. In general, our treatment regimen for back pain falls into one of three categories: medications, surgery or physical medicine such as physical therapy, braces, chiropractic or manipulation therapy, traction and other exercise-based programs.

Herniated Disc of the Neck or Lower Back

Your spine is made up of small bones, called vertebrae, which are stacked on top of one another. Muscles, ligaments, nerves, and intervertebral disks are additional parts of your spine. When you develop a back or neck pain that does not go away within days. This may mean there is an injury to a disk. These can be disk tears or disk herniation which refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (disks) between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack up to make your spin.

Spinal Stenosis

A common cause of low back pain is spinal stenosis. When you age, your spine change. These normal wear-and-tear effects of aging can lead to narrowing of your spinal canal. This condition is called spinal stenosis. When stenosis occurs in your lower back, it is called lumbar spinal stenosis.

When the space around your spinal cord narrows, it puts pressure on your spinal cord and the spinal nerve roots, and may cause pain, numbness, or weakness in your legs.

Our experienced orthopaedic specialists offer both surgical and non-surgical treatment of spinal stenosis. Non-surgical treatment includes:

Physical therapy
Traction
Anti-inflammatory medications
Steroid injections
Acupuncture
Chiropractic manipulation

Surgical treatment includes laminectomy and spinal fusion followed by rehabilitation. Laminectomy involves removing the bone, bone spurs, and ligaments that are compressing your nerves. A spinal fusion is when two or more vertebrae are permanently healed or fused together.

Rotator Cuff Tear of the Shoulder

A rotator cuff tear is a common cause of pain and disability among adults. A torn rotator cuff will weaken your shoulder. This means that many daily activities, like combing your hair or getting dressed, may become painful and difficult to do. There are two main causes of rotator cuff tears: injury and degeneration. A degenerative tear is the result of a wearing down of the tendon that occurs slowly over time.

Our treatment goal is to reduce your pain and restore function. We have several treatment options for a rotator cuff tear. The best option is different for every person. In planning your treatment, we will consider your age, activity level, general health, and the type of tear you have.
Our department offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of rotator cuff tears. Non-surgical treatment includes rest, activity modification, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, strengthening exercises, physical therapy and steroid injection. Surgical treatments are recommended if your pain does not improve from any of the non-surgical methods and most often involves re-attaching your tendon to the head of humerus (upper arm bone).

Torn Ligaments of the Knee

One of the most common knee injuries is an anterior cruciate ligament sprain or tear. Athletes who participate in high demand sports like soccer, football, and basketball are more likely to injure their anterior cruciate ligaments.

If you have injured your anterior cruciate ligament, we may recommend surgery to regain full function of your knee. This will depend on several factors, such as the severity of your injury and your activity level.
Our team of experts offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of torn ligaments of the knee. Non-surgical treatment includes a brace to protect your knee from instability and physical therapy. Surgical treatments include rebuilding the ligament in which our specialists will replace your torn ligament with a tissue graft. Another is surgery to rebuild the ligament using an arthroscope for small incisions. This may reduce your recovery time.

Arthritis of the Hip and Knee

Aching joints are common in arthritis. When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your joint lining swells, invades surrounding tissues, and produces chemical substances that attack and destroy the joint surface. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects joints on both sides of your body in the hands and feet, as well as the hips, knees, and elbows. Without proper treatment, rheumatoid arthritis can become a chronic, disabling condition.

There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, however our team of experts provides a number of treatment options that can help relieve joint pain and improve functioning. Our treatment plan is tailored to your needs and lifestyle. Our team of experts includes rheumatologists, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, rehabilitation specialists, and orthopaedic surgeons.

Muscle Strains and Joint Sprains

When you are physically active and participate in sports, you can injure the soft tissues of your body. Even simple everyday activities can damage your ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Some of the soft-tissue injuries you are most likely to experience include:

Sprains - a simple stretch or tear of the ligaments, usually ankle, knee or wrist
Strains – an injury to a muscle or a tendon, usually in your foot or leg
Contusions – a bruise caused by a blow to your muscle, tendon, or ligament
Tendonitis – an inflammation in a tendon or in the covering of the tendon
Bursitis – swelling or irritation of the fluid-filled sac called the bursa located between bone and tendon or muscle
Stress injuries – tiny breaks in the bone if it is stressed by overuse

Our team of experts offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment of these injuries depending on your individual case.

Residuals of Stroke

The residual effects of a stroke can be devastating to both the individual and their family. A stroke occurs when blood vessels carrying oxygen to a part of the brain suddenly burst or become blocked. When blood fails to get through to the affected parts of the brain, the oxygen supply is cut off and brain cells begin to die. Once a patient has completed the initial treatment or discharged from care, there are a number of late effects that need ongoing treatment. These include cognitive, speech and language deficits.

At the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation, our speech therapist assesses, diagnoses, treats and helps to prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing and fluency. See Speech and hearing disorders below.

In addition, our occupational therapists work with a diverse group of people of all age categories that will require the kind of care that leads to independent, productive, and satisfying lives due to physical, social, emotional, or developmental issues.

Amputee Problems

There are several problems associated with amputees that are addressed by our team of physiatrists. A sample of those key problems are:

Delayed healing
Problems in shaping of the residual limb (the body part that remains)
Contractures (shortening of muscle or joint)
Chronic wound sinus
Painful residual limb
Adherence of skin to bone
Insensitive skin
Poor fit
Degenerative arthritis (chronic breakdown of cartilage in the joints)
Fracture