Orthopedic surgery is utilized to treat conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system. This all-important system, which includes the bones, ligaments, and tendons, provides vital support and stability to the human body. It also allows the body to move. When the musculoskeletal system succumbs to disease or injury, it can lead to a myriad of symptoms including pain, weakness, stiffness, joint noises, limited range of motion, impaired function, and more. If you are suffering from a musculoskeletal disease or injury, it can lead to a significant decrease in your quality of life.
Nobody wants to their happiness to be limited by pain, which is why orthopedic surgeons are often called upon to perform orthopedic surgery. Orthopedic surgery can be employed in a broad range of cases to help patients gain relief from their symptoms. Fortunately, many types of orthopedic surgery are minimally invasive, allowing individuals to obtain the treatment they need to feel their best without the drawback of painful side effects, excessive scarring, and extended hospitalizations.
What Do Orthopedic Surgeons Specialize In?
If you watch professional sports, you’re probably familiar with an injury known as a torn ACL. To treat an ACL tear, which is a condition affecting a vital ligament in the knee, an orthopedic surgeon will be called in to help treat and rehabilitate the affected area. An athlete with a torn ACL will experience severely limited mobility and debilitating pain when attempting to put stress on the injured knee, thus rendering them incapable of competing in their sport. Although musculoskeletal conditions can affect many parts of the body, including the ankle, elbow, hip, knee, leg, and shoulder, nearly all musculoskeletal diseases and injuries will restrict mobility.
Orthopedic surgeons specialize in restoring mobility and function to the various components of the musculoskeletal system by performing orthopedic procedures, including joint replacement procedures, revision joint surgery, debridement, spinal fusion, bone fusion, soft tissue repair, internal fixation of bones, osteotomy, and more. Orthopedic procedures can be divided into two categories, traditional and minimally invasive.
Many minimally invasive surgeries are performed with the use of arthroscopic tools that boost surgical precision and reduce the need for large, open incisions. Many orthopedic surgeons collaborate with primary care doctors, pediatricians, anesthesiologists, athletic trainers, and other medical providers to ensure that all patient needs are satisfied during all stages of treatment.
Employing Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures
Although orthopedic surgery can be performed utilizing both traditional and minimally invasive procedures, many orthopedic surgeons prefer using minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. Traditional surgery is more invasive, which results in longer recovery times, increased blood loss, more scarring, and a greater chance of experiencing complications. On the other hand, minimally invasive surgery boasts several benefits, including:
- Smaller incisions
- Less pain
- Shorter hospital stays
- Faster recovery times
- Less scarring
- Increased accuracy
Under the care of a friendly, experienced, and well-informed orthopedic surgeon, patients can benefit from successful surgical outcomes that restore function to the musculoskeletal system and help them regain control of their lives.
What Procedures Do We Perform At Our Outpatient Surgery Centers?
Ankle Surgeries
Arthroscopy of the Ankle: This procedure identifies and treats problems in your ankle using a fiber-optic viewing camera and small surgical tools that are fished through a small incision.
Elbow Surgeries
Cubital Tunnel Release: This outpatient procedure, performed under general or regional anesthesia, alleviates compression of the ulnar nerve.
Hip Surgeries
Hip Arthroscopy: This outpatient procedure uses miniature instruments and a small camera to diagnose issues with the hip joint. .
Sacroiliac Joint Fusion: With the iFuse System, your surgeon can treat a damaged or diseased sacroiliac joint utilizing titanium implants that fuse your hip’s ilium bone to the spine’s sacrum to relieve pain.
Knee Surgeries
ACL Reconstruction: This procedure repairs your knee after a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), restoring function to the knee and greatly improving mobility and comfort.
ACL Reconstruction w/ Hamstring: This procedure replaces a damaged or torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the patient’s knee with a portion of the hamstring tendon.
Partial Meniscectomy: If the meniscus becomes damaged or worn out, a partial meniscectomy can be performed to remove the damaged areas.
Meniscus Repair: Certain motions, such as twisting the knee, can lead to a torn meniscus. This condition can be treated with arthroscopic surgery.
Loose Body Removal: During this minimally-invasive outpatient procedure, the surgeon removes debris from within the knee joint. This debris is usually a piece of bone, cartilage or other tissue that has broken free and is floating within the joint.
Leg Surgeries
Arthroscopy of the Ankle: This procedure identifies and treats problems in your ankle using a fiber-optic viewing camera and small surgical tools that are fished through a small incision.
Shoulder Surgeries
Arthroscopic Capsular Release: Arthroscopic capsular release is a minimally invasive shoulder surgery that helps to alleviate pain and restore movement to the shoulder for individuals suffering from adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder.
Bankart Repair: Bankart repair shoulder surgery is a minimally invasive procedure used to mend a tear in the glenoid labrum.
Biceps Tenodesis: Biceps tenodesis is a surgery used to treat tears or inflammation in the tendon that connects the biceps muscle to the shoulder.
Diagnostic Arthroscopy: Diagnostic arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that can be used to accurately identify problems in the shoulder joint. It is performed using a specialized camera called an arthroscope.
Distal Clavicle Excision: During this minimally-invasive procedure, the surgeon removes the end of the clavicle at the acromioclavicular joint in the shoulder. Removing this portion of bone will decompress the joint, relieving the pain and loss of motion caused by arthritis or impingement.
Joint Injection: This outpatient joint injection procedure relieves pain in the shoulder and arm caused by arthritis.
Rotator Cuff Repair: This surgery repairs a tear of the rotator cuff in your shoulder. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that holds the head of the humerus in the shoulder socket.
SLAP Repair: This arthroscopic procedure is performed to repair a tear of the biceps tendon at the point where it connects to the labrum. This is known as a Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior (SLAP) tear.
Are There Risks To Orthopedic Surgery?
Whenever an individual undergoes surgery, there is a certain degree of risk involved. The same is true for orthopedic surgery, but don’t panic — most of these risks can be controlled by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Still, before you undergo surgery, you should familiarize yourself with the potential complications that can result from orthopedic procedures, including:
Anesthesia-Related Issues
Many types of orthopedic surgery require the patient to be anesthetized. Your surgeon will determine whether you will undergo local anesthesia, general anesthesia, or another option. Anesthesia-related risks include postoperative confusion, heart attack, pneumonia, and stroke.
Infection
One of the most common risks of orthopedic surgery is infection at the surgical site. Many infections can be managed through simple means, but more serious infections may require additional surgery or prolonging the patient’s treatment plan. Follow your doctor’s pre-surgery instructions to reduce your chance of infection.
Blood Clots
The formation of blood clots following orthopedic surgery, known as deep venous thrombosis (DVT), is another concern that should be addressed with your doctor prior to treatment. Of notable concern is the ability for DVTs to spread from the veins to the lungs where they can trigger a pulmonary embolism. In addition to blood thinners, treatments known as compression and mobilization can help reduce a patient’s susceptibility to blood clots.
