Orthopedic surgery often helps to correct or treat bone and joint disorders. These issues occur both due to disease and trauma.
Luckily, in orthopedics, conservative treatment with medications like anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy and some more advanced treatments such as viscosupplementation and platelet rich plasma is all that is needed to alleviate pain and restore function. Unfortunately some patients require invasive or surgical treatment due to their condition.
Doctors not only need to operate to manage severe traumas but also treat other issues like tears of ligaments and tendons where injuries are repaired or reconstructed. Joint replacement surgery can help restore function in badly damaged joints.
Generally, younger adults are more likely to require orthopedic surgery due to traumas like motor vehicle accidents or sports injuries. Older adults often need treatment for their chronic issues like their arthritic hip, knee or spine.
Some of the most common surgeries in orthopedic practice are:
ACL reconstruction surgery: There is estimated around 200,000 injuries of this ligament in the US. It is one of the most vital ligaments in your knee that helps keep the knee joint stable. Regretfully, ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries are increasing. The most common cause of this kind of injury is sports trauma. 50-70% of these injuries are noncontact where the ligament is torn from a quick cut in direction or coming down awkwardly from a jump. A complete tear of the ACL requires a reconstruction to replace the ligament. Advanced arthroscopic techniques help decrease pain and limit re-injury. After surgery a specific rehabilitation program and testing for return to sport are important components to limiting re-injury.
Joint replacement surgeries: These are the second most common type of surgery. The most common joints that need replacement are the knee, hip, and shoulder. This kind of surgery is more commonly required in older adults. One of the most common causes of joint damage in older adults is osteoarthritis which often affects weight-bearing joints. It is a disease of wear and tear and is progressive. Many exciting advancements have been made in joint replacement surgery including early recovery programs allowing patients to leave the hospital the day of or the next morning after surgery as well as more minimally invasive surgeries limiting pain and helping early recovery.
Arthroscopy: It is a minimally invasive surgery, often used to correct joints injuries in joints such as the knee, elbow or shoulder. In the surgery, doctors use special instruments, carry out very small incisions, and use a camera to see what is happening inside the joint. Then, they may make corrections, like removing torn tissue or sewing torn cartilage or torn tendons to restore anatomy. As this is minimally invasive surgery, healing can be quite quick.
Ankle repair: Lower extremities joints like the hip, knee, and ankle are prone to damage due to disease and trauma, as they bear complete body weight. In many people, the ankle becomes unstable due to trauma, and doctors need to use surgery to correct it.
Spinal surgeries: Low back pain is among the most common chronic pain conditions. There are many reasons why doctors would need to carry out spinal surgery, like removing herniated disks, treating worn out spinal segments with spinal fusion, carrying out laminectomy (relieving spinal compression), and more. Newer techniques in minimally invasive surgery using a microscope and making tiny incisions to perform microdiscectomies or percutaneous fusions can help limit post-operative pain and quickly restore patient’s function.
Hand, wrist & elbow surgeries: These surgeries are needed to treat certain disorders, often caused by repetitive motion, either in sports people or even in those engaged in professions where there are repetitive motions like lifting or using a keyboard. Thus, doctors may need to treat golfers or tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and other issues caused by overuse of the upper extremities.
Total Orthopedics & Sports Medicine provides comprehensive orthopedic treatment in our state of the art facilities. We are leaders in Long Island, NYC, and NJ based orthopedic care helping you get back to you. For more information about treatment, our orthopedic surgeons and specialists, or facilities – contact us today.
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