| ORTHOPAEDIC SERVICES ARTHRITIS Through many years of wear and tear on a joint, degenerative arthritis can develop. Over time, an active lifestyle can lead to arthritic destruction of a joint. Just as prolonged driving wears down the tread on your tires, the cartilage lining of your joints also wears down and wears off from prolonged use. Arthritis causes pain, stiffness and loss of function. In its early stages, it is treated conservatively with medications, injections, activity modifications, therapy, low impact exercising and bracing. When the arthritis has progressed to the point where the joint is worn out and all non-operative treatment options are no longer effective, surgery will be offered. Joint replacement surgery very effectively relieves the pain and restores the motion and function of an arthritic joint. TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT When a knee, hip or shoulder wears out and develops painful crippling arthritis, Dr. O’Meara can resurface the damaged joint to relieve your pain and improve your function and independence. “Total Joint Replacement” sounds extreme but it is actually just a resurfacing procedure that involves capping the ends of the bones in the joint. It is similar to getting a tooth capped. Only a half inch of bone is removed at the roughened end of the arthritic bone in order to make room to place a metal and plastic cap over the end of the bone. The painful raw end of the bone is replaced with a metal cap that doesn’t hurt and which lasts 20 years or longer in 90% of people. SPORTS MEDICINE Sports medicine involves the treatment, recovery and prevention of athletic-related injuries. However, with today’s active lifestyles, sports medicine now applies to a broader section of the population and not just athletes. No one has the time to be injured nor the time to recover from an injury. Everyone deserves a quick diagnosis and fast recovery. The key advantage of an orthopaedic surgeon sports medicine specialist is his/her expertise which allows a quick and accurate diagnosis; specialized, efficient and proven conservative care; focused and highly successful operative management; and aggressive rehabilitation and recovery programs. This expedited and accelerated approach to diagnosis and treatment can be applied to all musculoskeletal injuries of the knee, shoulder, ankle, hip, elbow, wrist and hand, neck and back. ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive outpatient surgical procedure that utilizes a small fiberoptic camera (the size of a pencil) in combination with like-sized surgical instruments to examine and repair a joint through small half inch incisions. It is commonly used in the knee, shoulder and ankle to make diagnoses; remove or repair tears; remove loose bodies; remove painful bursae and scar; stimulate cartilage healing; repair ligaments… The benefit of arthroscopic surgery is it uses only two or three little incisions; it is done on an outpatient basis; there is minimal and manageable discomfort; and frequently, there is no immobilization after the procedure. KNEE CARE The knee is subjected to immense loads, forces and torque as it stabilizes and propels the body. It is therefore susceptible to a variety of injuries. But telling you to take a pill, go to therapy and hope that it resolves isn’t proper care. If you hurt your knee, you need to see a knee specialist, an orthopaedic surgeon. Accurate diagnosis and focused treatment will assure your fastest and best recovery. Many knee injuries are overuse conditions or sprains and strains. If treated properly, these conditions respond well to conservative treatment such as medications, injections, bracing, activity modification and therapy. However, at times there are more severe injuries such as dislocations, meniscus tears, ligament tears or cartilage lesions that often require surgery for proper healing and recovery. If you hurt your knee, get yourself to an orthopaedic surgeon. SHOULDER CARE The shoulder is not a ball in socket joint; it is a ball on a saucer joint. This gives it incredible range of motion but it also makes it prone to instability. It is reliant on the muscles and ligaments for its stability and proper function. Most shoulder problems are biomechanical problems that result when the muscles and ligaments aren’t working well together. These problems usually respond well to a proper rehabilitation program. Other common problems of the shoulder result from irritation and inflammation from overuse and wear and tear. These problems can be resolved with medications, injections, and a proper exercise program. Traumatic injuries of the shoulder such as fractures, dislocations and tendon or ligament tears are obviously more severe problems that often require surgery for repair and recovery. HIP CARE “Hip” Pain can originate from a variety of causes. When the pain is located in your buttocks, the problem is generally coming from your back. When the pain is located on the side of your hip and associated with tenderness over the “hip bone”, that is usually a bursitis from sleeping on your side. When the pain is located in your groin and aggravated by walking and moving the hip, that is generally a sign of a problem in the hip joint itself. An orthopaedic surgeon who is skilled in the evaluation of the hip is crucial for an expeditious diagnosis and proper treatment. ELBOW CARE The elbow can become painful from a variety of causes including tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, sprains, fractures and dislocations. An orthopaedic surgeon is trained to sort through all of the symptoms and find the correct diagnosis. Once the origin of the problem is identified, a proper treatment plan can be initiated to resolve and cure the problem. HAND AND WRIST CARE Our hands and wrists are intricately involved in our activities of daily living, our work and our recreation. They can become painful or injured through trauma, overuse or arthritis. Chronic overuse can cause the tendons of the hand to swell which can then crowd and pinch the nerve in the hand causing night numbness and pain. That can be carpal tunnel syndrome. Chronically swollen tendons in the hand can cause problems in finger motion such as snapping or locking. That can be trigger finger. Dr. O’Meara provides treatment for sprains, tendonitis, ganglion cysts, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and other conditions of the wrist and hand.. FOOT AND ANKLE CARE The Foot and Ankle are continuously stressed when we are standing, walking, running and jumping. They bear an immense workload while simultaneously adjusting to varying terrains. Trauma can lead to sprains and fractures. Sprains and fractures require proper treatment to assure full healing with no chronic symptoms. Overuse can lead to foot and ankle pain from tendonitis, fasciitis, and arthritis. An orthopaedic surgeon is trained to sort through all of the symptoms and find the correct diagnosis. Once the origin of the problem is identified, a proper treatment plan can be initiated to resolve and cure the problem. SPINE CARE Neck Pain and Back Pain can be very disabling. Lumbosacral Sprains and Cervical Strains can result from motor vehicle accidents, sports, falls, twisting, lifting and carrying. Both acute injuries as well as degeneration can damage an Intervertebral Disc and lead to a Herniated Disc. |