Orthopaedic Surgery

Articular Cartilage

Articular cartilage is the smooth, white tissue that covers the ends of bones where they come together to form joints. Healthy cartilage in our joints makes it easier to move. It allows the bones to glide over each other with very little friction.

Articular cartilage can be damaged by injury or normal wear and tear. Because cartilage does not heal itself well, doctors have developed surgical techniques to stimulate the growth of new cartilage. Restoring articular cartilage can relieve pain and allow better function. Most importantly, it can delay or prevent the onset of arthritis.

Identifying Cartilage Damage

In many cases, patients who have joint injuries, such as meniscal or ligament tears, will also have cartilage damage. This damage may be hard to diagnose because hyaline cartilage does not contain calcium and cannot be seen on an x-ray.

If other injuries exist with cartilage damage, doctors will address all problems during surgery.

Knee Injuries

The knee is formed by three bones:

• Femur (the thigh bone)
• Tibia (the shin bone)
• Patella (the kneecap).

These bones are connected by ligaments, which is often where serious knee injuries occur. If you are suffering from knee pain, our medical staff and surgeons will work with you to diagnose the source of your pain and suggest a course of treatment.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury

The most commonly injured ligament of the knee is the anterior cruciate ligament, or the ACL. The ACL keeps the knee stable and helps it move. Injuries can range from mild, such as a small tear, to severe, when the ligament tears completely or when the ligament and part of the bone separate from the rest of the bone. An ACL tear can cause extreme knee pain.

Causes of ACL pain and injuries

Your ACL can be injured if your knee joint is bent backward, twisted, or bent side to side. The chance of injury is higher if more than one of these movements occurs at the same time. Additionally, hard contact or being hit by another person or object also can cause an ACL injury. If you have concerns about your knee or suspect you suffered a knee injury, please call our office.

Other Knee Injuries

• Arthritis of the knee
• Lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury
• Meniscal tear
• Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury

Treatment of the above injuries will vary depending on the extent of the injuries.

Types of Knee Surgeries and Treatments for Knee Pain

• Meniscectomy
• Meniscus repair
• Meniscus transplant
• Plica surgery
• Lateral release
• Tendon repair
• ACL reconstructive surgery
• Unicompartmental knee replacement
• Full knee replacement
• Microfracture surgery

Causes of Hip Pain

A variety of activities can lead to hip injuries. Anything from playing a contact sport to running can cause a severe injury to the hip. Hip injuries can also be caused by something as simple as overusing the joint or taking a fall.

Hip flexor injuries and labrum tears can cause extreme pain, but the extent of these injuries will often be different from person to person and require a personalized approach.

Treatments for Hip Pain and Injury

Hip injuries can differ in pain level and severity. Some may require rest while others could call for hip replacement surgery. Our surgeons will work to provide you with an accurate diagnosis as well as a personalized treatment plan to help reduce pain and increase mobility.

Recovery if Hip Surgery is Medically Necessary

Recovery from hip replacement surgery will depend on the complexity of the operation but also on the patient’s age, fitness, and dedication to post-surgery strengthening exercises. Our team will work with you individually to forecast recovery timelines and healing prognosis.

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder pain can prevent you from reaching for objects and lifting your arm in any direction. Our surgeons specialize in evaluating and diagnosing the extent of shoulder injuries and shoulder pain.

Most Common Types of Shoulder Injuries

• Shoulder dislocations and torn rotator cuffs are the most common of shoulder injuries. These can often require shoulder surgery, but other measures can be taken. Our surgeons can identify how to best heal your shoulder pain.
• Shoulder tendonitis can cause great pain and decrease your ability to us your shoulder and arm. It is important to treat this condition quickly. The mobility of the shoulder will often worsen over time.

Other Types of Shoulder Injuries

• Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) — a severely restrictive condition frequently caused by an injury that leads to lack of use due to pain. Intermittent periods of use may cause inflammation and adhesions to grow between the joint surfaces which can restrict motion.
• Bursitis — often occurs when tendonitis and impingement syndrome cause inflammation of the bursa sacs that protect the shoulder.
• Dislocation
• Fracture — a partial or total crack or break through a bone. This usually occurs due to an impact injury.
• Impingement syndrome — caused by the excessive squeezing or rubbing of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade. This can lead to a torn rotator cuff.
• Rotator cuff tear — involves one or more rotator cuff tendons becoming inflamed from overuse, aging, a fall on an outstretched hand, or a collision.
• Separation
• Tendonitis — caused when the rotator cuff and/or biceps tendon becomes inflamed. 

What Causes Shoulder Injuries and Pain

Although the shoulder is the most movable joint in the body, it is also an unstable joint because of its range-of-motion. The ball of the upper arm is larger than the socket of the shoulder making it susceptible to injury.

The shoulder joint is also supported by soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) which are subject to injury, overuse, and under use.

Degenerative conditions and other diseases in the body may also contribute to shoulder problems or generate pain that travels along nerves to the shoulder.

Shoulder pain may be localized in a specific area or it may spread to areas around the shoulder or down the arm. 

Hand and Wrist Pain

The human hand and wrist are not only one of the most intricate systems within the body, but they are also often used when the other joints are at rest. Eating, making a phone call, writing, and even driving all require the use of our hands. Hands and wrists are also vulnerable to injury, whether from repetitive movement, sports and athletics, or arthritis.

Our surgeons specialize in judging and diagnosing the extent of hand and wrist injuries and pain.

At your first appointment, your surgeon will:

• Ask for a detailed history of your hand or wrist condition, including:
  • When the pain started
  • How often the pain occurs
  • Any activities that increase or decrease pain
• Perform a thorough physical examination of the area

Common Hand injuries

There are many injuries that may occur to hands or wrists. They can be classified into two main categories:

• Traumatic (acute) — joint dislocations, sprains, muscle strains, broken bones, tendon inflammation, and ligament tears.
• Overuse (chronic) — tendon inflammation and dislocation, nerve injury, and stress fractures.

With either type of injury, performance may be significantly diminished if left untreated.

Common Wrist Injuries

• Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) — a common problem that affects the hand, wrist, and fingers. Symptoms begin when the median nerve gets squeezed inside the carpal tunnel of the wrist, a medical condition known as nerve entrapment or compressive neuropathy.

X-ray

Onsite x-ray services are available in our Dunkirk office to better diagnose and treat our patients

Fracture management services

Our staff provides fracture management and casting services for our patients in the Dunkirk office location.