Coming soon to La Grange
Starting in June our Westchester office will be relocated to
47 South 6th Avenue
La Grange, Il 60525
Please check our Website, Facebook and twitter for information regarding our "Open House"
Blog
On May 17th, come out and join us at 2pm to hear
Dr. Tom Smith, Hip and Knee Specialist who is a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon with Vanguard Medical Group, speak about the anatomy of the hip, joint pain, joint replacement, and some simple steps you can take.
Dr. Smith will also be sharing how he has been successfully performing Direct Anterior Approach Hip Replacement Surgery, a technique that few physicians are currently using due to the extensive training and specialized equipment. This surgery results in less pain, greater mobility and a quicker recovery time.
JOIN US!
When: Thursday, May 17th at 2pm
Located at: 51 E. Cossitt Avenue, La Grange, Illinois
Call (708)354-7600 to reserve your seat today!The new knee replacements
Knee osteoarthritis. It can start out as an occasional twinge that eventually becomes a constant pain, making it difficult to walk, stay active or just get through the day.
And when joint degeneration starts affecting your life, you may start thinking about surgery.
You're not alone. Knee replacements have become increasingly common among younger women, according to a January 2012 Finnish study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Read on to learn what you need to know about knee replacements.
Knee injuries in women linked to motion, nervous system differences
The reason women are more prone to knee injuries than men may go beyond differences in muscular and skeletal structure, according to researchers from Oregon State University.
“There are some muscular and skeletal differences between men and women, but that doesn’t explain differences in injury rates as much as you might think,” study author Samuel T. Johnson stated in an Oregon State University news release. “No one has really studied the role of the nervous system the way we have in explaining these differences, specifically the way sensory information is processed and integrated with motor function in the spinal cord.”
“We’re finding differences in nervous system processing,” Johnson stated. “The causes for those differences are unclear, but it may be due to either a biological difference, such as hormones, or a cultural difference such as different exercise and training patterns.”
What is arthroscopy?
Arthroscopy is an orthopedic procedure that is used to diagnose and treat joint or soft tissue problems by placing a small instrument, called an arthroscope, through a small incision into the joint. Once used exclusively as a preparation method for surgery, it is now an alternative to more invasive surgical procedures and is preferable in some cases due to a shorter recovery time.
Polyurethane scaffold promotes meniscal regeneration, shows good 2-year results
Arthroscopic implantation of a polyurethane scaffold to treat partial meniscal lesions showed good results over other meniscal treatment methods at the 2-year follow-up, according to research presented at the European Society of Sports Traumatology Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy Congress 2012, here.
“This new scaffold is very interesting with preliminary results comparable to the CMI (Menaflex Collagen Meniscus Implant; Regen Biologics), but with an easier surgical management,” Muccioli said in his presentation.
Smoking linked to worse outcomes in joint replacement
Two studies presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon highlight the dangers that smoking poses to patients receiving total knee or hip implants.
The researchers found that the overall revision rate – meaning the number of surgeries that had to be redone – was 10 times higher for smokers compared with nonsmokers: 10 percent vs. 1 percent. Smokers also had a significantly higher rate of complications compared with non-smokers (21 percent vs. 12 percent), including blood clots, abnormal heartbeat, irregular heartbeat, urinary tract infection and kidney failure.
Quitting’s not easy, but it’s worth it, says Dr. Lombardi. “The effect of nicotine may persist, but obviously it will [lessen] if you stop.”
Can oral bacteria cause a joint replacement to fail?
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University may have found a potential link between gum disease and joint health, with particular implications for failing joint replacements. Working collaboratively, dental, orthopedic and arthritis specialists tested the DNA in synovial fluid in 36 patients with both native and replacement joints. Some samples showed the presence of oral bacteria in the fluid, which the scientists suggest could be contributing to aseptic loosening or excessive wear in joint replacement patients when no infection is present.
Though the results were modest, the study's authors say that this confirms a pathway for oral bacteria between the mouth and joints. This adds to the body of literature showing the relationship between dental disease and other conditions, including heart disease and stroke.
Further, they recommend that patients with arthritis or failed prosthetic joints be examined for the presence of periodontal diseases and be treated accordingly and suggest that appropriate treatment of periodontal disease may help prevent joint replacements. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology.
Indications and techniques for hip arthroscopy continue to evolve
"Hip arthroscopy is an evolving science," Charles A. Bush-Joseph, MD, of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago, told Orthopedics Today. "We are clearly better able to more accurately diagnose hip and groin conditions. Industry is catching up. There has been dramatic innovation in the equipment surgeons use to perform these types of procedures, making them more reliable and reproducible."
High impact sports reduce durability of hip implants
French researchers have confirmed that high-impact sport, such as jogging or soccer, increases the risk of total hip arthroplasty mechanical failure, according to a study published in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.
“Since participation in sport is now a reality for a significant number of total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients, surgeons may need to adapt their choices of bearing surfaces in implants to accommodate this growing trend,” the authors wrote.