According to the NIH, the surgery can be very suc-
cessful in younger people as well as those older than 60.
And some research suggests that people who choose
surgery before a hip joint becomes severely damaged
tend to recover more easily and have better outcomes
than those with more advanced deterioration.
Knees
As it can in the hip, arthritis can occur in the knee. And
like a hip, a severely arthritic knee can be replaced with an
artificial one through surgery—a choice that hundreds of
thousands of Americans will opt for this year.
The largest joint in the body, the knee is also one of
the most easily injured. Get medical treatment for an
injury right away if you:
w
Hear a popping noise and feel your knee give out.
w
Have severe pain.
w
Can’t move your knee or start to limp.
w
Have swelling at the injury site.
One of the most common knee injuries is a tear in
the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), tissue that acts like
strong rope to keep the knee stable. Changing direction
rapidly, slowing down when running and landing incor-
rectly from a jump all can cause an ACL injury. When an
ACL is torn, it often needs to be repaired with surgery.
The good news: ACL repairs are generally done ar-
throscopically, requiring only small incisions that speed
recovery. This minimally invasive surgery can also be
used to fix a torn meniscus, an easily injured piece of
cartilage that acts like a shock absorber in the knee.
Shoulders
If you twist your shoulder very hard, you might
dislocate it—meaning that the ball at the top of the bone
in your upper arm has popped out of its socket. Expect
severe pain and an abnormally shaped shoulder. See a
doctor right away. Typically, he or she will be able to
push the ball of the upper arm back into its proper place.
Another common shoulder injury is a rotator cuff
tear. Your rotator cuff stabilizes your shoulder joint. It’s
made up of several tendons (bands of tissue that connect
muscles to bones) and four muscles that cover the top of
the upper arm bone. You can tear this part of your body
in a fall or other mishap. But most tears occur because of
repetitive overhead motions, such as throwing a baseball
again and again.
Resting your shoulder, using pain medication and
participating in physical therapy may be all that’s nec-
essary to help you heal. In some cases, surgery may be
needed.
Elbows
Even if you’ve never picked up a tennis racket, you’ve
probably heard of tennis elbow, an inflammation of the
tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of
the elbow. What you might not know is that tennis elbow
can strike anybody who overuses these muscles, from
factory workers to house painters.
The first step toward recovery is resting your arm.
Pain relievers, muscle-strengthening exercises and the
use of a forearm brace can also ease the pain of tennis
elbow. If these nonsurgical treatments aren’t effective,
your doctor may advise surgery.
more information
To learn more about effective treatments for joint
problems—including those in your hands and feet—go
to
.
hand
Drs. Shibeshi and Treadwell join William Mac-
Carty III, MD; Michael Kyles, MD; and Debra Cob-
beldick, PA, at SVO. Orthopedic surgeon Jacqueline
Fogarty, MD, is also on the medical staff at HRH.
The right care, right here
The addition of Drs. Shibeshi and Treadwell marks
a significant change in the orthopedic service line at
HRH. The physicians and midlevel provider, along
with the HRH operating room staff and anesthesiol-
ogy department, represent the most robust orthope-
dic services HRH has offered in several years.
“We are very fortunate to have orthopedic sur-
geons who have had a longstanding positive presence
in our community,” says HRH Orthopedic Service
Line Manager Catherine Howard. “That, combined
with the addition of new physicians, will help us
move forward with many of the goals we have set for
orthopedics at HRH. Our continuous recruitment of
talented physicians enables us to develop and expand
orthopedic care for residents of Southern Virginia,
and we recognize the importance of providing that
care here at home, in the community.”
Human engineering
—Continued from front cover
.
w
5
