Rooted in Santa Rosa | Reaching New Heights
Surgery Information
Orthopaedic Surgeons
An orthopaedic physician is a specialist who diagnoses and treats conditions that affect the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. If you have a sprained ankle, your orthopaedic doctor can help. If you have chronic back pain, you want to consult with an orthopaedic doctor. It is important to understand that seeing a specialist who can perform surgery to repair injuries does not mean you will need to have surgery. Our doctors are thoroughly trained in the many non-surgical modalities that can facilitate tissue and structural repairs. Although they have extensive surgical skills, they turn to surgery only when necessary.
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Most Common Surgeries
The most common orthopedic surgeries are performed on the knees, hips, and shoulders. Our fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons and podiatrist perform a number of different procedures on these areas, and also on elbows, wrists, hands, ankles, and feet. Across the various joints and bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, some of the commonly-performed surgeries include:
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Arthroscopy
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Bone Fracture Repair
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Total Joint Replacement
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Debridement
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Ligament Repair
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Carpal Tunnel Release
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Orthopaedic Surgery
Importance
If you have an injury that is affecting your musculoskeletal function and structure, you may require orthopaedic surgery. It is important to have surgery when it is recommended because, otherwise, you have a higher risk of instability and ongoing pain. For example, if you have torn your ACL, the support for your knee joint is severely compromised. Without surgical repair of the ligament, you may have limited range of motion due to pain. You may have to restrict your physical activity due to limitations in performance, and you may suffer symptoms like your knee buckling when you walk. Furthermore, an injury that affects how you walk (your gait) can eventually cause unnatural wear to another joint. We understand that your preference may be to avoid surgery if at all possible. That is our preference as well. On a grander scale, though, our preference is to ensure that you retain optimal physical mobility and comfort.
Is It Major Surgery?
Some orthopaedic procedures are considered major surgery and some may be more conservative. For example, it is far less invasive for an orthopaedic surgeon to perform carpal tunnel release than to perform a total knee replacement. Both procedures require an anesthetic and incisions. Carpal tunnel release can be performed with a local anesthetic. Knee replacement, on the other hand, requires general anesthesia and at least an hour in a recovery area while the effects of the anesthesia wear off. All orthopaedic procedures require some amount of downtime for recovery, but those that are considered “major” usually require several weeks or even months of healing before the full degree of physical activity can resume. Regardless of the nature of the procedure your doctor needs to perform, know that they will employ safety protocols that minimize risks such as bleeding, infection, and nerve damage.
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Minimally
Invasive
Surgery
Minimally invasive surgeries are procedures that are performed using small incisions and endoscopic instruments. This is an alternative to “open surgery” in which the doctor makes a single, lengthy incision to access the injured tissue. Arthroscopy is an example of a minimally invasive orthopaedic surgery. Using smaller instruments, the surgeon can reduce the risk of extensive scarring, infection, and prolonged recovery. Not all procedures can be performed using minimally invasive techniques. However, a great deal of progress has been made in this area. Our surgeons are up-to-date with the latest advances in surgical techniques, and have the educational background to perform minimally invasive surgery as often as possible.
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Each procedure performed by our board-certified surgeons is tailored specifically to your diagnosis and individual needs. For more information about your planned surgery, please contact your physician’s office directly.