The Most Common Orthopedic Surgeries

Chronic pain and limited mobility are common symptoms of orthopedic injuries and conditions, like fractures and arthritis. Both adults and children can suffer from unpleasant symptoms due to musculoskeletal and joint issues, but pain relief is available. SIO’s adult and pediatric orthopedic surgery specialists provide a wide range of surgical solutions.
Conservative, non-surgical treatments are often the first line of attack for treating orthopedic conditions, but when these fail, our skilled orthopedic specialists are ready to offer a variety of surgical options.

Hip Replacement Orthopedic Surgery

Hip replacement is not just one of the most common procedures performed at SIO — it’s also one of the more commonly performed surgeries across the country. Surgeons throughout the U.S. perform more than 450,000 hip replacements each year, and is one of the most successful of all surgeries.

The most common reason for a hip replacement is osteoarthritis, which often occurs in older adults. As you get age, tissue in the joint deteriorates and makes walking and moving more difficult and painful. A hip replacement surgery can relieve pain and restore you to normal activities.

Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Surgery

When possible, surgeons perform this procedure with a minimally invasive technique. Using small incisions and surgical tools, they can replace the hip with less damage to healthy tissue, which leads to quicker recovery times for patients.

Anterior Approach Total Hip Replacement Surgery

How surgeons approach the joint matters. To minimize damage to muscles, they often take an anterior approach, making incisions at the front of the hip. The surgeon can part the muscles and avoid cutting more healthy tissue as they replace the damaged joint. The anterior approach is increasingly used. Studies show it leads to less pain and quicker recovery times when compared to a traditional lateral or posterior approach.

Revision Of Hip Replacement Surgery

The quality and durability of artificial joints has improved over the years, but they are still not designed to last forever. Over time, or in the event of complications, some patients need an additional procedure called a revision. This is more common in older adults who have had implants for many years.

During a hip replacement revision, the surgeon replaces some or all of the artificial joint, repositions the joint, and removes or stabilizes any additional damaged tissue. The extent of the work done during the surgery depends on the patient involved and what their needs. Surgeons often recommend revisions when an implant fails due to loosening, dislocation, wear-and-tear damage, a fracture, or an infection.

Orthopedic Knee Surgeries

Knee procedures are also very common and used in a wider variety of patients. Arthritis and injuries — particularly sports injuries — are the primary reasons why patients require knee surgery. Active children, especially those engaged in sports, are also susceptible to knee injuries that require pediatric orthopedic surgery.

Total Knee Replacement Surgery

As with the hip, total knee replacement is a very common procedure used when pain and mobility issues become debilitating. Osteoarthritis is also the leading reason for knee replacements surgeries. If possible, surgeons will use a minimally-invasive procedure to install an artificial joint in the knee.

Meniscal Tear Surgery

A tear in the meniscus—a rubbery disk that cushions the knee joint—is a common sports injury but can also occur with a degenerative condition like arthritis. To fix a meniscus tear, orthopedic surgeons typically use an arthroscopic procedure. If possible, they will perform a partial meniscectomy, trimming away as little of the cushioning tissue as possible.

Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction Surgery

Another typical sports injury is a stretched or torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which is connective tissue that runs across the front of the joint. Severe injuries, including total tears, require reconstruction surgery. Surgeons can use arthroscopy to make small incisions and graft donor tissue to the torn ligament.

Orthopedic Spine Surgery

Depending on the level of severity back and neck pain can be a minor frustration or completely debilitating. When spinal issues affect the nerves it can lead to pain, tingling, and weakness that extends to the arms and legs, often necessitating surgery.

Anterior Cervical Decompression and Spine Fusion Surgery

This is a procedure approached through the front of the neck. Part of the surgery involves decompression, which is when the surgeon removes any tissue putting pressure on a nerve that causing unpleasant symptoms. The surgeon then fuses parts of the spine to restrict movement. This type of surgery is usually done when movement causes pain after an injury or as the result of a disease or degenerative condition.

Lumbar Spine Decompression Surgery

Lower back pain is one of the most common sources of disability in adults. Surgeons perform a lumbar spine decompression to relieve pressure on nerves in the lower spine that has caused pain, tingling, and numbness. It’s used to treat spinal stenosis, slipped discs, and spinal injuries. The surgeon can also fuse parts of the lumbar spine together to improve stability and reduce pain with movement.

Orthopedic Elbow Surgeries

Both active adults and children are susceptible to elbow injuries. They often involve tendons and bones and can be resolve with non-surgical treatments such as rest, physical therapy, and cold compress. More serious injuries and those that do not respond to conservative care might require orthopedic surgery.

Elbow Fracture Care and Surgery

A fracture of the elbow occurs in the olecranon, the part of the ulna that makes up the bony point of the elbow. Common causes of elbow fracture are typically falls or a strike to the bone, such as a baseball during a game.

For a simple break, a splint may be enough to give it time to properly heal. Surgery is usually necessary if the bones have shifted out of place or have broken the skin. The surgeon rearranges the bones and fixes them in place with pins, plates, screws, or a bone graft.

Tennis Elbow Surgery

Also called lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow is inflammation in the tendons on the outside of the elbow joint. While named for repetitive motion injuries incurred while playing tennis, other sports and activities can cause it in both adults and children.

If bracing and rest do not heal tennis elbow, a surgeon can remove any damaged tissue and reattach healthy connective tissue.

Orthopedic Shoulder Surgeries

Shoulder injuries are common in people who engage in repetitive motion, often during sports and while performing lifting motions in certain jobs. If non-surgical treatment options do not relieve the shoulder pain and restore mobility, surgery may be necessary.

Rotator Cuff Surgery

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that cover the top of the upper arm bone, called the humerus. Partial or complete tears in the rotator cuff occur with degenerative conditions, such as repetitive use injuries. They can also occur as acute injuries, from accidents or lifting something heavy with a jerking movement.

If surgery becomes necessary, the procedure involves repairing the damaged tendon, or in the case of a complete tear, re-attaching it to the bone. If possible, orthopedic surgeons will perform an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, using small incisions and tools for faster recovery.

Bursitis/Impingement Surgery

Shoulder impingement occurs when raising your arm too high decreases the space between the rotator cuff and the acromion(shoulder bone). This causes friction and pain as the acromion rubs against the bursa, a cushioning pad. Repetitive motions in sports, such as swimming and lifting weights, commonly cause this.

Surgery to correct impingement and bursitis involves making more space to allow freer movement. This might include removing part of the bursa. The surgeon might also perform an arthroscopic subacromial decompression, a minimally invasive procedure to remove part of the acromion.

Labrum Surgery

The labrum is a thick connective tissue that helps hold the ball part of the shoulder joint in its socket. Labrum injuries are typically acute and related to physical trauma. Surgeons can repair tears in the labrum to restore function and reduce pain, often with an arthroscopic procedure.

Foot and Ankle Orthopedic  Surgeries

Foot and ankle fractures frequently require surgery to repair. While broken ankle are common pediatric injuries, occurring from twisting and jumping motions during play or sports, adults can also fracture the ankle or foot bones. Common causes of ankle fractures include rolling the ankle, falling, or being involved in an accident.

If the bones don’t shift out of place, non-surgical care involves stabilizing the foot or ankle with a boot and keeping weight off that side. More complex fractures require surgeries using screws or plates to keep bones aligned as they heal.

Hand and Wrist Orthopedic Surgeries

Various conditions require hand and wrist surgery, including arthritis, repetitive motion injuries, acute injuries, and inflammation. For many issues in the delicate bones of the wrist, orthopedic surgeons can use wrist arthroscopy procedure for quicker recovery with less pain.

Carpal Tunnel Release and Nerve Decompression Surgery

A common reason to use wrist arthroscopy is to relieve pressure on nerves that cause pain, tingling, and weakness in the hand and forearm. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tunnel carrying the median nerve through the wrist narrows and applies pressure. During carpal tunnel release, the surgeon cuts, or releases, the ligament that impedes the nerve.

Simiar procedures are applicable for ulnar tunnel syndrome. Surgeons use nerve decompression to relieve pressure on the ulnar nerve in the wrist, restoring function to the little and ring fingers.

Hand and Wrist Fracture Surgery

Fractures in the hand and wrist most often occur due to traumatic injuries. The most common type of fracture is in the fifth metacarpal. Known as a boxer’s fracture, this injury often results from striking a hard object with a closed fist.

As with foot and ankle fractures, if the break is complex and bones have shifted out of place, orthopedic hand surgery using screws and plates to hold bones in position as they heal may be required.

Meet The South Island Orthopedics Surgery Team

SIO is home to an excellent, experienced team of orthopedic surgeons with various areas of specialty:

• Dr. Eric Freeman – Shoulder, Knees, and Hips
• Dr. David Godfried – Pediatric Orthopedics
• Dr. John Leppard III – Hand
• Dr. Jonathan Mallen – Hip and Joints
• Dr. Nicholas DeBellis – Sports Injuries and Trauma Care
• Dr. Paul Kubiak – General Orthopedics
• Dr. Garrett Moss – General Orthopedics

Contact our orthopedic surgery center to consult with the best adult and pediatric orthopedic surgeons on Long Island. Schedule an appointment at one of our four convenient office locations near you today.

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