At Mattalino Orthopaedic in Phoenix, AZ, we know how important it is that your body is in balance. We can help diagnose and treat a variety of issues affecting your joint health. To help you better understand the services we offer, we’re bringing you some information on what an orthopedic doctor can actually do.
What Does an Orthopedic Doctor Do?
Over 300 muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones make up the human body. In order to function well, all of these parts have to work together seamlessly. If there’s any part of this system that isn’t functioning as well, it can throw the body as a whole out of whack. That’s where an orthopedic doctor comes in.
When you struggle with aches and pains affecting your joints, or radiating muscle pain, you may be tempted to pass it off as the new normal. The truth is that whether you struggle with undiagnosed chronic pain, a known congenital musculoskeletal condition, or are recovering from an injury, a specialist has the tools and experience to help better your health and your life.
What Is an Orthopedic Doctor?
A physician who is specifically trained in the musculoskeletal system is known as an orthopedic doctor or orthopedist. Bones, ligaments, joints, muscles, and tendons all are considered a part of the musculoskeletal system.
Orthopedists can use a variety of non-surgical treatments or surgical procedures to help their patients. The goal is to find the right treatment, or combination of treatments, that works for the individual. They also can help diagnose, treat, and offer advice on how to prevent issues that affect the musculoskeletal system.
Can An Orthopedic Doctor Treat?
At Mattalino Orthopaedic, we offer a variety of services to help you on your path to better health. Areas of the body we treat include knees, shoulders, and elbows. We also offer multiple regenerative medicine treatments.
Regenerative Medicine Treatments
When surgery isn’t necessary but treatment is, regenerative medicine can help support your body’s health and healing. We use a variety of treatments and may combine several of them to boost effectiveness. All of these treatments are meant to work with your body. The body itself has amazing healing abilities, sometimes it just needs a little boost.
C-Arm and ultrasound needle guidance are tools we may use as we administer these treatments.
OrthoBiologics
There are many orthopedic injuries that used to only be treated surgically. Orthopedic Doctor (OrthoBiologics) is changing that. By using OrthoBiologic treatments on certain qualifying injuries, patients may be able to avoid surgical procedures altogether.
When the body suffers an injury and inflammation, its natural response is to stimulate reparative cells to expedite the healing process. OrthoBiologics works with the body’s healing response and ability. This can help give your body the support it needs to heal more effectively.
Understanding Orthobiologics
The name OrthoBiologics gives a clue to what it’s used for. Ortho means bones, whereas biologics represent the naturally derived materials that can be used to treat injured tissues. Acute and chronic injuries can both be treated.
Amniotic Allograft
One treatment we use is called an Amniotic Allograft. It does not contain stem cells, but it does contain anti-inflammatory agents, growth factors, hyaluronic acid, and key nutrients and proteins. Everything an Amniotic Allograft contains occurs naturally in the body, which makes an immune response highly unlikely.
When this treatment is administered, the high concentration of these healing elements is what helps the body speed up your recovery process and overcome inflammation.
Viscosupplementation
This lubricating treatment uses a base of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is something your body produces, but the amount your body makes can decrease with age.
When administered to injured or painful areas, this treatment can act as a cushion around your joints. As such, we can use this treatment as a tool to better your mobility and comfort, especially for patients struggling with arthritis.
PRP Therapy
PRP is another natural treatment we offer. It uses the platelet-rich plasma in your own blood to expedite healing and relieve pain. For treatment, a sample of blood will be taken from your arm; usually one to several small vials. It’s the same amount of blood you’d expect to be drawn when you go to the doctor for bloodwork.
After being drawn, your blood sample will be put into a centrifuge machine. While being spun at high speeds, the blood will separate into different fluid layers, and the platelets will merge with the plasma of your blood. This creates PRP. The PRP can then be administered back into the injured area of your body, which delivers its powerful healing properties directly to the joint.
What To Expect From OrthoBiologic Treatments
As these different treatments and materials work together with your body, you should begin to notice your comfort level and mobility improving. This usually happens within the first eight weeks. When treatments are combined, it can help your results last longer.
Once you can feel that positive difference, you may find your symptoms relieved for months, or you may be able to enjoy the improvement for a year before you feel the need to seek out a follow-up appointment. We would be happy to work out the right schedule with you, so you can always feel your best.
Arthroscopic Surgery
When surgery is necessary, we are pleased to use arthroscopic technology whenever possible. This is one of the least invasive surgical technologies out there. We can use this technology for knee and shoulder injuries alike.
The arthroscope is a camera at the end of a thin tube. When inserted into the affected joints, we’re able to assess the joint. Arthroscopic surgery and open surgery are both effective treatment methods, so when you come in to visit us we’d be happy to walk you through which option would have the best chance of helping you.
Treating Knee Injuries
Torn Meniscus
Our knees have two menisci each. These bits of cartilage act as cushions and shock absorbers for the joints of our knees.
Tearing the meniscus is a pretty common injury. An arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is one of the ways we can help correct this issue by removing the damaged sections of the meniscus. More severe tears may require a total meniscectomy or a different kind of surgical repair instead. Regardless of how severe the tear may be, we’re ready for it.
Understanding Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy
This treatment can be very helpful to the knee’s health and healing. By using an arthroscope we can pinpoint the exact problem area. The camera at the end of the arthroscope may be tiny, but it is able to capture a great image.
By inserting the arthroscope into the knee through a small incision, our experts will get a clear picture of what’s going on with your cartilage. We’ll use the arthroscope to find the exact bits of cartilage that need to be removed, which we will go ahead and surgically extract.
How To Tell if You’re a Good Candidate
Our experts will be able to help you determine which meniscus repair treatment is right for you during a consultation. Part of eligibility will depend on where the tear is, as well as the pattern and size of the tear.
Microfracture Surgery
Arthroscopic microfracture surgery is another way we can fix up any damaged knee cartilage. When the cartilage that cushions our knees is damaged, it can lead to joint mobility issues, or pain and inflammation.
How Does It Work?
Since this surgery is arthroscopic, the arthroscope can serve as our guide as we locate the problem area. Our surgical tools can access the injured joint through tiny incisions.
This treatment involves making very small holes in the bone close to the affected cartilage. The bone will respond to this by creating cells that can help your cartilage regenerate itself.
ACL Repair
The anterior cruciate ligament is what connects the femur and tibia together. When the ACL is torn, it can cause issues such as knee instability. When this instability persists despite physical therapy, arthroscopic ACL reconstruction may be able to help.
During ACL reconstructive surgery, a graft of healthy tissue will be used to replace the compromised ACL.
Loose Body Removal
Sometimes, little bits of material can be trapped within the knee joint. This material can be particles of bone or cartilage that have gotten knocked loose. This can increase friction in the joint.
Using arthroscopy allows us to keep our incisions as small as possible. Through these incisions, we can then remove debris from the joint.
Treating Shoulder Injuries
Bankart Repair
The labrum helps to support the ball-and-socket joint, so a torn labrum can seriously compromise the health of your shoulder. When we correct this tear laparoscopically, it can help restore mobility to the area.
Shoulder Impingement Surgery
One of the most common symptoms of subacromial impingement is if you feel pain when you raise your arm. This injury usually results from the shoulder tendons creating friction against part of your shoulder blade.
If painful symptoms are interfering with your ability to enjoy your favorite activities or function at work, we can help you get back on track by correcting this painful condition.
SLAP Repair
A SLAP tear stands for a tear to the superior labrum anterior-posterior. This mouthful of a name represents the cartilage around your shoulder’s socket. It’s specifically located where the labrum and bicep tendon connects.
Thankfully, an arthroscope can be used to treat a SLAP tear, which can help make the treatment and recovery as easy as possible.
Rotator Cuff Repair
Responsible for keeping the humerus nestled into the shoulder’s socket, the rotator cuff is crucial to our daily lives. Injury to the muscles and tendons that make up our rotator cuffs is especially common due to sports or physical labor.
We are able to use an arthroscope to repair tears affecting the rotator cuff.
Treating Elbow Injuries
In addition to treating injured shoulders and knees, we can also help treat elbow injuries. Our elbow injury treatments are usually centered around regenerative medicine injections or PRP therapy.
When you come in for a consultation, we’d be happy to tell you more about any treatment you’re interested in. We will be able to access your situation and give you suggestions on what treatment we believe will be the most helpful for you to reclaim a sense of comfort and wellness.
What To Expect After Treatment
The goal of any treatment is to improve your comfort and mobility, but it’s also worth noting that one of the best benefits of getting your injuries properly corrected is it can help prevent worse issues down the line. For instance, an untreated tear is more likely to cause cartilage deterioration, which may lead to osteoarthritis.
Get Matched With the Right Treatment for You
Injuries can affect your daily life as well as your plans and goals for the future. Chronic and acute pain both deserve to be treated, and our experts have the know-how to help pair you with the right treatments. If you’re interested in how we can help you achieve better health, contact our team at Mattalino Orthopaedic in Phoenix, AZ, today for a consultation.