Arthroscopic Surgery of the Upper and Lower Extremity
The knee and ankle are vital components in one’s overall physical stability and ability to move. When a person finds it challenging to move about freely without pain or instability, then Knee and Ankle Ligament Reconstruction may be needed.
If nonsurgical therapeutic treatments prove unsuccessful, then one of various forms of knee and ankle ligament reconstruction might be considered. The surgeon might stitch and repair the patient’s ligaments, the replacement of torn ligaments with tendons, with the stitching of other tissue over repaired ligaments to reinforce the repair. Often within a few months and with the aid of physical therapy, the patient is up and walking once again. (https://www.aofas.org/footcaremd/treatments/Pages/Lateral-Ankle-Ligament-Reconstruction.aspx)
Meniscal Surgery
The foot and ankle rank among the most vital components of the human anatomy; this owing to their singular ability to drive and empower our mobility. Our feet and ankles impel our motion, enabling us to walk, run, jog, play sports, and perform other activities that drive our daily lives. It is in fact estimated that the typical American spends about four hours each day standing on their feet, taking about 5,000 individual steps in the process.
About 87 percent of people suffer from foot pain at some point in their lives; with one in three people over age 65 suffering from stiff or aching feet (http://www.healthinaging.org/aging-and-health-a-to-z/topic:foot-problems/). Some common foot and ankle problems include fractures and breaks, sprains and strains, arthritis, tendonitis, podiatric-related diabetes issues, bunions, corns and calluses, heel and arch pain issues, and tarsal tunnel syndrome.
Rotator Cuff Repair
To repair the torn tendon, the surgeon could make a sizable incision and conduct an open repair; or conduct an arthroscopy using smaller incisions to inspect all damage to the rotator cuff and repair or remove bone spurs or damaged tissue before repairing the cuff. The repair is completed through the total reattachment of tendons to the bone via rivets and sutures. (https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007207.htm)
Shoulder Instability Repairs
Shoulder injuries happen frequently during sporting events and other forms of vigorous physical activity. Encompassing a broad range of disorders, the term shoulder instability (or a condition in which the shoulder slips in and out of the joint) basically indicates any condition in which this vital part is pulled out of joint, dislocated, or rendered loose or lax.
Shoulder instability can be anterior or toward the front of the body, posterior or toward the back, or multidirectional in nature. Frequent treatments for this disorder include physical therapy and therapeutic exercise, anti-inflammatory medications, as well as rest and modified activity.
In those rare severe cases in which surgery is needed, both open surgery or arthroscopy might be considered, with the goal always being to repair and strengthen the impaired shoulder ligaments (https://www.sportsmd.com/sports-injuries/shoulder-injuries/shoulder-instability/)
Hand and Wrist Surgery
It would be unforgivably cliche to say that our hands and wrists allow us to maintain a firm grip on life. Yet in truth, our hands and wrists guide and control our ability to grip, touch, write, work, and play sports.
This is why any injury or disorder to the hand and the wrist–whether it takes the form of a strain, sprain or fracture, a carpal tunnel condition, arthritis, tendonitis, or other orthopedic condition–can impair and impede our ability to lead full and productive lives. Luckily, the field of modern medicine offers us many treatment options to help patients cope with and hopefully resolve any and all issues of hand and wrist pain.
These include joint replacement, arthroscopy, hand reconstruction, joint fusion, endoscopic release, PRP and shockwave treatment, etc. So if nonsurgical methods such as casting and bracing and medications don’t work, then a multitude of surgical options are available to treat and remedy hand and wrist pain (https://www.loyolamedicine.org/orthopaedics/hand-and-wrist-surgery).
Medically speaking, carpal tunnel syndrome results from the compression of a sizable median nerve as it passes through a biological tunnel situated at the wrist; the same nerve that supplies feeling in a good part of the hand (http://www.yourhands.co.uk/hand-wrist-surgery/medical-conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome).
Yet beyond the technical description of carpal tunnel syndrome, sufferers know all too well the symptoms associated with the orthopedic disorder that strikes more than 8 million Americans and accounts for 50 percent of all workplace injuries (http://repetitive-strain.com/national.html). The intense pain. The numbness that renders it difficult to feel much of anything. The weakness. The pin and needle sensations.
Luckily, carpal tunnel is often a highly treatable condition. Nonsurgical remedies that include wrist splints, modified daily activities and steroid injections have proven highly effective in treating this all too common condition, as have steroid injections and the fast and common procedure known as carpal tunnel decompression or release (http://www.yourhands.co.uk/hand-wrist-surgery/medical-conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome).
A particularly popular and effective form of carpal tunnel surgery is endoscopic release. In this procedure, the surgeon cuts the transverse carpal ligament to release the median nerve. Performed with a thin tube attached to a camera known as an endoscope as well as a cutting tool, the surgery is performed via a small incision in the wrist. The ligament is cut to release excess pressure, thus in many cases relieving the unpleasant effects of carpal tunnel syndrome (https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/carpal-tunnel/endoscopic-carpal-tunnel-release-surgery-two-portal-technique).
A fracture is defined, for all intents and purposes, as a broken bone. It can range in severity from a thin crack to a total break, and can run down the length of the bone or from left to right–or, for that matter, can afflict the bone in a number of locations. You can sustain fractures through falls, sports injuries, accidents, and other bodily traumas.
Fractures come in a number of varieties, including closed or simple (in which the bone does not break the skin) and open or compound (in which the broken bone actually tears the skin); and incomplete (in which the bone cracks but does not break) or complete (indicating a total break). (https://www.healthline.com/health/fracture#causes)
Casting may be utilized to protect and stabilize the fractured bone, as may a process known as traction; in which the muscles and tendons are stretched around the bone. If surgery is required, which is often the case in compound or complex fractures, then the doctor may conduct open surgery to repair the afflicted bone.
Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment Characterized by chronic joint inflammation, arthritis afflicts the patient with a level of pain, stiffness and general discomfort that can impede and disrupt daily activities.
Osteoarthritis, which afflicts more than 3 million people in the United States every year, stems from the degeneration of joint cartilages; that customary wear and tear that often affects aging bodies. Yet the arthritis patient does not have to live with the suffering; they can seek relief from a number of treatment and surgical options aimed toward easing and alleviating the effects of osteoarthritis (https://www.bing.com/search?q=arthritis+&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=ffd597f7b02d404ee2aedd7225aeb02f&PC=ASTS&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=arthritis+&sc=8-10&qs=n&sk=&cvid=ffd597f7b02d404ee2aedd7225aeb02f). If treatments and pain medications prove unsuccessful, possible surgical remedies might include joint replacement by way of arthroplasty, hip resurfacing by way of metal capping, joint fusion, or the addition or removal of pieces of bone around the knee joint, to achieve enhanced joint stability above or below the knee joint to balance the weight better across the joint. (https://www.webmd.boots.com/osteoarthritis/guide/osteoarthritis-surgery)
Sprains and strains rank among the top three injuries afflicting athletes today (https://www.massgeneral.org/ortho-childrens/conditions-treatments/strains_and_sprains.aspx). Luckily, though, these injuries are–with just the right care–relatively simple to treat and heal.
A sprain involves the tearing and stretching of those ligaments that connect the bones, most frequently the ankle. A strain, by contrast, involves the tearing or stretching of a tendon or muscle; most commonly in the lower back and the back of the thigh (most specifically, in the hamstring muscle). Both conditions are characterized by pain, swelling, bruising, and limited mobility. A sprain often comes accompanied by a popping of the joint, while a strain is commonly associated with muscle spasms.
When mild, both sprains and strains are generally treated through a light and brief regimen of ice, rest, compression and elevation. Yet when more severe or traumatic, orthopedic surgeons might be called upon to operate on and repair muscles, tendons and ligaments injured through the sprain or strain (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sprains-and-strains/symptoms-causes/syc-20377938).
Tendonitis
In the United States alone, more than 3 million people are afflicted with tendonitis; an inflammation or irritation of one or more of the tendons that connects the bone to the muscle. When a joint is overused, strained or overextended, its tendons can tear; leading to pain, tenderness and swelling. While this condition often is treated through anti-inflammatory medications, surgery is sometimes advisable to ease the effects of tendonitis (https://www.bing.com/search?q=tendonitis&qs=HS&pq=tendonitis&sc=8-10&cvid=AA9015D307A948EF87C30ABD4E2C71A1&FORM=QBLH&sp=1&ghc=1).
Casts and braces are traditional and surefire tools aimed to help protect, bind and heal broken and fractured limbs.
A cast is a hard, protective shell of plastic, plaster or fiberglass specially molded to fit an injured limb (https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11099); a brace, by contrast, is a softer and more flexible orthopedic apparatus that similarly holds, aligns and supports broken and fractured body parts (https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/brace).
Under the supervision of seasoned orthopedic physician Dr. Garrett Tallman, the process of casting and bracing is conducted quickly but cautiously, with all care taken to preserve the comfort and promote the healing of the patient.
New Technologies (PRP, Shockwave Treatment)
Dr. Garrett Tallman is a progressive and innovative orthopedic physician; one well versed in the newest and best therapeutic and surgical technologies.
These include PRP or Platelet-Rich Plasma; a treatment method that involves therapeutic injections to combat the effects of osteoarthritis pain. PRP injections consist of blood-based growth factors taken straight from the patient’s blood plasma and applied to an injured area–causing new tissues to formulate and thus both alleviate inflammation in the tissue and promote the additional formation of tissue (https://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/platelet-rich-plasma-knee#procedure).
Shockwave therapy, another new and top quality therapy in the field of orthopedic medicine, involves mechanically generated pressure pulses that–once they penetrate the body–expand into a wavelike formation to administer healing.
These and other fresh and innovative therapies are high tech, minimally invasive and highly effective; which is why they now are offered in the repertoire of Dr. Garrett Tallman’s orthopedic treatment services.
Workers’ compensation is a vital form of aid for employees injured on the job; and for those whose occupational injuries are orthopedic in nature, Dr. Tallman is here to help.
Dr. Garrett Tallman MD is a certified specialist in the analysis and treatment of occupational injuries. A Qualified Medical Evaluator certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, he is a trained and unbiased expert in the area of medical evaluations of occupational injuries; especially spine injuries and chronic pain issues. He will put his knowledge and expertise to work for hard-working patients.
