Tag: orthopedic knee surgery

Connect With the Best Orthopedic Surgeon in San Diego

It is a fact of orthopedic medicine that not every specialist in this area covers a wide range of ailments. Although there is something to be said for the benefits of specialization, patients often express frustration upon discovering that their orthopedic surgeon only treats, say, a certain subset of back injuries and nothing else.

Here at American Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, or AOSM, we proudly offer a more versatile approach to orthopedic care. Dr. William Holland has earned the highest marks from patients through Southern California for his competency and high success rate, as well as an abiding commitment to a full range of orthopedic specialties, including:

If you’re looking for the best orthopedic surgeon in San Diego for chronic pain or injury, don’t hesitate: contact the offices Dr. William Holland for an expert consultation.

Medicare Pushes for Better Knee Replacement Surgery

It is an issue that has long bedeviled our healthcare system: how to provide the best care within a system that rewards doctors for doing more, not less? Medicare, the nation’s largest public option for healthcare, is now making a change in one key area, offering new incentives based on knee replacement surgery outcomes:

Under the new system, hospitals can receive additional financial rewards by meeting certain targets for quality and overall costs. If they fall short, eventually they will be financially liable. Medicare recipients will still be able to pick doctors and hospitals for their surgeries.

It’s a great move that is bound to improve the overall flow of services that go into knee replacement surgery, from intake through rehabilitation. It may also help to establish who are the best orthopedic surgeons in San Diego, among other regions:

Research has shown that patients usually fare better with surgeons who perform a high volume of hip and knee replacements, and who are operating in hospitals that handle a large number of the procedures.

As one of the top orthopedic surgeons in Southern California, I welcome any chance to serve patients better and distinguish our careful approach to knee surgery from the pack. If you’d like to speak with one of the most experienced teams in orthopedic knee surgery, call us today.

Unseen Risks for Knee Surgery?

Some of our patients have expressed concern in recent days over this study, which found a correlation between orthopedic knee surgery and in increased risk of heart attack down the line.

Although the scare headlines may sound alarming, the truth is more mundane: the study is an observational one, meaning that it was completed without controls or placebos. Although scientists may yield some valuable insights from studies like these, in general they tend to be considerably less reliable than randomized studies.

In this case the observed correlation between knee surgery and later health issues could be due to factors that simply lie beyond the study’s scope, including that many people who require knee replacements already exhibit a higher risk for health issues across the board.

Of course we cannot ignore correlations even if they aren’t directly causal, and this one rightly points toward the value of asiduous follow up care and rehabilitation. Knee surgery is no trivial thing, and the risk of clots and venous thromboemboli are typically higher after any kind of surgery.

To learn more about knee surgery and how we can help you restore a more normal life, contact the San Diego knee surgery professionals at AOSM.

The Connection Between Knee Pain and Knee Surgery

As a San Diego orthopedic surgeon in practice for many years, I hear from many patients who don’t fully understand the different types of knee surgery, especially which ones are indicated for which kinds of knee pain.

Visit these pages on my site and you’ll find some quick primers, but what if you want more in-depth definitions? Try this piece, which includes a succinct and accurate rundown of the most common knee surgery procedures:

Arthroscopic surgery. Depending on your injury, your doctor may be able to examine and repair your joint damage using a fiber-optic camera and long, narrow tools inserted through just a few small incisions around your knee. Arthroscopy may be used to remove loose bodies from your knee joint, remove or repair damaged cartilage, and reconstruct torn ligaments.

Partial knee replacement surgery. In this procedure (unicompartmental arthroplasty), your surgeon replaces only the most damaged portion of your knee with parts made of metal and plastic. The surgery can usually be performed with a small incision, and your hospital stay is typically just one night. You’re also likely to heal more quickly than you are with surgery to replace your entire knee.

Total knee replacement. In this procedure, your surgeon cuts away damaged bone and cartilage from your thighbone, shinbone and kneecap, and replaces it with an artificial joint made of metal alloys, high-grade plastics and polymers.

My San Diego orthopedic knee surgery practice offers industry standard approaches to imaging, surgery and aftercare. If you’re experiencing knee pain and want to visit an experienced team today, I urge you to reach out to us here.