Hip Pain: True and False
Every day, people come to orthopaedic surgeons because of “hip pain”. But often, what they are calling hip pain is not true hip pain. How can this be? It is because what most people call the hip is not the hip joint. The hip joint is a ball and socket, and it is located in […]
Shoulder Separation Injuries
Injuries to the acromioclavicular joint are also known as shoulder separation injuries. They are distinct from shoulder dislocations, which take place at the shoulder joint itself, the gleno-humeral joint. Shoulder separations occur at the small joint at the top of the shoulder where the outer end of the clavicle ( collar bone ) meets the […]
Shoulder Arthritis: Total Shoulder Replacement Surgery
By Dr. Paul D. Protomastro, M.D. Arthritis is a common cause of shoulder pain and dysfunction that drives many people to need the care of an orthopaedic surgeon. The shoulder joint is formed by a ball on the upper end of the humerus bone that rotates within a small socket on the shoulder blade bone […]
Knee Replacement Implants
By Dr. Michael M. Lynch During knee replacement surgery, an orthopaedic surgeon will replace damaged knee surfaces with artificial implants. Most of the time, all of the surfaces are replaced, but in some instances, only part of the total bearing surface of the knee warrants replacing. This is known as a partial knee replacement. This […]
Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Q&A with Dr. Michael G. Soojian What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)? It’s a condition in the wrist caused by pressure on the median nerve. The tendons that bend your fingers share the carpal tunnel with the median nerve. When compressed, pressure builds up in the carpal tunnel, irritating and inflaming the nerve and causing […]
Shoulder Conditioning for Faster, Injury-Free Swimming
by Brian A. Bast, D.O. Although referred to as a ball-in-socket joint, the shoulder socket is relatively flat and more of a suspended joint where ligaments and muscles account for the stability of the joint. Without a deep socket like the hip, the shoulder loses stability in return for increased range of motion. The important […]
Treatment of Scoliosis In Children
By Robert L. Brady, M.D. The term Scoliosis was first introduced by the ancient Greek physician Galen and is literally translated as “crookedness.” Physicians today display a fair amount more discretion and sensitivity in discussing medical conditions with our patients, and especially when they affect our children. Therefore, we define Scoliosis as a lateral (side-to-side) […]
Ankle Arthritis
Although there are many causes of arthritis, such as arthritis related to previous injury, age-related degeneration, inflammatory types such as gout or rheumatoid disease, or infectious, all forms involve a loss of the natural cartilage coating of the joint and a variable amount of pain, stiffness, instability, and deformity. Each joint involved with arthritis has […]
Adult Trigger Finger
By Dr. Michael G. Soojian If you are unable to fully flex and/or extend one or more of your fingers, you may be suffering from “trigger finger.” This limited finger mobility is often associated with pain as well as a locking or catching sensation. Trigger fingers occur as a result of a localized or diffuse […]
Total Joint Pain Management
The management of post operative pain from Total Joint Replacement has changed dramatically in the last few years. Gone are the days of needing strong intravenous narcotics that rob the patients of strength and their ability to progress. We have moved to multimodal pain management. We are using a nationally recognized protocol that uses smaller […]
Throwing Injuries in Children
By Dr. Paul D. Protomastro Baseball and softball season are in full swing! From the exhilaration of hitting a game winning RBI, to the satisfaction of making a double play, to the triumph of striking out the side: baseball and softball are timeless American sports that have captured the hearts of millions for over a […]
Overuse Sports Injuries in Children and Teens
By Michael M. Lynch, M.D. Over the past ten years, it is estimated by some that the incidence of overuse sports injuries in youth has increased four or five fold. This is also reflected by a significant increase in surgeries directed at addressing these problems. The cause of this rise is primarily related to a […]
Keeping Up with Today’s Youth Sports Injuries
By Dr. Joshua B. Frank, OrthoConnecticut As fall begins, we all start thinking of the busy school year and what it will bring. Many of us also start thinking of football and other fall sports. While this does cause excitement it also brings with it some trepidation. Over the years we have learned a tremendous […]
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury
By Jeffrey V. DeLuca, M.D. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the major stabilizing ligament of the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and runs from the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone). The ACL can be injured by trauma or sporting events. Usually it is torn by a […]
Torn Knee Cartilage
One of the most common causes of knee pain is a torn cartilage, and it usually occurs without any warning or traumatic event. Each knee joint contains two cartilage pads; the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus, which help to carry our weight. Their job is to distribute weight evenly in the knee and to […]
Rapid Recovery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
By Michael G. Soojian, M.D. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a nerve compression syndrome that occurs as a result of pressure on the median nerve in the wrist. As the median nerve enters the hand, it passes through an enclosed space known as the carpal tunnel, along with the tendons that bend the fingers and […]
Osteoarthritis and Exercise
Many patients with arthritis in their hips, knees, ankles ask whether they can continue with sports and with running. The traditional understanding of osteoarthritis, the most common form of degenerative joint disease, is that it involves simply wear and tear of the joints, much like breaking down the pads on your car’s brakes. If osteoarthritis […]
Keeping Your Back Healthy Developing Core-Strength and Preventing Injury
By Brian A. Bast, D.O. Maintaining core-strength has been a huge focus in the sports and fitness world for the last decade. As the term “core” implies, this part of our bodies is central to most activities we perform, particularly any sports activity. Keeping the muscles at our core strong is important for achieving peak […]