General Ortho or Orthopedic medicine is the treatment of the parts that make up the musculoskeletal system. These parts are bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Since these parts are in several different areas of the body, general ortho can help with a wide range of areas. Some of those are listed below.
- ankles
- back
- legs
- knees
- wrists
- elbows
- shoulders
In addition, not only do they offer surgical treatments, but they can also do methods that don’t require surgery, such as rehabilitation.
Another huge part of this type of medicine is sports medicine. The people treated through this type are usually athletes or people who are very active. One of the biggest issues that these people have is shoulder pain. Sometimes, this leads to needing shoulder surgery or shoulder replacement. Knee pain is another thing that plagues them because they usually put a lot of strain on this area. Just like the shoulder, if the injury is severe enough, they might need knee surgery or knee replacement. While these are 2 of the most common injury areas, people in sports or other active activities can suffer from other issues. Some of these are listed below.
- Rotator cuff injuries, such as tears and calcium deposits
- Anterior cruciate ligament or ACL injuries, such as tears and sprains
- Medial collateral ligament or MCL injuries, such as tears
- Meniscus Tear
While these injuries are most commonly associated with sports or physical activities, they can end up happening to anyone!
In addition to sports-related injuries, there are many other injuries or issues that can be treated by general ortho doctors. For example, an elderly patient who falls could begin experiencing hip pain. Going to an ortho will give them a better idea if they just need therapy or if they need something more, such as hip surgery or hip replacement. Some of the other general injuries or issues that require an appointment with an ortho are listed below.
- Joint injuries
- Cartilage damage
- Shoulder instability
- Arthritis
- Biceps torn either fully or partially
Remember, these are just a few of the injuries and, since the musculoskeletal system is so complex and large, there are several other injuries that could require an ortho visit.
Now that you know some of the things that can be taken care of by the ortho, you need to look at some of the common types of treatment. Each place is different and not all places will offer the same things, but the most common treatment options are talked about below.
Lateral Repairs
Lateral injuries are injuries that happen from a tear in the lateral collateral ligaments. The main places that get these injuries are the outside of the knee, lower leg, and ankle. The lateral repair can either be done with at home treatments or stitches and/or large staples. The treatment that you’ll have to get will depend on the severity of the injury.
PRP Treatment
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. These are given as injections and it’s a way to help your body heal more naturally. This type of treatment is a type of bone marrow therapy and the plasma is taken from the patient’s own blood and then injected into the area that is injured. Platelets help with clotting and wound healing. This means the more platelet injections the patient gets, the better the chances of natural healing they have.
Stem Cell Treatment
Similarly to platelet-rich plasma treatment, stem cells can be taken from the patient’s own body and injected into the area that is injured or damaged. Not only have stem cells been proven to help a person’s body, but they also are great for helping areas of the musculoskeletal system heal. Since the bone marrow comes from the patient’s body, there’s less chance of rejection and it’ll be like their body is fighting the injury, which will have better chances than a foreign body fighting the injury.
Regenerative Medicine
This type of treatment has been seen as controversial but it’s had some pretty great results. Essentially, the cells and tissues that make the areas healthy will be regenerated to aid in healing. When an injury occurs, the cells and tissues get damaged and being able to regenerate these areas will, hopefully, help the areas heal quicker and better.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is one of the most well-known forms of treatment in the ortho field. This is the treatment that probably takes the longest, but is also the least invasive because there aren’t any injections or cuts that need to be made. In terms of exercises for this treatment plan, it’s going to differ depending on the doctor, severity of the injury, and how much the patient can handle. There are also exercises that most doctors will give the patient to do at home so they can continue healing and don’t end up being stuck at a healing plateau.
Surgery
While surgery can easily fix the issue, most of the time, it’s reserved as a last resort. The reason for this is because it can be invasive and take a long time for healing. If other therapies are doing well and helping the patient heal, then surgery won’t have to be done. A lot of the time, surgery will only be the first choice if the injury is extremely severe and needs to be fixed right away. If it isn’t too severe, the ortho will probably exhaust all other options before jumping into surgery.
If you have any General Ortho questions or any of these issues, call Orthopaedic Specialists and make an appointment today. Some of the people you can expect to see on your visit are:
Dr. Brandon Downs
Drew Cressman, Physician Assistant
Todd Warren NP, ATC
Josh Colbert DPT, Certified MDT
The office can treat all of these issues and more so you can feel confident that your issues will be taken care of correctly and thoroughly. If you want to find an office and medical professionals that are compassionate, caring, and experienced, then Orthopaedic Specialists is the medical practice for you!
