Total shoulder replacement, also known as total shoulder arthroplasty, is a major surgical procedure in which your orthopedic surgeon replaces the damaged ball and socket joint of the shoulder with a metal replacement ball on a plastic surface on the socket.

This procedure is often performed to treat severe, ongoing pain caused by degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis or serious injury. With the right help from a skilled orthopedic surgeon, patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty can experience full recovery, find relief from pain, and restore their range of motion so they can participate in the activities they love.

Talk to one of our orthopedic surgeons to see if your condition warrants a possible total shoulder replacement.

Sometimes, the rotator cuff in a shoulder can be damaged beyond repair. This can also lead to a painful condition known as cuff tear arthropathy, which is a form of shoulder arthritis. When these conditions happen, a traditional total shoulder replacement is not an effective form of treatment. The alternative is called a reverse shoulder replacement.

A reverse shoulder replacement uses different muscles to help the arm move than what are used normally. Since the rotator cuff muscle can’t function, the design of this implant takes advantage of other muscles – such as the deltoid muscles in the shoulder – to move the arm instead.

You may be a candidate for reverse shoulder replacement if you have cuff tear arthropathy or a severe fracture of the proximal humerus. If so, your orthopedic surgeon at OSI can walk you through the process and help you understand what the treatment will entail and how it will help you.

The rotator cuff in your shoulder helps you raise and rotate your arm. It is a vital part of your arm’s full range of motion, and when it is torn or damaged, your mobility will become impaired.  You may also experience significant weakness and/or pain.

Rotator cuff surgery is usually required if nonsurgical techniques don’t relieve the pain. There are two options: a surgeon can reattach the torn tendon in the case of a full tear; or, a surgeon can perform a debridement (trimming or smoothing the tendon) in the case of a partial tear.

Rotator cuff repair is often done through arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopic surgery for the shoulder helps to address injuries to your shoulder joint and the surrounding tissues by using a tiny camera – called an arthroscope – through a small incision into your shoulder so the surgeon can examine the tissue and the joint. If repairs are necessary, they can be made via a series of additional incisions. This is a minimally-invasive way to repair the damage to your rotator cuff.

Talk to a trained orthopedic surgeon at OSI to learn more about rotator cuff repair and how it may benefit you and give you the improved mobility you deserve.

Named for former Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John, Tommy John surgery is designed to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL. The UCL is on the inner part of your elbow and helps to connect your upper arm bone to a bone in your forearm. When this ligament is torn – usually by repeated throwing motions, like pitching – the patient may experience an inability to perform certain motions.

UCL injuries most commonly occur in athletes. Tommy John surgery is designed to help these athletes regain their ability to perform by taking a healthy tendon from elsewhere in the body and using it to replace the damaged UCL tendon in the elbow.

Using today’s technology, an athlete can fully recover from a UCL injury with a Tommy John surgery. Contact your orthopedic surgeon at OSI to schedule a consultation and see if this surgery is recommended for your situation.

Total elbow arthroplasty is also known as total elbow replacement. This procedure involves replacing damaged bones in the elbow with artificial components made from metal and plastic. Candidates for total elbow arthroplasty suffer from pain and disability, usually caused by anything from degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), rheumatoid arthritis, serious elbow injuries and fractures, and chronic instability.

Surgery is usually inpatient and may require a hospital stay of 2-4 days following the procedure. Your surgery will be followed by a rehabilitation program that will help you avoid stiffness, maintain range of motion, and gradually regain use of your arm.

For more information about a total elbow arthroplasty procedure, contact your orthopedic surgeon at OSI and see if this procedure may be appropriate for you.

Elbows may seem hard and resilient, but they can be just as prone to fracture as other parts of the body. A fracture of the elbow, if significant enough, can keep you from using that arm at all, or at least severely impact your mobility and function.

For minor fractures, rest and stabilization are all that are needed to heal the break. But orthopedic surgeons sometimes have to perform surgery on the break in order to repair it and help you regain function in your elbow and arm.

Our orthopedic surgeons are skilled at elbow fracture repair and can diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions affecting this important body part.

Treatment & Hand Surgery

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects countless Americans every year and results from pressure placed on the median nerve in your wrist. This can be the result of exposure to repetitive motions or vibrations. Carpal tunnel syndrome can result in chronic pain, numbness, and/or tingling, and can be addressed by a procedure called carpal tunnel release.

Our Kansas City hand specialists and hand surgeons are available and ready to help you at our Liberty, Blue Springs, MO, or North KC locations.

Carpal tunnel release solves carpal tunnel syndrome by giving the median nerve more room and is performed by cutting through a ligament at the top of the carpal tunnel, called the carpal ligament.

If you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and nonsurgical treatment hasn’t helped, a carpal tunnel release procedure may need to be scheduled. Ask a local Kansas City hand & wrist doctor at OSI if this may be the best option for you.

Also known as stenosing tenosynovitis, trigger finger is a condition in which there is a locking and painful sensation in your fingers and/or thumb. This is often developed through a repetitive gripping motion such as that used to hold a steering wheel, cell phone, tennis racket, or some other object. This can, over time, cause swelling at the base of your finger that can result in a painful, catching sensation when you try to straighten your finger.

There are nonsurgical ways to treat trigger finger, such as bracing or steroid injections but when these don’t work or if the condition is severe, surgery may be necessary. Trigger finger release is a procedure in which the surgeon cuts a ligament called the A1 pulley, allowing the tendon in your finger to pass through without being caught.

Consult with an orthopedic surgeon at OSI (Orthopedic Surgeons Inc.) to learn more about what trigger finger release entails and what it can do for your condition.

The hands and wrists are intricate and complex parts of your body made of several small joints that enable you to flex and move your hands and fingers. When these joints become damaged, either through degenerative diseases such as arthritis or through injury, they may need to be replaced. One of the main joints that we replace is the joint at the base of your thumb.

There are various techniques utilized to replace the basilar thumb joint.  These include options such as using other tendons, a ceramic ball, or a suspensory device to reconstruct the joint.  This can restore function and gives you full use of your hand and wrist while eliminating a source of chronic pain and inflammation.

If you’ve experienced ongoing pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints of your hand, and nonsurgical intervention doesn’t help, then surgery may be required.  Consult with the team at OSI to learn more about how surgery can be a good option for you.

Including The Anterior Approach

Each year thousands of patients undergo total hip replacement surgery.  There are various ways to actually perform this procedure.  One of them is the anterior supine inter-muscular (ASI) approach, or what is commonly referred to simply as the anterior approach.  This uses an incision on the front side of the hip to allow direct access to the joint.  This is unique in that it is a muscle-sparing technique, meaning no muscles need to be detached from the bone during the procedure.  This can potentially mean less postoperative pain, quicker recovery, and a faster return to your day-to-day activities.

Not all patients and conditions are ideal for this technique however and more traditional approaches can still lead to great outcomes.  Talk to one of our Kansas City surgeons at OSI to find out what your best option for hip replacement surgery may be.

The labrum is a fibrous piece of cartilage in your hip that helps stabilize the joint. When it is torn, the patient often feels pain and will have a loss of mobility on that side of the body. These tears are caused either by degenerative conditions or by traumatic injuries.

Orthopedic surgeons can use a variety of methods to address torn labrums, including hip arthroscopic hip surgery – a minimally-invasive surgical method using small incisions to access the injured area.

Talk to an orthopedic surgeon in Kansas City at Orthopedic Surgeons, Inc, if you have had a labral tear diagnosed and are in need of labral repair surgery.

Destruction of the knee joint can be caused by degenerative conditions or by traumatic injury. If your knee has been damaged to the point where you can’t walk, climb stairs, or even sit, then you may need a total knee replacement by a professional knee doctor or knee specialist in the Kansas City metro.

This procedure is has become quite common; each year, roughly several hundred thousand knee replacements are performed. During this surgery, the orthopedic surgeon will “resurface” the joint with metal and plastic implants.  This is much like a dentist placing a crown on a tooth.  The implants effectively cover and protect the raw exposed bone from further friction and damage leading to a dramatic decrease in pain.

Total knee replacement isn’t recommended for everyone, but it can be a viable and successful option to eliminate chronic, severe pain that won’t go away with nonsurgical intervention. Talk to an orthopedic surgeon at OSI to learn more about total knee replacements and how they can help you regain the quality of life and mobility you desire.

An alternative to a total knee replacement, a partial knee replacement (also known as a unicompartmental knee replacement) resurfaces just a portion of the knee with metal and plastic implants. Partial knee replacement is typically for those whose knee damage is limited to a specific area of the knee as opposed to the entire knee. This procedure is less invasive and can result in a quicker recovery time than a total knee replacement.

The knee is made up of the junction of the femur, tibia, and patella. Fractures can occur through any of these bones and are often associated with falls or higher energy accidents such as car wrecks.  These fractures can potentially be treated with or without surgery but usually depends on factors such as the fracture pattern, location, overall health of the patient, and other injuries.  When surgery is indicated it can help restore the joint surfaces back to a more natural position, allow for an earlier range of motion, and sometimes a quicker return to function.

Our orthopedic surgeons have experience in dealing with fractures about the knee and understand the delicate nature of the knee and how best to handle this vital part of the body. Talk to one of our surgeons to learn more about treating a knee fracture and the best way to best recover from it.

A MAKOplasty knee replacement is a robot-assisted unicompartmental (or partial) knee replacement surgery. A special robotic arm is guided by a computer to assist the orthopedic surgeon in making sure the components used in the replacement are properly aligned. This can create more consistent results and potentially increase the longevity of the procedure. Talk to your orthopedic surgeon to see if MAKOplasty robotic knee replacement is an option for you.

The foot and ankle are a complex part of our skeleton.  Unfortunately, due to the nature of being on our feet throughout our life and the various activities we are involved in, these areas are at high risk of injury.  Fractures of the foot and ankle are quite common.  They can range from rather simple to extremely complex.  Subsequently, our Kansas City foot & ankle treatments can vary widely depending on the nature of the injury.

Proper alignment and stability is vital for successful, pain-free outcomes after fractures to these areas. Sometimes this can be achieved non-operatively but other times surgery is necessary to optimize outcomes.  At OSI our local orthopedic surgeons are well versed at dealing with these types of injuries and can provide you with proper recommendations and treatment when needed.

An alternative to joint replacement, an ankle fusion surgery (or ankle arthrodesis) seeks to relieve pain in the ankle by removing motion from the ankle. In this surgery, the bones that make up your ankle joint are fused together into one bone. Because these bones will no longer move against each other in an up and down motion, the pain can be reduced or eliminated.

Not every person is a candidate for ankle fusion, and ankle fusion may not be preferable to another course of treatment. It’s important to consult with your Kansas City orthopedic surgeon to find out if ankle fusion is recommended for you.

Orthopedic Surgery isn’t recommended for all injuries and conditions. For many orthopedic conditions, nonsurgical treatments are sufficient – and this includes orthopedic bracing and other sports medicine treatments.

Orthopedic bracing is designed to stabilize various parts of your body and promote healing and recovery in the event of an injury, or to help in mobility and function. Sometimes, a well-fitted brace is the best treatment for a condition or injury.

To assist in the healing of injured ligaments, tendons, joints, and muscles, OSI offers platelet-rich plasma injections that use a patient’s own blood to promote healing through a concentrated application of platelets and other circulating healing factors in the bloodstream.

Platelets are what the body uses to help heal wounds and injuries. When blood that is rich in platelets is injected into an affected area, that area can potentially heal and recover faster than it would without the injections.

Platelet-rich plasma has been shown to reduce pain and increase function in a wide variety of areas, such as tendinosis in the elbow, hip, knee, wrist, shoulder, and ankle. It is also being applied to treat osteoarthritis. Since the plasma comes from a patient’s own blood, the chance that the body will react to the injection is minimal.

Talk to an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine specialist at OSI to learn more about the benefits of platelet-rich plasma injections and how they can promote better healing for your condition.