An orthopedic surgeon at the Fort Worth Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Institute (OSMI) is a medical and surgical specialist who provides diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries involving the body’s musculoskeletal system. While in the past, orthopedic surgeons focused mainly on childhood conditions of the spine and limbs, their specialty now encompasses patients of all ages, treating a myriad of injuries and disorders of the complex musculoskeletal system, which includes:
Bones- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Muscles
- Joints
- Nerves
- Cartilage
- Any connective tissues that bind and support organs and body tissue
Education and Training for an Orthopedic Surgeon
An orthopedic surgeon must receive a significant amount of training in diagnosing and treating conditions within the musculoskeletal system. They are required to go through extensive formal education, as well as ongoing learning in the orthopedic field during the course of their careers. Orthopedic surgeon training includes:
- 4 years undergraduate degree from college or university
- 4 years medical school
- 5 years orthopedic residency
- 1 year of optional specialty training
After becoming licensed, an orthopedic surgeon must pass the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery’s written and oral exams in order to demonstrate mastery of orthopedic skill and knowledge. The orthopedic surgeons at Fort Worth OSMI continue to grow professionally in their orthopedic expertise by participating in continuing education programs, as well as studying and implementing new and innovative techniques as they become available.
Treatment by an Orthopedic Surgeon at Fort Worth OSMI
While an OSMI orthopedic surgeon is highly skilled at performing orthopedic surgery, treating orthopedic conditions involves much more, and surgery is typically utilized only after the condition is unresponsive to conventional treatments.
Managing musculoskeletal conditions can include:
- Diagnosing injuries and disorders
- Treating orthopedic conditions with therapies, medications, surgery, or other alternative treatment approaches
- Rehabilitating to restore strength, movement, and function
- Preventing further injury or disease progression
An orthopedic surgeon may choose to specialize in one or several related orthopedic fields of medicine or conditions.
Common Conditions seen by Orthopedic Surgeons
(Note: Please call our office to see if any of our surgeons specialize in these areas)
Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
Shoulder separation (AC separation): Injury to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint in which the clavicle, or collarbone, becomes separated from the acromion (upper portion of the shoulder blade), usually due to a downward force or fall
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis): Condition in which the connective tissue in the shoulder becomes stiff and inflamed, resulting in chronic pain and restrictive movement
Shoulder impingement syndrome (rotator cuff disorder): Inflammatory condition in which the rotator cuff tendons are squeezed in the space between the acromion and humerus, especially occurring when the arm is raised
Shoulder tendonitis: Painful inflammation or swelling in the tendons of the shoulder joint, usually the rotator cuff or bicipital tendon
Shoulder bursitis: Inflammation of the bursae (friction reducing sacs of fluid located within the joints) in the shoulder joint
Shoulder fractures: Break in the clavicle (collarbone), scapula (shoulder blade), or proximal humerus (upper arm bone), often caused by vehicular accident, fall, or sports injury
Knee Injuries and Disorders
Adolescent anterior knee pain: Chronic pain in the center front of the knee caused by injury to or overuse of the cartilage, often occurring in young athletes
Cartilage problems: Damage to the connective tissue (cartilage) which cushions the knee joint, causing stiffness, swelling, and pain which can take longer to heal because it is not supplied by blood
Discoid meniscus: Rare anomaly (often with no symptoms, but can cause the knee to lock, pop, or give way) characterized by a thickening of the meniscus (small wedge-shaped cartilage in the knee)
Growth plate fractures: Common injury in children in which a break occurs at the end of a long bone, such as the femur, where bone ossifies last, therefore is more susceptible to fractures
Knee ligament injuries in young athletes: Most often an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which occurs when the ligament is overstretched or hyperextended, especially common in female athletes
Meniscal tear: Fibrocartilage in the knee becomes ruptured causing pain and swelling, often due to traumatic injury in younger patients or degeneration (prolonged wear and tear) in older patients
Osgood-Schlatter disease (also called Lannelongue’s disease or apophysitis of the tibial tubercle): Condition, often affecting adolescents experiencing growth spurts, characterized by a bone elevation below the knee, appearing as a lump, and usually caused by stress on the tendon between the shinbone and knee with excessive activities, such as running and jumping
Osteochondritis dissecans: Joint condition, usually occurring in children and adolescents, in which the bone under the cartilage is denied blood flow and dies, risking the cartilage and bone breaking loose and causing pain and motion restriction
Osteonecrosis of the knee: Often unexplained bone death from lack of blood supply, common in older women, usually affecting the medial femoral condyle (portion of thighbone located at the inner knee), but can occur on the outer knee or flat portion of the tibia, and can lead to osteoarthritis if left untreated
Patellofemoral arthritis: Arthritis of the patella bone (kneecap) occurring when the cartilage under the patella wears away and becomes inflamed
Pes Anserine (knee tendon) bursitis: Irritation, and subsequent inflammation, of the bursa between the tibia and the hamstring tendons inside the knee, often caused by overuse or athletic stress and resulting in swelling and pressure in the knee
Prepatellar (kneecap) bursitis: Irritation and inflammation of the bursa located in front of the patella (kneecap), often caused by overuse in kneeling (such as done by gardeners, roofers, plumbers, carpet layers) or a direct blow
Unstable kneecap (patellar instability): Partial or complete displacement or dislocation of the patella, in which the kneecap slides out of its groove at the end of the femur, often from a fall, direct blow, or sharp rotation, but can occur with little force if the knee structure is abnormal
Elbow Injuries and Disorders
Pitcher’s elbow (medial epicondyle apophysitis): Common overuse injury in young baseball players in which the growth plate inside the elbow becomes inflamed due to underdevelopment or immaturity of the elbow structure
UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) injury, also called a Tommy John injury: Slow deterioration of the ligament on the medial side (inside) of the elbow (which connects the humerus to the ulna) due to repetitive stress and ultimately causing micro tears over time
Tendinopathy of the elbow: Any injury to the fibers that connect the bone to the muscle (tendons), including microtears and inflammation
Tennis elbow: Painful condition which occurs when the tendons and muscles around the outside of the elbow are overused
Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis): Painful condition affecting the inside of the elbow caused by damage to the tendons and muscles of the forearm from repeated or excess stress
Bursitis (olecranon): Inflammation of the bursa located at the back of the elbow (olecranon), usually caused by trauma, prolonged pressure, or infection
Cubital tunnel syndrome (ulnar nerve entrapment or ulnar neuropathy): Condition involving compression on the ulnar nerve (which runs along the inside of the arm) that results in numbness, tingling, or weakness in the ring and pinky fingers, and when severe, can decrease hand grip and cause claw-like hand deformity and muscle waste
Dislocation of the elbow: Separation of the joint surfaces of the elbow (humerus, radius, and ulna) often caused by the force of a fall on an outstretched hand
Fracture of the elbow: Break in the ulna bone at the tip of the elbow, the end of the humerus, or the radial head which usually occurs due to a fall, direct blow, or sharp twist
Ligament sprains and tears: Damage to the medial collateral ligament (MCL), lateral collateral ligament, or ulna collateral ligament often caused by overuse, repetitive motion, or direct blow
Osteoarthritis of the elbow: Inflammatory orthopedic condition in which elbow cartilage becomes damaged or worn due to injury or degeneration
Osteochondritis dissecans of the elbow: Condition common in young athletes involving loss of blood supply to, and eventual death of, the cartilage of the elbow, causing it to break loose and possibly become caught in the joint
Radial tunnel syndrome (resistant tennis elbow): Repetitive movement condition in which the radial nerve that travels through the forearm becomes compressed at the elbow, resulting in weakness and pain
Repetitive motion disorder of the elbow: Any condition, such as tendonitis or bursitis, caused by performing the same action repeatedly
Rheumatoid arthritis of the elbow: Inflammatory condition in which the lining of the elbow joint swells, encroaches on surrounding tissue, and produces a chemical which attacks the joint surface, resulting in pain, stiffness, joint deformity, and restricted movement
Elbow strain: Injury to tendons, muscles, or soft tissues around the elbow joint which can range from mild to severe
Stress fracture of the elbow: Tiny crack in the elbow joint which can occur when the muscles are overloaded and fail to absorb the stress put on the joint, commonly caused by a throwing motion
Throwing injuries of the elbow: An overuse injury, typically found in athletes, that worsens over time due to significant force concentrated at the inner elbow, including flexor tendonitis, UCL injury, valgus extension overload (VEO), olecranon stress fracture, and ulnar neuritis
Hand and Wrist Injuries and Disorders
Boutonniere deformity: Deformity of the fingers, usually caused by an inflammatory condition or tendon injury, in which the distal interphalangeal joint (farthest finger joint) cannot be bent and the proximal interphalangeal joint (nearest the knuckle) is bent inward toward the palm, causing the finger to be unable to straighten
Carpal tunnel syndrome: Common condition in which pressure (usually from swelling) in the median nerves that run from the hand to the forearm causes tingling, numbness, and weakness in the hand
Compartment syndrome: Painful condition involving pressure building up within an enclosed space of muscle due to swelling or bleeding after an injury, sometimes causing a dangerous decrease in blood flow
Complex regional pain syndrome (reflex sympathetic dystrophy): Condition characterized by intense burning pain, swelling, discoloration, and stiffness, typically in the hands, which often presents after a nerve injury, but sometimes from an illness or injury unrelated to the nerve
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis: Condition which affects the thumb-side tendons in the wrist and causes pain, swelling, and motion restriction at the base of the thumb
Dupuytren’s contracture: Hand deformity in which tissue in the palm of the hand forms knots and eventually a thick cord under the skin, which causes the fingers to contract
Ganglion cyst of the wrist and hand: Benign, fluid-filled lump in the wrist or hand joint which can vary in size (increasing with additional wrist activity) and can be painful, but usually not harmful
Kienbock’s disease: Disorder in which the lunate (a small bone in the wrist) has an interrupted blood supply, causing pain, stiffness, and possible arthritis in the wrist or osteonecrosis (bone death)
Mallet finger (baseball finger): Tendon injury in the end joint of the thumb or finger often caused by an object hitting the finger and resulting in the inability to straighten the digit
Mucous cyst: Benign fluid-filled sac, between the fingernail and end joint of the finger, that often presents in conjunction with osteoarthritis
Ulnar tunnel syndrome of the wrist: Compression of the ulnar nerve at the wrist (usually due to a ganglion cyst or repetitive pressure or trauma) that causes tingling and numbness in the ring and pinky fingers
Volar retinacular cyst: Ganglion cyst at the flexor tendon sheath (base of the finger by the palm) that makes gripping objects difficult
Arthritis of the hand, thumb, and wrist: Painful inflammatory condition affecting the joints and causing stiffness due to cartilage damage or loss that develops from years of wear-and-tear (osteoarthritis), autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis), or after an injury (posttraumatic arthritis)
Foot and Ankle Injuries and Disorders
Ankle and foot trauma: Injury to the foot or ankle including fractures, contusions, punctures, sprains, strains, dislocations, and tendon or ligament damage
Fractures of the foot or ankle: Common injury ranging in severity depending on the area and type of break that occurs, and for which treatment can involve splinting, casting, or orthopedic surgery
Arthritis of the foot and ankle: Inflammatory condition of the joints that generally worsens over time and which causes pain, stiffness, and difficulty walking
Sports injuries: Acute (sudden) or chronic (occurring over time) injuries including fractures, dislocations, sprains, tendon ruptures, and overuse conditions
Bunions: Bony, often painful, lumps on the joint of the big toe where it attaches to the foot caused by the toe being forced toward the second toe, arthritis, or structural defect
Infections of the foot: Includes fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot or toenail infection, and bacterial foot infections, such as an abscess after an injury or diabetic infections
Congenital deformities: Conditions present at birth ranging from mild to severe, including toe abnormalities, clubfeet, extremely flat feet (congenital valgus deformity), excessively high arches (cavus feet), and tight Achilles tendon (equinus)
Achilles tendinopathy: Degeneration or thickening of the Achilles tendon, which can cause pain, swelling, and a boniness at the back of the heel
Hip Injuries and Disorders
An orthopedic surgeon will treat any condition affecting the hip joint or surrounding muscles, including:
- Osteoarthritis
- Bursitis
- Snapping hip syndrome
- Hip impingement syndrome
- Labral tear
- Perthes disease
- Slipped capital femoral epephysis
- Developmental dysplasia
- Irritable hip syndrome
Back Injuries and Disorders
Conditions treated by an orthopedic surgeon at OSMI include:
- Bone fractures
- Strains
- Sprains
- Spasms
- Sciatica
- Cartilage or muscle damage
- Scoliosis
The orthopedic surgeons at Fort Worth OSMI are committed to diagnosing and treating every patient’s injury or disorder through both conventional methods, as well as the use of innovative, cutting-edge technology. Our goal is complete rehabilitation and functionality restoration for all of our patients. If you have questions and would like to schedule an appointment, please submit an online appointment request or contact our office at 817-529-1900.