Orthopaedic Services at Columbia St. Mary’s

Posted: May 1, 2005

Orthopaedics is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This complex system includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

Columbia St. Mary’s has a long history of being a leader in caring for patients with a wide range of orthopaedic conditions. Columbia St. Mary’s provides a full spectrum of orthopaedic services and programs for joint replacement, rehabilitation, sports medicine, pain management, spine care and arthritis.

Regardless of the type of condition you may have, the skilled medical, nursing, therapy and support staffs are experienced in meeting the special needs of orthopaedic patients.

Specialty programs

Joint Replacement
Total joint replacement involves removing an arthritic or damaged joint, such as a hip or knee, and replacing it with an artificial joint. Historically, Columbia St. Mary’s has performed the largest volume of joint replacements in Wisconsin, and continues to be a leader in joint replacement surgery in the state.

Joint Camp
Joint Camp is a unique program for people having total hip or knee replacement surgery. The program helps prepare people — both mentally and physically — for their surgery and recovery. Joint Camp brings patients and their coaches (a friend or family member) together with orthpaedic team members to learn all about the surgery. The goal is to ensure that patients know what to expect before, during and after surgery so that they feel more at ease about the surgery, more comfortable during the hospital stay and recover more quickly.

Spine Center
The Spine Center provides a focal point for people with back and neck problems. A team of medical professionals who specialize in disorders of the back and neck coordinate all of a person’s spine care needs and collaborate to offer the most appropriate treatment. The goal is to provide a streamlined approach to evaluating and treating spine-related disorders.

Arthritis Center
The Arthritis Center provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for people living with arthritis. A skilled team of rheumatologists, nurses, therapists, dietitians, surgeons and others help to improve the quality of life for persons with arthritis. Team members emphasize education to help patients adjust their lifestyles and manage their disease.

Pain Center
Chronic pain may be the result of an accident, chronic illness, surgery or a degenerative medical condition or illness. The goal of the Pain Center is help people regain control, increase their comfort and return to the lifestyle they enjoyed before they had pain. An individualized treatment plan is developed based on each patient’s specific needs and the treatment team follows each patient’s progress. A variety of pain management treatments are available.

AthleticForce Sports Medicine
AthleticForce offers personalized care for athletes of all ages. Staff includes specialized health care professionals comprised of certified athletic trainers, physicians, certified strength and conditioning specialists, physical therapists, nutritionists and occupational therapists. Columbia St. Mary’s also provides many sports-related services to high schools and universities.

Rehabilitation
Orthopaedic rehabilitation is designed for people who have problems with muscles, joints or bones following injury, surgery or disease.

Rehabilitation services are available on an outpatient and inpatient basis. Inpatient rehabilitation services are available to patients at all Columbia St. Mary’s hospital campuses. Outpatient rehabilitation services are available at many Columbia St. Mary’s sites in southeastern Wisconsin for people who need a less aggressive program or who are continuing therapy after discharge from the hospital.

Skilled professionals work as a team to help patients reach their full potential. The team, which includes physical and occupational therapists, works closely with the patient’s physician to develop a treatment plan. The intensive orthopaedic rehabilitation program provides therapy for people who have had a joint replacement (for example, hip or knee), fractures or who have experienced an amputation.

Orthopaedic Surgery
More than 60 orthopaedic surgeons are on the Columbia St. Mary’s medical staff with specialties in every area of orthopaedic surgery. The surgeons and operating room staff work in facilities specially designed for orthopaedic surgery, using state-of-the-art technology.

Columbia St. Mary’s was one of the first health care systems in Wisconsin to use surgical navigation — or computer-assisted technology — for orthopaedic surgery. Surgical navigation uses a computer and sensors placed over a patient’s bones that allow surgeons to “see” a joint during the surgery to more accurately determine the best placement of a knee or hip implant.

Surgeons at the Milwaukee Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, established at Columbia St. Mary’s in 1992, perform many procedures including spinal fusions, using minimally invasive surgical equipment and techniques.

Minimally invasive surgery is performed using a few small incisions through which the surgeon inserts a small scope and surgical instruments. The benefits of minimally invasive surgery over traditional surgery include shorter recovery time, less post-operative pain, shorter hospital stay, fewer stitches, less trauma to tissues and less scarring.

For more information on orthopaedic services at Columbia St. Mary’s, call (414) 326-1745.

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