Orthopedic surgeons perform surgeries and treatments on patients with bone, muscle, and joint issues. When treating the lower limbs, including the hips, knees, ankles, feet, and associated muscles and connective tissues, the goal is to restore the patient’s mobility and to relieve pain.
Of all the joints in your body, the joints in your lower limbs are most prone to injury. And any such injury is usually accompanied by pain that limits your ability to move.
Orthopedic physicians always aim to provide treatment in the most minimally invasive manner possible so that the patient will require as little recovery time as possible. For example, the doctor may give you a pain-relief injection for knee pain, but they might recommend (and perform) surgery to repair a fully torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in the knee.
What Issues Are Treated by Orthopedists?
Orthopedic surgeons can address a wide variety of lower extremity conditions, such as:
- Chronic pain or acute pain
- Sprains and strains
- Fractures and dislocations
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Bone deformities
- Nerve disorders
- Achilles tendon rupture
- Achilles tendonitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Ankle instability
- Diabetic foot problems
Lower Limb Treatments Performed by Orthopedic Surgeons
Orthopedic doctors use a variety of treatment methods, both surgical and nonsurgical. Most treatments combine more than a single treatment method for optimum efficacy. Nonsurgical treatment methods may include targeted injections for pain management as well as physical therapy or ice/heat therapy.
Every orthopedic surgeon is trained in the latest techniques and technologies for treating conditions that affect the limbs and other muscles and joints. If surgery is necessary, these doctors will recommend minimally invasive surgery before recommending a more fully invasive operation.
Benefits of Minimally Invasive Total Joint Replacement
Most joint surgeries can now be performed in a minimally invasive manner, including total joint replacement surgery. The benefits of this technique are that there are generally much smaller incisions required, less blood loss during the surgery, smaller scars afterward, and less healing time required.
This surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis, so the patient can go home later that day. The only reason why the patient would have to stay overnight is if there is a complication during or after the surgery, such as an infection.
Surgical treatments include:
- Meniscus tear repair
- Partial hip replacement
- Total hip replacement
- Partial knee replacement
- Total knee replacement
- Partial ankle replacement
- Total ankle replacement
- Knee arthroscopy
- Ankle arthroscopy
- Hip arthroscopy
- Revision joint surgery
- Fracture repair
- Dislocation repair
- Reconstruction
- Sports medicine services
Hip and Knee Orthopedic Surgeon in South Florida
Here at Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches, our orthopedic team specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of issues in the limbs and the spine. Our surgeons have decades of experience treating the hips, knees, ankles, spine, and all issues of the musculoskeletal system.
If you would like to find out more about our treatments for joint pain, please call our office today, or request an appointment via our online form. We look forward to taking care of you and helping you get back in motion!
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. For advice about your condition, talk with your physician. Request an appointment with our team.
