Services
At Joint and Bone Institute of California, we offer a variety services in California that you need to keep feeling your best.
We have listed some of the services we offer below. If you are looking for something more specialized please call our California office and we will be able to assist you.
Knee Replacement
The Joint and Bone Institute of California performs knee replacement procedures when all non-operative treatment modalities have been exhausted. Also referred to as knee arthroplasty, knee replacement surgeries are a last resort. However, rebounding from this surgery proves significantly easier when patients complete knee replacement patient education classes. The aim of knee replacement surgery is a resurfacing of the knee joint parts that have endured damage that ultimately reduces pain that would otherwise not be possible. This procedure is typically performed while the patient is asleep or under general anesthesia.
The knee replacement procedure begins with the removal of clothing so the patient can wear a gown. An intravenous line is started in the hand or arm. The patient is positioned on the table for operating. If there is an abundance of hair at the site where the surgery is to be performed, it will be clipped away. An antiseptic solution is applied to the skin at the site of the surgery. An incision is subsequently made. The doctor removes the damaged surface of the joint, resurfacing it with a prosthesis. This prosthesis consists of plastic and metal with three distinct pieces in the patellar component, the femoral component and the tibial component. An anesthesiologist monitors the patient’s heart rate, blood oxygen, breathing and blood pressure as the surgery is performed.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy starts with the collection of the body’s stem cells. Adipose-derived stem cells (those from body fat) are harvested from body sites such as the lower abdomen. Bone marrow is harvested from cells in the iliac crest. The final harvest involves the drawing of blood from a peripheral vein to create platelet-rich plasma. These three unique components are directly injected into the problematic body site, whether it is the back, hips, shoulders, knees or other joints. This is performed under ultrasound guidance or live x-ray guidance. The use of stem cells from the patient’s body is a highly effective and safe means of ensuring the body heals in a completely natural way. The earlier the stem cell procedure is performed, the better the chances are for a beneficial outcome.
The stem cell collection process takes about an hour. You will be perfectly comfortable during this period of time thanks to our light oral sedation. You will feel a slight tickling if any sensation at all. The cells gathered are separated with the use of an advanced centrifuge process so they can be subsequently injected into the problematic body site. There is no reason to worry about our stem cell therapy procedure as the doctors at the Joint and Bone Institute of California have extensive experience performing injections with these cells. Stem cells can be added to different body sites where they transform into the cells required by the body, ultimately expediting healing.
Sport Injuries
If you suffer a sports injury involving the joints or bones, reach out to the Joint and Bone Institute of California by dialing (661) 544-3352. We have successfully treated patients with all different types of bone and joint problems. If necessary, surgery such as joint arthroplasty with the use of an artificial joint will be used to replaced the joint that has suffered damage. However, non-surgical options are exhausted prior to performing surgery. In fact, the majority of such injuries do not mandate surgery. Non-operative treatments options include but are not limited to ongoing management and injections through ultrasound guidance. Examples of such injections include platelet-rich plasma injections, hyaluronic acid injections and steroid injections.
Sports medicine treatments and procedures are tailored to each individual patient’s idiosyncratic injury to hasten the restoration of both movement and functionality. Even if you are not a high-level athlete and hurt yourself in a neighborhood pickup game or extracurricular activity at school, our team of medical professionals is happy to treat your injury as appropriate. We will do everything in our power to relieve your pain, restore your motion and help you get back out onto the field of play as soon as possible. If you experience any type of bruising, significant pain, lack of movement, angulation or skin discoloration after your sports injury, reach out to us right away to get the ball rolling on your sports injury treatment.
Platelet-rich Plasma Injections
These unique injections provided at the Joint and Bone Institute of California require the drawing of blood and its preparation for injection at the problematic body site. This procedure typically takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half. Our medical professionals are here to determine if you can benefit from a series of injections or a single injection. If you need multiple injections, they will be spaced out across several weeks or months. It might be prudent to use fresh PRP in the initial injection and use frozen PRP that is subsequently thawed in the ensuring PRP injections.
These injections require considerable precision from an experienced physician. We use ultrasound guidance imaging technology to ensure the injection is administered with flawless precision. The body site is cleaned with the application of a disinfectant and the injection is made in the joint capsule after the blood is processed with a centrifuge machine. The site of the injection is then cleansed and bandaging is applied as appropriate. You can do your part to improve your condition after the PRP injection by performing the necessary follow-up care. Go easy in the days that follow the injection and do your best to avoid straining the joint in question. If the PRP injection succeeds in decreasing your pain, you will likely receive a physical therapy prescription that helps bolster your muscle strength by the joint where the injection was administered.
Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Injuries
Rotator cuff tears and shoulder injuries can sometimes be successfully treated with nonsurgical treatments. Nonsurgical treatment modalities provided by the Joint and Bone Institute of California often enhance functionality while simultaneously reducing pain. In short, the presence of a tear does not automatically necessitate surgery. Keep in mind, it might take upwards of a full year for your rotator cuff or other shoulder injury to improve.
Examples of nonsurgical treatments available through our institute include steroid injections that minimize pain, physical therapy that improve strength, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce pain and even the use of an arm sling and rest. If absolutely necessary, surgery will be performed. Surgery is typically performed if there is a full tear and nonsurgical intervention does not produce the intended results. Rotator cuff surgery is typically arthroscopic, performed with diminutive incisions. Rotator cuff and other shoulder surgeries are outpatient procedures meaning you can go home on the same day as the surgery. However, it must be noted certain tears cannot be repaired due to their age or size, ultimately necessitating reverse shoulder replacement, debridement of scar tissue without repair or tendon transfer.
Hand Surgeries: Including Carpal Tunnel Surgeries
Use your hands often enough and there is a good chance you will eventually have damage that necessitates surgery. Carpal tunnel surgery is particularly common for those who type on a keyboard or use their hands for other purposes on a daily basis. Our medical professionals at Joint and Bone Institute of California are here to determine if you can benefit from a hand surgery such as carpal tunnel surgery. Carpal tunnel syndrome gradually weakens the muscles in both the wrists and the hands. If these symptoms continue, the condition will worsen, ultimately necessitating treatment such as the use of a brace, the use of corticosteroids, alterations to work, etc.
Surgery is a last resort yet oftentimes necessary. If you find it is difficult to hold onto objects or if you suffer pain, tingling or numbness in your hands or wrists that does not improve in a period of six months, contact us at (661) 544-3352 to schedule an appointment so our medical professionals can analyze your painful hands. If surgery is necessary, it will either be endoscopic or open. Open surgery requires a comparably large incision, upwards of two inches from the wrist all the way to the palm. Endoscopic surgery requires creating an opening in the wrist and possibly another in the arm. These incisions are comparably small and guided with the use of a small camera that helps guide the cutting of the ligament.
Fracture Care
With the proper care, fractures will gradually heal without causing significant pain along the way. If you know or suspect you have a fracture at any body site, reach out to our medical professionals today by dialing (661) 544-3352 to schedule an appointment where we discuss fracture care. The majority of fractures are treated in a manner that immobilizes the bone so it can heal naturally. Such immobilization is accomplished with the use of a cast, a splint, a soft brace and possibly even a boot. In certain cases, the broken bone has to be set in place or returned to alignment.
Our fracture care specialists understand the subtle nuances of fracture setting that helps the compromised bone heal properly. Our team will also determine if surgery is necessary to keep the bone in position. In short, the treatment that is best for your unique fracture hinges on the type of the fracture as well as the specific bone(s) fractured. Fracture correction can occur with several different approaches ranging from traction alignment to casting and bracing and even external fixation with the use of metal pins and wires.
Anterior Hip Replacement
Hip replacement is a surgery that replaces the hip joint with an artificial joint. The medical professionals here at the Joint and Bone Institute of California will determine if your hip is damaged to the extent that such a surgery is necessary. The goal of anterior hip replacement is to replace the compromised hip joint, facilitate movement and reduce pain in the years and decades ahead. The artificial hip joint used to replace the natural one consists of ceramic, metal or a blend of the two materials. The artificial joint’s lining typically consists of plastic, ceramic or metal.
The logic in using the anterior approach is it empowers the surgeon to perform the surgery with a comparably small surgical incision. The cut is in the front portion of the hip as opposed to the back or the side. Performing the surgery from the front reduces the potential for pain, lessens muscle trauma, minimizes subsequent limping, facilitates an easier recovery and also reduces the chance of dislocation. The surgery will be performed under general or regional anesthesia. In the end, anterior hip replacement makes it that much easier for you to return to your prior quality of life that much faster than would be possible with traditional hip replacement surgery.
Our goal is to provide a family office environment that you are comfortable in and provide staff and services that make you comfortable while maintaining a healthy body!
Please call us today to schedule an appointment at our California office. 661-544-3352