Advancements in orthopedic care

Maintaining healthy joints is essential for mobility and quality of life. When joint pain arises, whether as the result of an acute injury or natural aging, the discomfort can interfere with daily activities and keep you from living your fullest life.

The good news is that it’s possible to protect your joints with the right preventive strategies. By teaming up with the orthopedic experts at Wellstar, you can overcome joint pain and stay at the top of your game.

Do: Train smart and prioritize recovery.

When it comes to joint health, the way you train matters just as much as how you recover.

“Smart training means warm-ups, cool downs and using ice after activities and heat before activities,” said Wellstar Chief Musculoskeletal Officer Dr. Joseph Burns. It also means understanding your body’s limits—you should avoid pushing too hard, too fast, as this can lead to overuse injuries that compromise long-term joint health.

Additionally, variety of movement is key. “You shouldn’t do one sport or one physical activity all year round,” noted Dr. Burns, who specializes in shoulder surgery and sports medicine. Try to mix up your exercises, incorporating a blend of strength, flexibility and mobility training to build joint resilience. Be mindful of any discomfort, and adjust your routine accordingly.

Finally, it’s important to allow for adequate rest and recovery between intense activities to prevent strain and reduce inflammation.

“There’s a normal soreness after activities,” Dr. Burns said, “but if you don’t give your body the opportunity to fully recover, it gets used to the idea that it’s always in pain, always fighting.”

By training smart and prioritizing recovery, you're not just protecting your joints in the short term—you’re setting the stage for a lifetime of movement and vitality.

Don’t: Ignore joint pain.

It’s important to pay attention to the cues your body gives you. Ignoring pain can lead to further damage. According to Dr. Burns, one of the first steps you can take when joint pain occurs is the R-I-C-E method.

“The acronym R-I-C-E, which is rest, ice, compression and elevation, is a good place to start,” he said. This simple yet effective treatment can greatly reduce pain and swelling, and help you get back to enjoying the things you love.

However, if your pain is debilitating, persistent or accompanied by other symptoms, you should consult a physician. “In general, we tell people that the severity of the pain matters; sharp, intense pain is your body telling you something,” Dr. Burns explained. “Another sign is how you’re sleeping. If pain is waking you up at night, it’s time to look into it.”

Do: Discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider.

At Wellstar, our comprehensive total joint care program addresses a variety of joint concerns with both surgical and non-surgical treatment options. We work closely with you to tailor the best treatment plan for your lifestyle.

“Joint pain comes in all shapes and sizes,” Dr. Burns said. Sometimes R-I-C-E is all it takes to reduce your joint pain and promote healing. Other times, a total joint replacement or minimally invasive procedure may be recommended to help you get back to an active lifestyle, whether it’s playing sports or keeping up with your grandkids.

“My job is to help people feel better,” said Dr. Burns, “and sometimes that requires surgery, sometimes it requires medication, sometimes it requires education, and sometimes it requires a pat on the back and encouragement that people are on the right track and doing the right thing.”

In many cases, physical therapy, lifestyle modifications and minimally invasive procedures can provide significant relief before surgery becomes necessary. Whenever possible, Wellstar utilizes state-of-the-art technology to deliver focused care with fewer complications and shorter recovery time.

One example is a treatment called platelet-rich plasma, or PRP. “It harnesses the body’s own healing ability, which is quite amazing,” explained Dr. Burns. “It involves removing a little bit of blood, extracting certain cells—in this case the platelet cells—concentrating them and then injecting them into the body. It’s a great example of the technological advances that can help people avoid surgery.”

If surgery is recommended by your doctor, ensure you understand the risks, benefits and expected recovery timeline. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek a second opinion if something concerns you. A well-informed patient is an empowered patient.

Do: Practice healthy habits.

Taking care of your joints requires a high level of discipline when it comes to health maintenance.

Your daily routine should include “stretching, strength training, proper nutrition, rest, recovery and keeping your mind active and focused,” Dr. Burns recommended. “In combination, this can help significantly reduce not only your risk for injury, but your blood pressure, and stress and anxiety levels.”

Stress can trigger joint pain, making it vital to prioritize your mental health. “The mental resiliency is equally important as the physical work,” Dr. Burns said.

Other preventive care practices, including wearing supportive footwear, focusing on proper form and avoiding overexertion, can help create a solid foundation that supports joint health over time. Neglecting these basics often leads to imbalances and strain that could have been avoided.

“It’s an ongoing, lifelong process of maintaining your health,” said Dr. Burns. “There are no shortcuts.”

Don’t: Navigate joint pain alone.

If you’re dealing with joint pain, don’t be afraid to seek care and guidance. “We can’t do it alone,” said Dr. Burns.

While acute inflammation comes on quickly and can be treated fast and effectively, chronic inflammation “isn’t as easy to fix,” the surgeon said. “Oftentimes it involves a long-term approach that may involve rebalancing muscles, physical therapy or muscle strengthening.” By establishing a trusted team of providers, from orthopedists to rheumatologists to physical therapists, you can feel supported at every step of the process.

“From a physician’s standpoint, it is extremely valuable to know your patient,” Dr. Burns shared. “That’s why a health system like Wellstar, where our patients often see several physicians within the system, can be extremely helpful.”

Achieving optimal joint health requires collaboration among numerous experts. Your doctors, surgeons and specialists may work together to recommend exercises or offer lifestyle adjustments that will protect and strengthen your joints.

Above all, maintain open communication with your care team about your symptoms, goals and any changes you feel. This proactive approach ensures you’re not making decisions alone. By seeking the right help early on, you can prevent further joint pain and get back to enjoying daily activities with confidence and ease.

Find a Wellstar orthopedic specialist near you.

The history of orthopedic surgery is mankind’s attempt to make straight that which is crooked. The advent of anesthesia made it possible to use surgery to break bones and re-align them without undue pain. But the art of correcting deformities caused by abnormal growth or trauma has taken hundreds of years to advance to its current form. The most important observation—made incidentally by multiple surgeons, but most famously by Gavrill Ilizarov during the 1950s in the Soviet Union—was that a broken bone, if pulled apart with appropriate timing and stress, can form new bone.

This discovery came with years of painstaking research and trial and error in order to effect techniques that would allow for gradual correction of limbs that were bent, short or otherwise deformed. Initially, external fixator apparatus were used to manually manipulate the bone with daily turns of a crank, which involved mathematical calculations and equations that lacked precision when applied to the individual case. Gradually, these methods evolved to incorporate automation, modern computing and more biologically friendly surgical techniques. Newer devices allowed for the distraction pressure to be applied inside the body rather than outside in select cases, making the process of correcting limb alignment problems less cumbersome to patients.

Limb lengthening and deformity correction has always been a powerful yet technically difficult procedure, making it a smaller and less-utilized area of orthopedics. But the ability to correct errors of genetics or nutrition or deformities from trauma or infection is nothing short of magical—and magic requires study, practice and dedication to perform correctly. Distraction osteogenesis techniques are often applied to problems that are intractable by other, more commonplace means. Practitioners of the art enjoy the unique challenges presented and the potential to affect patients’ lives for the better. It is not always easy or simple, but the reward of helping others is the driving force behind the effort.

Subspecialty training in the area of limb lengthening and deformity correction is now available in the United States at several centers. A subspecialty society, the Limb Lengthening and Reconstructive Society (LLRS) provides educational opportunities with meetings and traveling fellowships. Orthopedic surgeons who have taken advantage of the society’s training and membership are often those most committed to learning the art and science of limb deformity correction. The Orthopedic Trauma team at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center includes physicians who have undergone this training and enjoy being a resource for patients and the orthopedic surgery community at large when it comes to limb deformities, difficult malunions or nonunions, infections requiring bone transport and other complicated cases. At Wellstar, modern techniques using both external fixation and computer-assisted guidance allow limb deformity correction to occur with minimal patient discomfort or manipulation of complex apparatus. Internal techniques are also used, including lengthening nails that allow the limb to be lengthened or straightened, replacing the need for a cumbersome external fixator.

Complications from orthopedic surgery often require unique solutions. Infected joint replacements, infected bone that requires removal (osteomyelitis) and bone loss resulting from severe trauma are all conditions that can be treated with modern limb lengthening and deformity correction techniques. The physicians specializing in these techniques are happy to consult over the phone with other physicians who need assistance in these complex situations, as well as share their expertise with patients during in-person consultations. The desire to provide world-class healthcare defines the individuals who make up the Orthopedic Trauma division at Wellstar. There are few orthopedic problems that they are not eager to try to solve, and they are always willing to learn the newest techniques in order to improve the lives of those who believed their cause was lost.

When a health condition affects your child’s quality of life or keeps them from doing what they love, your family can rely on Wellstar Pediatric Orthopedics to provide compassionate, comprehensive care. As your child grows, so do their bones and joints, and they need specialized expertise—whether they have broken a bone on the playground or have an orthopedic condition present at birth.

Approximately one to four of every 1,000 babies are born with clubfoot, a condition in which one or both feet are turned inward and downward. The deformity affects a baby’s bones, muscles, tendons and blood vessels. Fifty percent of children born with clubfoot have bilateral clubfoot, which means both feet are affected. While the condition is readily visible at birth, many times the deformity is detected on prenatal ultrasounds, allowing weeks or months for the parents to prepare for the expected treatment. Most children born with clubfoot do not have a parent with the condition. Risk factors include male biological sex (boys are born with clubfoot twice as often as girls), genetic syndromes, neuromuscular disorders, birth defects and a breach birth.

Clubfoot is not a painful deformity, and most children who are treated early go on to live active and healthy lives. However, untreated clubfoot will not improve on its own. As the child gets older, they will have a challenging time walking on their own.

Our team of experts understands that babies born with clubfoot may also have associated conditions such as hip dysplasia or torticollis. Therefore, we thoroughly examine your child to ensure all their needs are addressed.

There are two types of clubfoot: idiopathic and syndromic. Idiopathic clubfoot is the most common, and although we suspect there is a genetic component, we still do not know what causes it. Idiopathic clubfoot is not related to any other medical issues. Alternatively, syndromic clubfoot is more severe, difficult to treat and occurs as part of a larger medical condition. If your child is diagnosed with syndromic clubfoot, our team will coordinate with multiple specialists to tailor care to your child’s specific needs.

Treatment for clubfoot usually begins when the child is a few weeks old. The goal is to correct the foot position before they learn to walk, thus minimizing the impact of the condition on the child’s long-term mobility. This is done through a series of casts designed to help the foot grow more normally.

“We use the Ponseti method, a nonsurgical approach that uses a series of casts and then bracing to gradually reposition the foot,” said Wellstar Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Michael Priola.

With this method, the doctor stretches out and repositions your child’s foot, then places it into a long leg cast to hold their foot in the appropriate position. Long leg casts are used to prevent the cast from slipping off the child’s leg. The cast is removed in about a week, the doctor again repositions the foot, and a new long leg cast is placed. This method continues until your child’s foot is moved into the correct position. Many of our providers utilize soft cast material, which has a higher parent satisfaction rating than the typical plaster material. Following casting, about 90% of patients require a minor procedure that releases the Achilles tendon, allowing further correction of the foot deformity. A final cast is then worn for an additional three weeks before being removed in the clinic.

Once corrected, a brace is used to maintain the alignment over several years. For the first three months after completion of the casting, the brace is worn for about 22 to 23 hours per day. After that, children typically progress to wearing the brace for naps and nighttime only (about 15 to 16 hours per day). This allows your child to learn to crawl, walk, run and play in the normal developmental time frame. Families should continue with this bracing schedule until the patient is 4 years old to prevent the condition from returning.

“This method boasts a high success rate and avoids the need for extensive surgery,” Dr. Priola said. “Sometimes in more severe cases (including a rigid clubfoot) or if the Ponseti method fails, more extensive surgical intervention may be considered.” These surgeries include a complete posteromedial release of soft tissues, tendon lengthening and realignment of joints.

With timely and appropriate treatment, children born with clubfoot can experience significant improvement, leading to a bright future that is not limited by the condition.

If your child is affected by clubfoot, our pediatric orthopedic specialists are here to provide expert care for this condition and support them at every step of treatment. We understand that medical procedures can be stressful for both children and their families. Your child’s care team will personalize treatment to their individual needs and answer any questions you have about clubfoot or managing the condition.

To book an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, visit wellstar.org/pedsortho or call (404) 321-9900.