Elbow & Knee

Arthritis can occur at any joint in the body.

The shoulders and hips are very common sites where arthritis develops – and a common reason people visit the doctor, because joint pain and stiffness in these areas can significantly impair your ability to move. In fact, hip, knee, and shoulder arthritis is a leading cause of disability in the United States.

When you visit Dr. Carroll at Movement Orthopedics, he will thoroughly assess your condition, review your symptoms and health history, and work with you to create a treatment plan specific to your circumstances and goals.

Dr. Carroll will always recommend conservative treatments before surgery. This may include medication, pain-management injections, and physical therapy.

When the damage and your symptoms are severe, it may be time for surgery, such as joint repair and reconstruction or joint replacement. For many patients, these surgeries relieve pain, improve mobility, and dramatically improve their overall quality of life.

Simply put, tendonitis describes inflammation of a tendon – the connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone.

The most common types of elbow tendonitis are:

• Golfer’s elbow – also called medial epicondylitis, golfer’s elbow results in pain experienced at the inside of the elbow.
• Tennis elbow – also called lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow results in pain experienced at the outside of the elbow.

Repetitive strain is the most common cause of tendonitis. In addition, as you age, your tendons become weaker and less flexible, and are thus more easily injured. If not treated, tendonitis could result in a rupture or tear of the tendon.

It can be surprisingly easy to break a bone in your elbow or knee. Arthritis and osteoporosis can make these joints more susceptible to fracture. Sports injuries, workplace or car accidents, and any other trauma – including falls – can result in a fractured elbow or knee. The orthopedic surgeons at Movement Orthopedics are skilled and experienced in treating these types of fractures, as well as making sure you heal safely, quickly, and completely.

Your elbow or knee orthopedic specialist can tell you if you are a good candidate for joint preservation (rather than a joint replacement).

A joint preservation procedure seeks to repair and/or reconstruct the damaged elbow or knee joint. It may involve resurfacing of the joint, trimming damaged tissue, and more. In the vast majority of cases, this type of surgery can be done arthroscopically – a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure used to simultaneously diagnose and treat joint problems.

If your orthopedic physician recommends an elbow or knee replacement, you’re likely suffering from significant pain and restriction of movement on a daily basis. When this is the case, a joint replacement surgery can drastically improve your quality of life – and your ability move again, without pain.

In many cases, the procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis, meaning you can return home the same day as your surgery. In addition, the artificial components used to replace joints are more durable and long-lasting, so you can continue to enjoy pain-free movement long into the future.

The surgeons at Movement Orthopedics are trained and experienced in the latest joint replacement technologies and techniques, including robotic-assisted joint replacement surgery for total knee replacements.

At Movement Orthopedics, we offer many different pain management injections that can offer relief for your elbow pain or knee pain. Cortisone shots are popular, as is viscosupplementation for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Once we have addressed your immediate pain-relief needs, we can work with you to come up with a long-term plan to best address the root cause of your joint pain.

We can help you recover from a wide range of injuries that result from sports and other activities. In addition to treating an acute or chronic sports injury, we can also help prevent future re-injury.

Sports injuries that can affect the elbow and knee include:

• ACL, PCL injuries
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Fracture
• Golfer’s elbow
• Meniscus tears
• Patellar (kneecap) dislocation
• Soft tissue tears
• Sprains and strains
• Tendonitis
• Tennis elbow
• Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury