Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Parrish Medical Center - 53

LEFT PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

e start out
"But it's more than just
Anterior Cruciate
crawling on
making a small incision," Dr. Ligament (ACL)
them. Scuﬀ
Mosley says. "Today's proReconstruction
The ACL is one of four main ligaments
them with
cedures allow us to be more
in your knee. Its main job is to prevent
scrapes and cover them in
gentle and respectful of tisthe tibia from sliding in front of the
grass stains as kids. Then
sues. This, in turn, allows
we spend decades bending,
patients to feel better sooner femur, but it also provides stability for
your knee as it rotates. That's why ACL
kneeling, running, squatting
and heal faster. That's what
injuries are common among soccer playand twisting. From scrubbing
is most important."
E. Wayne Mosley, MD,
ers and skiers.
ﬂoors to proposing marriage
orthopedic surgeon
Meniscal Repair
In the surgery, the ACL is replaced
to plain-old getting old, our
Weekend warriors and others who twist, with a tendon, either from a cadaver
knees take a beating, and it's no wonder
tweak or somehow injure their knees
(allograft) or with the patient's own
that sometimes they suﬀer.
often experience a tear in the menishamstring, quadriceps or patellar tenIn the last couple of decades, the
cus, the knee's shock absorber. A rip
don (autograft).
knee has beneﬁted from advances
of this moon-shaped piece of cartilage
WHY IS IT BETTER TODAY THAN
in technology and techniques. Here
can cause pain, swelling, instability
10 YEARS AGO? "ACL reconstruction
are three surgical procedures that
and locking.
was once a two-plus-hour procedure,
are helping people get back on their
WHY IS IT BETTER TODAY THAN
followed by immobilizing the knee
feet faster.
10 YEARS AGO? "Surgeons would
during a four-day hospital stay," Dr.
Minimally Invasive
remove the entire meniscus just 10 to
Mosley says.
Knee Replacement
15 years ago," Dr. Mosley says. Without
Today, the surgery is typically done
When the surfaces of the knee joint
that cushion, the patient was almost
arthroscopically, meaning patients usuwear out from arthritis, injury or genguaranteed to develop osteoarthritis of
ally go home the same day. A newer
eral wear and tear, the grinding of bone
the knee in less than a decade.
procedure called a double-bundle graft
on bone causes pain, swelling and diﬃToday, a torn meniscus can be
is more closely replicating the original
culty with simple tasks like going up
repaired arthroscopically, a technique
anatomy of the knee.
or down stairs.
that requires only a buttonhole-sized
WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT IT?
In the procedure, the damaged bone
incision to completely restore those
In the past, an ACL injury could signal
and cartilage are removed and replaced
shock absorbers.
the end of participation in competitive
with metal and plastic prosthetics.
WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT IT?
sports-or any sports, for that matWHY IS IT BETTER TODAY THAN
Meniscal repair allows you to keep that
ter. But these new techniques can help
10 YEARS AGO? "One thing that has
cushion and protect your joint, which is
restore strength and stability. With
changed our success rates is materials
particularly beneﬁcial if you're younger
proper rehabilitation-lasting four to
technology," says E. Wayne Mosley, MD, than 55.
six months or more-many athletes can
a board-certiﬁed orthopedic surgeon at
"Getting an athlete back to their sport return to normal activities. ■
the Parrish Healthcare Center in Port
faster can be accomplished by removing
St. John. "It's now possible to more
the ripped cartilage," he says. "However,
closely replicate the normal rotation
patients beneﬁt in the long term by savof the knee, even during ﬂexion."
ing the meniscus."
Surgeons today also take away less
bone. "In today's procedures, we're able
to preserve bone and the ligaments that
APPOINTMENTS
give stability to the knees," Dr. Mosley
says. "What we're doing could be considered knee resurfacing."
WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT IT?
Board-certiﬁed orthopedic surgeon E. Wayne Mosley, MD, is located at
Because of minimal tissue damage and
the Parrish Healthcare Center in Port St. John. For an appointment, call
a smaller incision, patients typically go
321-633-8660.
home sooner, recover more quickly and
get back to normal activity sooner.

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WINTE R 2017

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