Falls are the leading cause of injuries to older people in the U.S.  Each year, more than 11 million senior citizens fall--that's one of every three people over 65.

The number of falls and the severity of injury increase with age.  While some risk factors for falls, such as heredity and age, cannot be changed, several risk factors can be eliminated or reduced.  The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has developed guidelines to help you avoid falls.
Find Out How...

Osteoporosis affects over 25 million Americans each year and is responsible for 1.3 million fractures per year.

Osteoporosis is the thinning of your bone.  As you mature, your body builds bone faster than it breaks down.  After age 25-35, this slowly reverses and the breakdown becomes faster than the building, especially in women after menopause.  This causes the bones to become brittle and increases your risk for a fracture.

Osteoporosis can be diagnosed with a DEXA scan which measures the density of your bone.  The test takes 20-30 minutes.  Your spine, hip or wrists are examined and the results are usually available that day.  There are no special preparations for the test.

Ask your doctor if you have the risk factors for Osteoporosis.

To learn more about Osteoporosis, please visit:
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and The National Institute of Health.

In years gone by, treatment of orthopedic injuries involved complicated surgical procedures, including large incisions, and a prolonged recovery period, usually preceded by a lengthy inpatient stay at a hospital.   Fortunately, Arthroscopic Surgery has completely changed the way joint injuries are treated.

With the aid of an arthroscope, your orthopedic surgeon can easily examine, diagnose, and treat joint problems which, in earlier years, may have been extremely difficult to even identify.

The arthroscope is a small fiber-optic viewing instrument made up of a tiny lens, light source and video camera.  The surgical instruments used in arthroscopic surgery are very small (only 3 or 4 mm in diameter), but appear much larger when viewed through an arthroscope.

The surgeon inserts the arthroscope into the joint through a tiny incision (about 1/4 of an inch) called a portal.  Other portals are used for the insertion of surgical instruments.  With small incision sites and direct access to most areas of the joint, surgeon can diagnose and correct a wide variety of problems such as arthritis and ligament tears.  Arthroscopy can also be used in conjunction with open procedures, such as an ACL Reconstruction, as well as procedures dealing with the hip, wrist, ankle and elbow.

The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is a ligament in the center of your knee.  The ACL gets damaged when twisted too far, which makes it a common injury in relation to sports or other physical activity.  ACL Reconstruction is performed using a combination of open surgery and arthroscopic surgery.

Before ACL reconstruction process begins, your surgeon will examine your knee arthroscopically, and repair any additional damage to the knee, such as a torn meniscus, or worn articular cartilage.  As healing occurs, the bone tunnels fill in to secure the tendon.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS, is a compression neuropathy -- a pinching of the median nerve within the wrist.  The carpal tunnel is a bony canal within the palm side aspect of the wrist that allows for the passage of the median nerve to the hand.  Pinching or compression of this nerve by the transverse carpal ligament begins a progressively crippling disorder which eventually results in wrist pain, numbness and hand tingling, pain consisting of a "pins and needles" feeling at night, weakness in grip and a feeling of incoordination.  This disabling syndrome occurs more often in women than men, by a ratio of 3 to 1, usually between the ages of 30 and 50 years.  Also, CTS is seen more frequently in people who tend to do forceful repetitive types of work, such as grocery store checkers, assembly line workers, meat packers, typist, accountants, writers, etc.
Find out more...

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is one of the most common elbow ailments in orthopaedic medicine.  Tennis elbow is tendinitis of the muscle called the extensor carpi radialis brevis which attaches to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus.  It may be caused by a sudden injury such as a blow, or by repetitive use of the arm in an activity, like tennis or racquetball.  It's a common belief among doctors that micro tears in the tendon lead to a hyper-vascular phenomenon resulting in pain.  The pain is usually worse with strong gripping and the elbow in an extended position, as in a tennis back hand stroke, but this problem can occur in golf and other sports as well as with repetitive use of tools.
Find out more...

Everyone's spine has curves. These curves produce the normal rounding of the shoulder and the sway of the lower back.  A spine with scoliosis has abnormal curves with a rotational deformity.  This means that the spine turns on its axis like a corkscrew. Compare the more subtle curve of the normal spine to the severe curvature of the scoliotic spine.

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine which may have its onset in infancy but is most frequently seen in adolescence.  It is more common in females by nearly double.  However, when curves in excess of 30 degrees are measured and recorded, females are more frequently affected by a ratio of around 9 to 1.

Plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the plantar fascia) is easily the most common cause of heel pain complained of in the field of orthopaedic and sports medicine.  It is common in several categories of people, including runners and other athletes, people who have jobs that require a fair amount of walking or standing on a hard surface, and in some cases it is seen in people who have put on weight, as through pregnancy.

The plantar fascia is a broad ligament-like structure that extends from the heel bone to the base of the toes, acting like a thick rubber band on the bottom arch of the foot.  Given the addition of extra weight, or withstanding factors of high impact exercise, the plantar fascia can develop micro trauma at its insertion into the heel bone, or anywhere along its length.  This causes pain which can be quite severe at times.

Plantar Fasciitis may take many months to resolve.  Statistics show that it takes approximately 6 months for 75% of people to recover from this problem. 98% of people report nearly complete recovery at one year.
Find out more...

Joint Fluid Therapy is a treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help treat the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee.  It provides long-lasting relief from arthritis pain for many patients.  Joint Fluid Therapy involves injecting a substance called hyaluronan into the knee.  This substance is similar to the fluid that occurs naturally in the knee - synovial fluid - which helps to lubricate the knee, reducing friction and protecting from pain.

Arizona Bone and Joint Specialists uses two Joint Fluid Therapy products.
To find out more about each product, please visit:
Supartz® or Synvisc®