Orthopedics is more than broken bones.
Many people think of orthopedics as the treatment of bones, but it's far more than that. An orthopedist is an expert in the human skeletal system that also treats associated muscles, nerves, cartilage and other soft tissue organs. The ultimate goal is to relieve pain and improve movement. The orthopedic teams at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital offer enhanced mobility and decreased pain to patients suffering from orthopedic disorders caused by trauma, degenerative disease and other conditions.
Whether patients need major orthopedic surgery, sports medicine or arthritis care, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital orthopedic specialists are trained to handle a full range of repairs to knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, foot, ankle, hand and back joints, using advanced technology. Our skilled orthopedics team offers a comprehensive schedule of procedures including:
- Joint replacement and reconstruction
- Foot and ankle repair
- Hand and wrist surgery
- Musculoskeletal oncology
- Pediatric orthopedics
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Shoulder and elbow
- Sports medicine
- Trauma
Other Arthroscopic Procedures
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital orthopedic teams also perform a wide variety of other procedures arthroscopically. The arthroscope enables specialists to easily examine, diagnose and surgically correct a number of disorders, from arthritis to ligament tears, in the knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, wrist and elbow.
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital orthopedists are using thermal technology in select shoulder cases. Used in mild to moderate cases as an alternative to open techniques, which involve cutting of tendons, these arthroscopic procedures rely on a heated instruments that cause collagen fibers in the lining of the shoulder joint to contract or shrink.
Advances in microsurgery (such as screws less than a millimeter in size) have greatly aided the practice of orthopedics, particularly in such delicate specialties as hand surgery. Fractures once thought to be irreparable are now routinely repaired, with good results.
Preventive Orthopedics
Preventive surgery is emphasized at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital where, for instance, arthroscopic procedures are available to deter degenerative joint disease by helping to avert rotator cuff tears, which impact should mobile and cause intense pain. These procedures involve removing the products of joint disease--bone spurs and inflamed tissue--before they can cause more serious problems. However, if a rotator cuff tear is already apparent, our skilled physicians are available to repair it surgically (arthroscopically when appropriate).
Such prevention displays the kind of commitment to quality care that is embraced throughout BMH, where medical expertise is continually paired with a deep-seated concern for each patient's well-being.
Major Joint Replacement
Chronic pain due to degenerative joint disease or traumatic injury is much more than an inconvenience or nuisance. It can be controlling and overwhelming, and limit the quality of life for the sufferer.
The Joint Replacement Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital may provide an answer.
BMH Joint Camp
Joint Camp at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is designed to be a positive, active experience where patients are encouraged and motivated to take an active role in the recovery and rehab process, both on a personalized level as well as with the comraderie of fellow joint replacement patients.
Our Joint Camp group therapy room offers various stations devoted to the activities of daily living (ADLs). This allows our patients to experience and prepare for their daily routines in a healthy fashion.
The Joint Replacement Center is a highly specialized program of the premier orthopedic services. Combining the latest treatment options in pain management, surgical joint replacement and complete physical rehabilitation services, The Joint Replacement Center provides a comprehensive quality of care that is unsurpassed in California.
The Center's team of board certified medical specialists provides a comprehensive range of preventative, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services, repeatedly demonstrating their success by performing over 500 joint replacement procedures annually.
