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Outcomes from Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: Dependent Upon Age and Tear Size Success rate from arthroscopic rotator cuff repair depends on what is being measured. Patient satisfaction is the most common reported outcome from arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Patient satisfaction is measured with standardized tests based upon patient responses to questions regarding their pain levels following surgery and their ability to carry out daily household, work, and sporting activities. ...

Zimmer’s “Durom” Hip Resurfacing Devices referenced in Barry Meier’s article in The New York Times, July 24th “Complaints Undermine Hip Device” HAVE NEVER BEEN USED by any of our surgeons at Bone & Joint Clinic of Houston. Your Zimmer hip device used by Bone & Joint Clinic of Houston IS NOT the one referenced in the article. The article’s photo does not show the actual Zimmer “Durom” implants. The actual picture can be found at: Zimmer Durom ...

Arthrodesis of the PIP Joint Using a Headless Intramedullary Screw William Granberry M.D. Presented at: 2007 AOFAS Annual Summer Meeting Toronto Canada Introduction: Standard fixation for arthrodesis of the PIPJ in hammertoe surgery has been a smooth k-wire. Reliable arthrodesis is difficult using a smooth wire alone. Nonunion and malunion rates vary from 20% to 60%. Dissatisfaction with surgery is primarily related to nonunion and malunion. This report describes an intramedullary ...

Shoulder dislocations are common at every age in adult life. In persons under 30, recurrent instability is likely the result of ligament and cartilage damage. However, in patients over the age of 40 years, recurrent instability is more than likely the result of a rotator cuff tear at the time of their shoulder dislocation. These rotator cuff tears can be repaired arthroscopically to return shoulder stability. Initial treatment for a shoulder dislocation is emergent closed reduction with ...

Rotator cuff injuries can be very painful. Until recently, very large tears were often considered to be surgically irreparable. Two young surgeons in Houston are having success with a new technique that may significantly improve your chances for recovery. "Doc' says it's my rotary cup!" Commonly misunderstood, the rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that surrounds the shoulder and functions to provide the strength and support to perform overhead activities. People with ...

Better Ways to Treat Your Back Pain

Formal development of clinical practice guidelines has been part of the U.S. healthcare system in various forms and from various sources for more than three decades. Initially, such guidelines were condemned by organized medicine and physicians alike as intrusive into the physician patient relationship and for promoting a "cookbook" approach to medical care that restricts individualized, innovative care and clinical practices. Fueling this debate were attempts by thirdparty payers to use ...

Medical practitioners are facing increasing scrutiny by both the public and by regulatory bodies.1- 3 Nowhere is this more the case than in spine care.4,5 At the heart of this scrutiny is the influence of physician relationships on ethical decision making. Questions have been raised as to whether a free dinner, tickets to a play or a casual speaker’s contract with a manufacturer can affect clinical decision making. Most practitioners would deny they do, but research suggests otherwise. ...

Study Design. A review of issues linking advocacy, patient safety, and quality. Objective. To heighten awareness of patient safety issues that require ongoing advocacy efforts by physicians treating spinal disorders. Summary of Background Data. The 1999 Institute of Medicine report “To Err is Human. Building a Safer Health System” was a landmark publication that vaulted patient safety into the limelight of public awareness and media attention. The American Academy of Orthopedic ...