Joint Center
Treatment Options
Because joint treatment is our specialty, you benefit from the best care you can get anywhere including:
Multiple Surgical Options for Knees, Hips and Shoulders
A painful, damaged or arthritic knee or hip can severely affect your ability to lead a full, active life. Over the last 25 years, major advancements in artificial knee and hip replacements have greatly improved the outcome of surgery.
Knee: If you need a knee replacement, our experienced orthopedic surgeons offer several options, including gender-specific knee replacements inspired by a woman’s shape and size; Trabecular metal knee replacements, which use a special type of metal that closely resembles bone; and partial knee replacement, a minimally invasive alternative to total knee replacement available to certain types of patients that involves fewer mechanical parts – leaving more natural knee in place.
Hip: If a hip replacement is in your future, you’ll be glad to know that joint specialists at Ingalls use a variety of approaches tailored to the unique needs of each patient. Procedures include traditional hip replacement and ceramic hip replacement, which uses ceramic instead of metal hip devices. Finally, Ingalls joint experts are among the first in the south suburbs to offer an anterior approach to hip replacement, which allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip as opposed to the lateral (side) or the posterior (back) approach traditionally used. With the use of a special operating table, this approach allows surgeons to work between the muscles and tissues without detaching them from either the hip or thigh bones, sparing these tissues from trauma and a lengthy healing process. Keeping these muscles intact also helps prevent dislocation of the hip, a major benefit to patients.
Shoulder: If you need shoulder surgery, our joint experts offer several options, including:
- The Copeland™ implant, a more conservative, minimally invasive approach. Unlike a total shoulder implant, the Copeland is designed to cap only the top of the humerus, requiring much less bone and cartilage removal. The Copeland™ implant’s design allows patients to recover more quickly and with less pain. It is also less complicated to replace should a future total shoulder replacement become necessary.
- Arthroscopic shoulder rotator cuff repair. In this procedure, a fiberoptic scope and small instruments are inserted through small puncture wounds instead of an open incision. The scope is connected to a television monitor and the surgeon can perform the repair under video control. Because of the smaller incisions, the procedure involves less post-operative pain and a quicker recovery.
Joint Camp
Treatment at the Ingalls Joint Center includes an invitation to Joint Camp, a pre-admission group seminar that explains your upcoming procedure and details what to expect during and after surgery. Patients talk with physical therapists, practice exercises that will help with recovery and learn about the kinds of equipment they'll use during recuperation.
Cartilage restoration and repair
Orthopedic experts at the Ingalls Joint Center now offer several revolutionary new procedures to repair or restore damaged cartilage in certain types of patients, without the need for joint replacement surgery. Cartilage repair and restoration procedures are most often recommended for 18- to 45-year-old patients with specific types of cartilage injuries. A thorough evaluation by a Joint Center orthopedic surgeon will determine if you qualify.
Therapeutic services
From physical therapy and pain management, to inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, we help you decide the best ways to adjust your lifestyle and create a smooth transition from inpatient care to rehabilitation or home care, and then to outpatient care. And we do it in a comfortable setting where you can enjoy special amenities and support from other patients. Complete outpatient rehabilitation is available at several convenient locations including Ingalls Hospital in Harvey, the Ingalls Family Care Center in Flossmoor, Ingalls Center for Outpatient Rehabilitation (ICOR) in Calumet City and in the patient's home.
Complementary medicine services available through the Ingalls Wellness Center in Homewood include yoga, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, reflexology and aromatherapy.
A clinic just for athletes
The Ingalls Sports Network includes a team of board-certified orthopedic physicians who specialize in sports medicine, arthroscopy and many minimally invasive procedures. They also educate athletes, coaches, trainers and athletic directors about injury causes and prevention. The network uses state-of-the-art diagnostic technology to treat athletes within 24 to 48 hours of injury.
Call the Ingalls Sports Network coordinator for more information at 708-915-OUCH.
Specialty pain clinics
At Ingalls Family Care Center in Flossmoor, pain management experts offer a convenient one-stop approach if you are suffering with shoulder, knee, back, neck, foot and ankle pain. The pain clinics offer patients the special care and attention they deserve, while determining the cause of their joint pain. Along with a licensed physical therapist, physicians complete a thorough history of each patient, followed by testing, education and a treatment plan – all in one convenient visit. Once a treatment plan is created, patients progress through a continuum of therapies, including epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, implantable devices and more, until the desired result is attained.
