Our Blog - Ortho Rhode Island

May 13, 2021 / Hand/Wrist / Dr. Benjamin Phillips

WALANT

Imagine having hand surgery without having to go to an operating room, fasting the night before or even changing out of your clothes. Wide awake hand surgery is well described by its other name, WALANT, which stands for wide awake local anesthesia no tourniquet. This surgical technique utilizes lidocaine and epinephrine to eliminate pain and decrease bleeding. With this approach there is no need for intravenous insertion, monitoring or a tourniquet.

April 29, 2021 / Osteoporosis / Kayla Lynch

Spine Fractures

There are many causes of back pain, from arthritis to a muscle strain. One of the less common causes of low back is thoracic and lumbar compression fractures. While compression fractures can happen in anyone, they are most common in elderly females with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition which causes the bones to become weaker. When the bones become weaker, this makes it easier to fracture them. Osteoporotic fractures do not require a high impact activity, they often occur from a simple injury such as lifting or bending. Often patients do not even remember an injury, making it possible for patients to be unaware that they even have a fracture.

April 22, 2021 / Sports / Kyle Halavik

Surfing USA!

Spring is finally here in Rhode Island! What’s better? Summer. And it is just around the corner. With summer comes the beach and finally the summer Olympics in Tokyo! This year they are planning to have surfing in the summer games for the first time in history, which is sort of cool. It legitimizes a sport to be in the Olympics. It is no longer just for outcasts and hippies. Surfing has gone global. So it had me thinking about all the injuries that surfers from all around the world have had to go through to get to the games.

April 15, 2021 / Ankle & Foot / Ryan O'Kelly

High Ankle Sprain

As the upcoming 2021 NFL draft approaches and the excitement for the NFL season begins, I would like to take a minute to discuss a common injury sustained by NFL athletes, the “High Ankle Sprain”. This past football season Christian McCaffrey, a running back for the Carolina Panthers, sustained a high ankle sprain early last year devastating fantasy football owners.

A high ankle sprain is also known…

April 8, 2021 / Knee / Stacie Brzoska

Knee Osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a chronic, progressive, debilitating condition without many treatment options. Simply, arthritis is the wearing of the good articular cartilage in the knee joint. There is no technique to put more cartilage in the knee. The only conservative (non-surgical) options are oral pills like, Advil or Tylenol, and injections including cortisone, protein gel, and PRP. All of these options only help with pain. They do not slow the progression of the disease. Other than pills and injections, surgery is the only other definitive option for moderate to severe arthritis.

April 4, 2021 / Health / Dr. Charlotte Moriarty

Introducing Ortho Rhode Island Biologics

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Biologics service line at Ortho Rhode Island! Located within our new flagship building at 300 Crossings Blvd in Warwick, Ortho RI Biologics aims to provide our patients with the best service in the industry. Our Biologics suite, located on the first floor, boasts a spacious waiting area, welcoming consult room, and state-of-the-art procedure room.
Orthobiologics treatments use….

March 25, 2021 / Back Pain / Cindy Napier

Imaging and Low Back Pain

Remember that an MRI is a valid diagnostic tool, however it will not take your pain away and does not always point to one definitive cause for back pain. Back pain is multi-factorial and taking an active role in your recovery will improve the healing process.

March 18, 2021 / Health / Magdalena Matwijow

Pain & Alcohol

Patients experiencing pain have a variety of options, both prescription and over the counter. One reality, is that most patients can self-medicate with alcohol without prescription. Alcohol’s availability in our own homes may be…..

March 11, 2021 / Ankle & Foot / Dr. Tony Mechrefe

The Mighty Achilles

One of the most common reasons for patients to present to my office is for Achilles tendon problems. The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the human body, capable of propelling the human body into running, jumping and explosive activities that are often capable of handling three to four times body weight. As such, the Achilles tendon is under a tremendous amount of stress and is able to handle this often without much issue. However, Achilles problems can be incredibly disabling, and range from simple Achilles’ tendonitis to Achilles tendinopathy and ultimately Achilles’ tendon ruptures. The reason the Achilles is susceptible to these problems is secondary to overuse, genetics, and anatomy.

The anatomy of the Achilles is such that its muscular origin lies in both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles…..

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