Health Articles

Each of the following health articles was authored by one of our expert orthopedic doctors at Orthopedic Associates. Please use the Learn More button to read the article in full.

Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative arthritis, is a gradual breakdown of cartilage in the joints. Cartilage is a tough, flexible connective tissue that protects the ends of bones in the joints.

Finger Felon

This condition is an abscess that forms within the pad of the fingertip. A felon can swell dramatically, leading to significant pain and sensitivity.

Distal Radius Fracture (Broken Wrist)

This condition is a break of the radius bone at the wrist. The radius is the larger of the two bones that connect the wrist to the elbow. The other bone is called the ulna.

Colles Fractures

Colles fracture is a break of one or both of the forearm bones (called the radius and ulna) that occurs just above the wrist.

Boutonniere Deformity

This condition is a characteristic deformity of the finger in which the finger's middle joint, called the PIP joint, bends downward and the finger's end joint, called the DIP joint, hyperextends.

ZipTight™ Fixation for Ankle Syndesmosis

This technique is used to stabilize an ankle after injury. It can be used to repair a high ankle sprain, which damages the soft tissue structures between the tibia and fibula and causes these bones to separate.

Triple Arthrodesis

This surgical procedure is used to help relieve pain in the ankle joint and correct deformities in the hindfoot caused by injury, arthritis, or genetic defect.

Total Ankle Joint Replacement (Salto® Talaris)

This surgical procedure is performed to remove portions of the ankle that are diseased or severely injured and to implant a device that will help manage pain and restore mobility to the ankle.

Finger Fracture

If you've fractured a finger, you've broken one or more of the finger bones we call "phalanges." Each individual bone is called a "phalanx." You've got three in each finger, and two in each thumb.

Digital Mucous Cysts

A mucous cyst is a small, fluid-filled sac that forms on the back of the finger near the base of the fingernail. It is a form of ganglion cyst that erupts from the capsule of the joint at the end of the finger, called the DIP joint.

Dupuytren's Disease

This condition is a thickening of the fascia on the palm of the hand. The fascia is a connective tissue located just beneath the skin of the palm and fingers.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Pain, numbness and tingling in your hand may be from carpal tunnel syndrome. It happens when the area around the main nerve to your hand is too tight. The nerve is called the median nerve.

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis

This condition, also called stenosing tenosynovitis of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist, is an inflammation of the sheath that wraps around the tendons at the thumb side of the wrist.

Basal Joint Osteoarthritis

This condition is a degeneration of cartilage in the joints at the base of the thumb, collectively called the basal joint. The main component of the basal joint is the thumb carpometacarpal (CMC), joint.

Winograd Procedure for Ingrown Toenail

This procedure is used to remove the problem portion of an ingrown toenail and to prevent the ingrown toenail from recurring. This procedure is performed under local anesthetic, and takes only a few minutes to perform.

Animal Bites

A bite from an animal can be very dangerous. Besides obvious injuries like tissue punctures and tears, bites can also introduce germs.

Total Ankle Joint Replacement (Wright INBONE® II)

This surgical procedure is performed to remove portions of the ankle that are diseased or severely injured and to implant a device that will help manage pain and restore mobility to the ankle.

Weil Osteotomy for Claw Toe

This procedure relieves the symptoms of claw toe, persistent metatarsalgia, metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint synovitis or MTP subluxation by shortening the end of the metatarsal at the base of the affected toe.

TightRope™ Fixation for Ankle Syndesmosis

This technique is used to stabilize an ankle after injury. It can be used to repair a high ankle sprain, which damages the soft tissue structures between the tibia and fibula and causes these bones to separate.

Total Ankle Joint Replacement (STAR™ Mobile-Bearing)

This surgical procedure is performed to remove portions of the ankle that are diseased or severely injured and to implant a device that will help manage pain and restore mobility to the ankle.