Surgical Procedures

BridgeHealth’s World-Class Provider Network™ offers the following orthopedic procedures. If you do not see your particular need listed here, please contact a Travel Care Coordinator to discuss further options.

ACL Reconstruction
An Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most common knee injuries. The ACL is one of four ligaments that work to stabilize the knee. When the ACL is torn, reconstructive surgery is not performed right away; allowing any swelling to decrease and inflammation to subside improves the ability of the joint to function after surgery.

ACL reconstructive surgery is not a “repair” of the ligament per se, but rather is a reconstruction as the name implies. In the surgery, a part of a healthy ligament – usually the patellar ligament that connects the kneecap to the tibia – is used to replace the torn ACL.

Arthroscopy of the Knee, Ankle or Shoulder
Arthroscopic surgery is a method of viewing or performing surgery on a joint by use of an arthroscope, which consists of a tube, a lens, and a light source utilizing fiber optics to visualize the surgical area. Arthroscopic surgery is used to look inside of an ailing joint to understand the cause of the existing symptoms.

Bankart Lesion Repair
A Bankhart lesion injury is a specific type of shoulder ligament tear that usually occurs during a shoulder dislocation. When the shoulder pops out of joint, it tears a ligament on the labrum, a cuff of cartilage at the end of the arm bone. This tear results in a general sense of instability and contributes to repeated dislocations and achiness in the shoulder area.

Surgery to repair a Bankart lesion involves reattaching the torn labrum to the shoulder socket. This repair can be achieved arthroscopically or through a standard incision. About 90 percent of Bankhart lesion repair patients return to normal activities without further shoulder dislocations.

Hand Surgery
Surgery is a common option to treat many hand conditions. For details on the types of hand surgeries BridgeHealth offers, please contact a BridgeHealth Travel Care Coordinator today.

Hip Resurfacing
The ReCap® Femoral Resurfacing Head is a metal (cobalt chromium) cap that resurfaces the head of the femur. This conservative procedure makes the technique less invasive than traditional hip replacement surgery. The ReCap® Head may require a smaller incision and less bone removal, which can allow you to recover more quickly and with less pain.

Oxford Knee Replacement
An Oxford® Partial Knee implant is designed to repair only one side of the knee, making it much smaller than a total knee implant. This partial replacement can be performed in a minimally invasive manner. Advantages to a partial replacement are less bone cartilage removed from the knee, shorter recovery time, and greater natural motion after recovery. Not all patients are candidates for an Oxford? Partial Knee replacement. Please discuss your specific situation with your doctor to decide if this type of replacement is right for you.

Post Trauma Reconstruction
The types and severity of trauma sustained to joints varies widely as do the surgical treatments. Please contact a Travel Care Coordinator to discuss your specific needs regarding reconstructive surgery.

Shoulder Impingement Repair (open or closed)
Patients who have ruled out a rotator cuff tear as the source of their shoulder pain are often diagnosed with shoulder impingement syndrome (also called shoulder bursitis or rotator cuff tendonitis). When non-surgical treatments have been exhausted, a shoulder impingement repair may be necessary. This surgery is performed arthroscopically using a small video camera and a shaver inserted through small incisions. The surgeon uses the shaver to remove the inflamed bursa. Recovery time is short and patients can begin gentle movements immediately after surgery.

Shoulder Replacement
Shoulder joint replacement surgery is performed to replace a shoulder joint with artificial components (prostheses) when the joint is severely damaged by such degenerative joint diseases as arthritis, or in complex cases of upper arm bone fracture.

Torn Rotator Cuff Repair
Rotator cuff repairs can be performed in a variety of ways which vary in their invasiveness. An open repair requires a six to 10 centimeter incision where the tendon is exposed and repaired. A mini-open repair uses a smaller incision (three to four centimeters) to access the tendon and an arthroscope to look at the area. The final technique is exclusively arthroscopic. Small incisions are made to insert a camera and repair instruments and the surgeon can watch the repair on a monitor. The less invasive the technique, the shorter the recovery period. Not all methods are suitable for all patients, so please consult with your doctor before deciding on a particular type of procedure.

Total Hip Replacement
Total hip replacement involves replacing the damaged parts of the hip joint with artificial joint parts (prosthetic components) made of high-quality metal and plastic. The parts are typically held in place by bone cement. The artificial joints come in different sizes to fit the patient.

Hip replacement surgery usually takes two to three hours, during which time you'll be under general or regional anesthesia. During the operation, the surgeon separates your thighbone from the socket. Working between the large hip muscles, the surgeon removes the diseased or damaged bone and tissue, leaving healthy bone and tissue intact. The artificial socket is pressed into place. The top end of the thighbone is hollowed out to allow insertion of the metal stem with the attached ball. The ball and the socket join to form the new hip joint.

Symptoms that might lead you to consider hip replacement include:

• Pain that keeps you awake at night
• Little or no relief from pain medications
• Difficulty walking up or down stairs
• Trouble standing from a seated position
• Having to stop activities you enjoy, such as walking, because you're in too much pain

Total Knee Replacement
Knee replacement surgery is recommended for the three types of arthritis that can affect the knee. If non-surgical treatments for the knee pain and immobility have failed and lifestyle and activities are being limited, knee replacement surgery should be considered. Surgical options include knee arthroscopy (although this is rarely used just for arthritis), partial knee replacement, and total knee replacement.

The goal of knee replacement is to provide a pain-free knee that can withstand relatively normal activities and lasts for a long time. To achieve this goal, it is important that the knee implants be inserted with proper positioning. The bones and ligaments are prepared very carefully to allow the knee to be functional and durable. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 90 to 95 percent of knee replacements last 15 years or longer if proper, current techniques are used.