Orthopedic joint specialists in Chattanooga

Millions of people experience joint pain, degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) or stiffness due to wear and tear on the joints. Arthritis, most common in your knees, hips and hands, occurs when the soft cartilage cushioning your bones begins to wear away and gets progressively worse over time.

At Parkridge Medical Group, our experienced care team partners with you to create the best plan for your unique needs. Our advanced treatments include both nonsurgical and surgical options, all focused on relieving your pain, increasing your range of motion and helping you get back to normal life more quickly.

To meet with one of our joint specialists, schedule an appointment.

Nonsurgical treatment for arthritic hands

One of the most common places to feel the painful effects of degenerative arthritis is in your hands. You may experience severe joint pain, stiffness and limited mobility.

We perform outpatient procedures to replace or repair structures in your hands worn down from arthritis. While there is no cure, there are many options for relieving pain, preventing further damage to your joints and improving your quality of life. Your options include:

  • Cortisone injections
  • Exercise plans and food supplements
  • Lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight
  • Pain relief medication and heat/cold therapy
  • Viscosupplementation injections

Surgical treatment for joint conditions

Sometimes, surgery is necessary to repair or replace damaged joints. Our skilled team of orthopedic surgeons specializes in innovative surgical techniques and walks you through all your options to find the best solution for your needs and goals. These procedures can help eliminate pain and restore mobility in hips, knees and shoulders if other treatment methods aren't enough. We offer:

Arthritis surgery

Depending on the status of your arthritis, your surgeon may recommend a specific type of procedure, such as:

  • Arthrodesis — Procedure to fuse bones to reduce pain but significantly limit joint mobility
  • Arthroscopy — Minimally invasive procedure to clean out pieces of cartilage or bone that are causing pain or reduced mobility
  • Joint replacement (arthroplasty) — Procedure to remove all or part of the damaged joint and replace it with durable, synthetic devices
  • Osteotomy — Procedure to realign relieve pressure on a damaged arthritic joint

Hip surgery

Arthritis and injuries can damage and deform hip bones causing debilitating pain. If physical therapy, lifestyle changes, walking supports or medications aren't resolving your pain, you could be a good candidate for hip replacement surgery. Replacing the joint can dramatically improve mobility and function in your hips.

Knee surgery

Our knee surgeons are experienced in all types of surgery for the knee joint, including:

  • Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery
  • Knee arthrodesis with internal fixation
  • Knee osteotomy
  • Knee arthroscopy
  • Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) repair

Additionally, we provide several different options for knee replacement surgery. These include knee resurfacing, partial knee replacement and total knee replacement to repair the damaged part of the knee with artificial pieces.

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI)

ACI is a surgical procedure treating cartilage damage caused by injury or degeneration. When cartilage damage is severe and nonsurgical treatments have failed, ACI is used to treat the knee. However, your doctor can use it on other joints as well.

During the procedure, your surgeon uses arthroscopy to identify the area of damage and remove a small sample of healthy cartilage cells. These cells are sent to a lab and duplicated over the next four to six weeks. Once enough cells have been grown, a second procedure is scheduled. The new cartilage is implanted into the joint with the aid of a periosteal patch.

After, patients undergo a physical therapy program to restore full function to the treated area. The ACI procedure is ideal for patients with only small areas of cartilage damage, who have significant pain and swelling, and who are not obese.

Osteoarticular transfer system (OATS)

OATS is a procedure replacing damaged cartilage in the knee with healthy cartilage from another area of the joint, relieving pain and restoring movement and function to the joint. This procedure ideal for patients with small areas of cartilage damage that can be easily repaired with a graft. After surgery, lengthy physical therapy is required to restore range of motion and relieve pain and swelling on the joint. Most patients will be on crutches for six to 12 weeks after surgery before they can successfully bear weight on the joint again.

Shoulder surgery

Our shoulder surgeons are proficient in both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options, as well as surgeries that do not involve joint replacements such as joint resurfacing and rotator cuff repairs. Severe rotator cuff repairs, however, sometimes require a surgical procedure such as shoulder replacement surgery to help repair the damaged parts of your joints and relieve arthritis.