Orthopedics

Cartilage is the soft cushioning between bones that meet in a joint. If an injury damages the tissue, you may feel pain as the bones rub against each other. Cartilage can’t heal on its own, but an orthopedic surgeon may be able to repair it if you don’t have osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease. We’ll recommend the best procedure for you:

• Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) – Grows new cartilage using your own cells and then places the healthy tissue in your damaged joint
• Osteochondral transplantation – Fills a damaged area with healthy cartilage from your own body (autograft) or a donor (allograft)
• Treatment for bone spur – Removes abnormal bone growth that can cause pain and restrict movement

Many elbow injuries happen from repetitive stress—frequently making the same movements, like throwing a baseball or swinging a tennis racket. These activities may gradually tear soft tissues in the joint. St. Bernards orthopedic surgeons can repair the injuries with treatments such as:

• Tommy John surgery – Reconstructs the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) during a procedure available in Jonesboro only from St. Bernards
• Tennis elbow surgery – Removes the damaged part of a tendon and reattaches the healthy part to bone

We can help you walk with less pain after one of these procedures:

• Achilles tendon repair – Sews together the torn ends of the tendon
• Ankle fusion – Joins arthritic bones to prevent painful movements
• Bunion surgery – Treats painful swelling on the first joint of your big toe with help from a bunion specialist in Jonesboro
• Plantar fasciitis surgery – Treats swollen, inflamed heel tissue

If you experience a broken bone, you may or may not need emergency surgical repair. When necessary, a surgeon will perform a procedure to realign the bone and hold it in place. This includes treatment for a compound bone fracture. You won’t be able to use the injured area for several weeks, but rehabilitation will help restore its strength and flexibility after it heals.

Your hips support the weight of your body. If you take part in high-impact physical activities, such as running or jumping, you face a higher risk of hip injuries. St. Bernards surgeons treat a torn labrum (cartilage damage) and other conditions through small incisions using hip arthroscopy, which is unavailable elsewhere in Jonesboro.

Joint replacement surgery exchanges an arthritic hip, knee or shoulder with a natural-feeling implant that lets you move more freely and less painfully. St. Bernards uses advanced technology that makes your procedure less invasive, gives you a precise fit and simplifies your surgical journey. 

Knees are the body’s largest joints. Because we use them so much, injuries are common—especially damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus (cartilage, or soft cushioning). St. Bernards surgeons reconstruct ACLs and perform meniscus repair to help you get back to a more active lifestyle.

Your shoulder has a wide range of motion that lets you move your arm in many directions. But the joint’s flexibility also makes it prone to injury. St. Bernards offers shoulder arthroscopy to stabilize the joint and relieve the pain of a torn rotator cuff, torn labrum, repeated dislocations and other injuries.

Your treatment plan may include physical therapy customized for your needs. Rehabilitation uses hands-on techniques, exercises, stretches and lifestyle changes to relieve pain and help your body heal after an injury or surgery. With therapy locations throughout northeast Arkansas, St. Bernards makes it easy for you to get care close to your home.

Ask your doctor about treatments designed to help your body heal an injury. St. Bernards' Arkansas bone and joint orthopedic surgeons can provide:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy – Delivers a high dose of healing platelets from your own blood to an injured area
• Prolotherapy – Injects sugar water or salt water into an injured area to trigger your body’s immune response, which may repair damaged tissue

If you have numbness or tingling in your hands and fingers, you may be dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome. Surgical and nonsurgical treatments can relieve pressure on the median nerve and restore the use of your hand.