Rotarians discuss orthopedics

0

SIDNEY — Dr. Neil Schwimley, who has more than 17 years of military orthopedic surgery experience, address the Sidney Rotary Club recently.

Schwimley specializes in medical and surgical care for adults, young adults, and children with orthopedic needs. His services include shoulder surgery, knee replacement, knee reconstruction and various other sports-related injuries. He is a member of the Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio.

Schwimley discussed three parts of the knee, including the medial compartment, lateral compartment towards the outside and the patellofemoral. He talked about arthritis-related pain stating, “Basically, a lot of it is just the wearing away of the cartilage. Normal wear and tear. There can be some injury component to it, too, which could knock off a chunk of cartilage, but the majority of what I see is wear and tear. The cartilage begins to wear away, and eventually you may see some bone on bone contact which is pretty significantly painful.” Knee-related pain “affects a lot of people out there,” Schwimley stated.

Then discussing symptoms, Schwimley said, “Stiffness, soreness, after rising from a period of inactivity … or going up and down stairs. Going down stairs can a lot of times be more problematic than going upstairs.” In discussing symptoms with his patients, Schwimley asks, “How far can you go before you have to rest because you have too much pain to continue?” Some patients may be able to go just 50 yards or so.

Schwimley then described that many people have a “crunching” sensation with knee movement. He described that a time to have it looked at is when it becomes painful. “If it’s not painful, then just keep an eye on it,” he stated.

Then, moving to treatment options, Schwimley explained, “There is medical management, injections that can be done, surgical options and joint replacements.” Schwimley said that a big component to treating knee pain is weight loss. “There is a lot of people that I will see that tend to fit into the obese category, and if they lost some weight it would likely help them out.” Other treatment options Schwimley mentioned included physical therapy.

No posts to display