Just what exactly is orthopaedics?
Orthopaedics is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal system in both children and adults. This includes the bones of the arms, legs, hands, feet and spine; as well as the related muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves.

What is meant by sports medicine?
Sports medicine concerns the evaluation and treatment of injuries incurred in the course of athletic endeavors.

Do I get to choose my doctor?
Yes, you may select your treating physician from among the doctors in our group, all of whom are board certified/eligible physicians, and he will manage the great majority of your care. However, should a problem arise that requires immediate attention while your doctor is not available, one of our other doctors will assist you.

How do I make an appointment?
Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. To schedule an appointment, call (630) 978-3800. We always attempt to make appointments as convenient as possible for patients.

Will I have to wait before seeing the doctor?
We make every effort to keep our appointment schedule on time, but emergencies and other unforeseen events sometimes cause unavoidable delays. In such cases, we will do our best to keep you informed about schedule changes. If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment, please contact the office as soon as possible so that we may try to utilize that time for the care of other patients.

What if there is an emergency?
If needed, at least one of our doctors can be reached 24 hours a day by phoning (630) 978-3800. If you are taken to a local emergency facility, you may request that we be called to care for your orthopaedic needs. We ask, however, that you make non-emergency telephone calls during regularly scheduled office hours.

How do I get prescriptions and refills?
Prescription refills are issued only during office hours by calling (630) 978-3800. On weekends and evenings, your medical record is not readily available, making the appropriateness of ordering medication difficult to determine. Anticipating your refill needs and calling several days in advance should help to minimize any disruption of a medication schedule. Should you experience any type of side effects to your medication, stop taking it and promptly call our office.

How will I know how much treatment is going to cost?
When requested, we will provide an estimate of fees for any surgical procedure. This estimate will include the usual follow-up care, but will not include x-rays, casts or bandages. Fees for your initial office visit or for new problems are often higher than fees for follow-up visits.

What payment methods do you accept?
We accept cash, checks or credit cards (Visa/MasterCard). Payment is required at the time service is rendered in order to minimize billing expenses and delays.

Can I pay with insurance?
We will be happy to submit the necessary forms to your insurance carrier. Most insurance contracts, however, involve copayments, deductibles and/or percentage allowances that must be covered by the patient. Because the bill is seldom covered in full, responsibility for payment rests with the patient being treated or the parent/guardian. Feel free to address any billing questions or concerns to our business office by calling (630) 978-3800.

How are worker's compensation claims handled?
If you have a worker’s compensation claim, you must bring, from your employer or insurance company, a written acceptance of their financial responsibility, authorized by either your employer or insurance company. Please note: in liability or contested worker’s compensation claims, responsibility for payment rests with the person being treated, not necessarily the person being sued. We expect prompt payment, at which time we will fulfill our responsibilities in providing your attorney(s) with the necessary medical information.

What is Arthroscopic Surgery?
In years gone by, treatment of orthopedic injuries involved complicated surgical procedures, including large incisions, and a prolonged recovery period, usually preceded by a lengthy inpatient stay at a hospital. Fortunately, Arthroscopic Surgery has completely changed the way joint injuries are treated. With the aid of an arthroscope, your orthopedic surgeon can easily examine, diagnose, and treat joint problems which, in earlier years, may have been extremely difficult to even identify.

The arthroscope is a small fiber-optic viewing instrument made up of a tiny lens, light source and video camera. The surgical instruments used in arthroscopic surgery are very small (only 3 or 4 mm in diameter), but appear much larger when viewed through an arthroscope.

The surgeon inserts the arthroscope into the joint through a tiny incision (about 1/4 of an inch) called a portal. Other portals are used for the insertion of surgical instruments. With small incision sites and direct access to most areas of the joint, surgeons can diagnose and treat a wide variety of joint problems. Arthroscopy can also be used in conjunction with open procedures, such as an ACL Reconstruction, as well as procedures dealing with the hip, wrist, ankle and elbow.

I always hear about football players blowing out an ACL? What is that?
The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is a ligament in the center of your knee. The ACL gets damaged when twisted too far, which makes it a common injury in relation to sports or other physical activity. ACL Reconstruction is performed using a combination of open surgery and arthroscopic surgery.

Before ACL reconstruction process begins, your surgeon will examine your knee arthroscopically, and repair any additional damage to the knee, such as a torn meniscus, or worn articular cartilage. As healing occurs, the bone tunnels fill in to secure the tendon.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS, is a compression neuropathy -- a pinching of the median nerve within the wrist.

The carpal tunnel is a canal located at the base of the palm through which the median nerve passes to the thumb and the index, long and ring fingers. Pinching or compression of the nerve within this canal typically causes numbness and/or tingling in the involved digits, commonly worse at night. If left untreated the condition can progress to partial paralysis of some of the muscles controlling the use of the thumb resulting in loss of strength and coordination of some hand movements.

This disabling syndrome occurs more often in women than men, by a ratio of 3 to 1, usually between the ages of 30 and 50 years. Also, CTS is seen more frequently in people who tend to do forceful repetitive types of work, such as grocery store checkers, assembly line workers, meat packers, typist, accountants, writers, etc.

What exactly is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is one of the most common elbow ailments in orthopaedic medicine. Tennis elbow is tendinitis of the muscle called the extensor carpi radialis brevis which attaches to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus. It may be caused by a sudden injury such as a blow, or by repetitive use of the arm in an activity, like tennis or racquetball. It's a common belief among doctors that micro tears in the tendon lead to a hyper-vascular phenomenon resulting in pain. The pain is usually worse with strong gripping and the elbow in an extended position, as in a tennis back hand stroke, but this problem can occur in golf and other sports as well as with repetitive use of tools.

I'm looking a little stooped over, lately. Should I worry about Scoliosis?
Everyone's spine has curves. These curves produce the normal rounding of the shoulder and the sway of the lower back. A spine with scoliosis has abnormal curves with a rotational deformity. This means that the spine turns on its axis like a corkscrew. Compare the more subtle curve of the normal spine to the severe curvature of the scoliotic spine.

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine which may have its onset in infancy but is most frequently seen in adolescence. It is more common in females by nearly double. However, when curves in excess of 30 degrees are measured and recorded, females are more frequently affected by a ratio of around 9 to 1.

After the birth of our second child, my wife took up aerobics to trim down. She developed severe foot pain and her doctor diagnosed her as suffering from Plantar Fasciitis. What is that?
Plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the plantar fascia) is easily the most common cause of heel pain complained of in the field of orthopaedic and sports medicine. It is common in several categories of people, including runners and other athletes, people who have jobs that require a fair amount of walking or standing on a hard surface, and in some cases it is seen in people who have put on weight, as through pregnancy.

The plantar fascia is a broad ligament-like structure that extends from the heel bone to the base of the toes, acting like a thick rubberband on the bottom arch of the foot. Given the addition of extra weight, or withstanding factors of high impact exercise, the plantar fascia can develop microtrauma at its insertion into the heel bone, or anywhere along its length. This causes pain which can be quite severe at times.

Plantar Fasciitis may take many months to resolve. Statistics show that it takes approximately 6 months for 75% of people to recover from this problem. 98% of people report nearly complete recovery at one year.