In China, with the aging of the aging and the rise of sports and fitness culture, the demand for orthopedic surgery has gradually increased in the elderly and young people. Nowadays, more and more Chinese are suffering from joint diseases and sports injuries.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is usually caused by ageing, trauma, and obesity. About 10% of people in China suffer from this disease. Osteoarthritis is sometimes referred to as degenerative joint disease or aging loss-induced arthritis and is the most common chronic joint disease. When the cartilage that was originally used as a cushioned cartilage is degraded or destroyed, it causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling, and eventually evolves into osteoarthritis. General treatment options for osteoarthritis include weight management, exercise therapy, and drug therapy. In severe cases, joint replacement surgery is required.

In recent years, the fitness boom has swept China, and more and more middle-income and above income people have begun to invest time, energy and money in fitness and leisure projects, some frequently enter the gym, and some actively participate in outdoor sports. According to the statistics of the Sports Science Research Institute of the State General Administration of Sport of China, by the end of 2014, 33.9% of the population in China had participated in three moderate-intensity physical exercises a week. And a few years ago, these large-scale fitness and leisure venues and gyms were still very rare.

However, while the fitness boom swept, China’s sports injury rate also exploded. At present, China's annual sports injury rate is 0.513% (0.373% in the United Kingdom and 0.456% in the United States). According to the proportion of the population, China's sports injury rate ranks first in the world. These sports injuries are mainly from sports such as basketball, badminton, swimming, diving and football. Although Chinese medicine such as massage and acupuncture is very popular in China, some serious injuries must be treated by surgery.

High-quality orthopedic/joint replacement treatments can help patients recover quickly and feel at ease. The University of Chicago Medical Center has a team of exceptionally experienced orthopaedic surgeons and is an authoritative expert in their field. Sometimes, patients who have undergone orthopedic surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center can be discharged within 24 hours.

Professional and detailed classification Strong expert team

When an injury or lesion threatens a patient's musculoskeletal system, a team of orthopaedic specialists at the University of Chicago Medical Center is available to provide patients with a comprehensive range of treatment options. From non-surgical therapies to surgical therapies, with their extensive experience, they are able to develop optimal solutions for patients.

As a recognized hospital in the field of orthopedics, the University of Chicago Medical Center attracts patients with musculoskeletal disorders around the world. In order to continuously improve and break through the existing orthopaedic medical standards, the University of Chicago Medical Center has been actively engaged in medical research, and continues to develop new therapies, new surgical techniques and new therapeutic equipment for orthopedics.

Bone surgeons at the University of Chicago Medical Center have their own areas of expertise in the musculoskeletal system, such as the knees, buttocks or hands. Special expertise includes bone and soft tissue malignancies, bone fragility and bone health, fractures, feet and ankles, hands and wrists, shoulders and elbows, hips, knees, children orthopedics, chiropractic and sports medicine. Doctors have an absolute wealth of experience in their respective areas of expertise and are highly skilled in the latest therapies and surgical techniques. It can be said that the team of orthopedic specialists at the University of Chicago Medical Center can fight almost any kind of orthopedic disease.

Patient-oriented medical concept fusion of super-medical skills

Dr. Lewis Shi is one of the elite teams. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and is an expert in the treatment of shoulder injuries and elbow injuries.

Dr. Shi is particularly good at shoulder surgery, shoulder replacement surgery, reverse shoulder replacement surgery, shoulder fracture/dislocation treatment, and treatment of rotator cuff tear/impact syndrome. Dr. Shi is committed to minimizing the invasiveness of treatment, so he will try his best to maximize the value of various non-surgical therapies before considering surgery.

Dr. Shi is not only a skilled surgeon, he is also very fruitful in medical research. He devoted a lot of time to delving into the molecular basis of rotator cuff tears and the biomechanical mechanisms of shoulder arthritis. At the same time, he also held important positions in a number of national and global trials aimed at improving the diagnostic efficiency and therapeutic effectiveness of shoulder injuries.

Dr. Shi can speak both English and Chinese. Although English is a native language, his Chinese is equally familiar. Therefore, many patients who only speak Chinese also have the opportunity to enjoy the doctor's superb medical skills. Many bone surgeons at the University of Chicago Medical Center have multilingual skills who can communicate with patients from different languages ​​and cultures.

Case sharing: painless surgery, rapid recovery

Dr. Shi successfully cured many patients, and Frank Kryzak was one of them.

As early as 2009, Frank often felt sore on his left shoulder while working in the yard (handling heavy loads). Afterwards, this discomfort has evolved into pain, which has seriously affected his daily activities such as fishing, cycling and hiking. In the end, just a simple gesture of reaching for a fork or a spoon would make him feel "shocked by electric shock." The illness caused Frank's quality of life to drop dramatically. Physical therapy and other medical treatments have not alleviated the pain. One of Frank's doctors recommended him to the doctor of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Chicago Medical Center because Dr. Shi is a well-known expert in the treatment of shoulder injuries.

X-ray results showed that osteoarthritis had severely damaged Frank's shoulder surface and soft tissue between the joints. Dr. Shi suggested to Frank that full shoulder arthroplasty would be a very suitable treatment because it relieves pain and restores shoulder function.

“Many patients know hip replacement and knee replacement, but they don’t know that shoulder replacement is a routine, safe, and reliable procedure.” Dr. Shi added that each year, there are more than 50,000 times. Shoulder replacement surgery is performed in the United States.

During the operation, Dr. Shi removed the damaged shoulder joint and replaced it with a new artificial joint that was customized according to patient characteristics.

The anesthesiologist in the doctor's surgery team also gave Frank a lot of care and attention. In addition to general anesthesia during surgery, he also performed local anesthesia for Frank to block the nerves that connect the damaged joints. This anesthesia technique not only minimizes the dose, but also minimizes discomfort caused by side effects of anesthesia. The anesthesiologist also provided Frank with a self-contained local-area method (a small catheter was inserted into the patient's neck. After the surgery came home, the catheter remained in the neck. After a few days, the pump was used to continuously supply the surgical site. Anesthetic drugs, so that he can be discharged home within 24 hours after surgery. In addition, this method also allows the patient to feel no pain when moving the joint, which is an extremely important part of the postoperative rehabilitation process.

“Everything is going well and the pain is reduced to the lightest,” Frank said, who only needs to take over-the-counter medications to relieve the pain. "When I saw Dr. Shi again, I smiled and said to him, 'It turned out to be a painless operation!'"

Now, Frank will pay attention to avoid hurting his recovered shoulders, but he has begun to mention some light objects and can return to the yard to work.

More about shoulder replacement surgery and orthopedic surgery

Shoulder replacement surgery is a very safe and effective procedure that can alleviate the pain caused by a variety of shoulder joint diseases such as shoulder arthritis and chronic rotator cuff tear. If conservative treatments (such as physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and cortisone injections) do not improve, shoulder replacement surgery is a worthwhile option, which not only effectively relieves pain, but also restores joint function.