Year in Review July 2014 - June 2015
The primary focus of the UCLA Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory is in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery, with an expertise in knee injury and repair. Our research group consists of David McAllister, MD, Keith Markolf, PhD, Daniel Boguszewski, PhD, and Kristofer Jones, MD.
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Surgeons can now repair a torn rotator cuff without cutting through the deltoid muscle that surrounds the shoulder, facilitating quicker recovery with less pain and fewer complications.
To ensure the student athletes are always ready to compete, the Bruins rely on a team of dedicated certified athletic trainers and the expertise of the UCLA Athletics Department medical staff, which includes five orthopaedic surgeons and three family medicine physicians affiliated with the UCLA Sports Medicine Program. The medical staff provides consultations, surgical care and non-surgical care for approximately 700 athletes competing in 22 different varsity sports ranging from basketball, football and soccer to tennis, golf, gymnastics and track.
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An innovative arthroscopic procedure offers a minimally invasive approach to treating rotator-cuff tears. The operation is performed through three or four puncture wounds using a camera and specialized arthroscopic instruments. Traditional rotator-cuff repair surgery involves a 3-to-6 cm incision in the deltoid muscle.
The procedure allows surgeons to reach the site of the injury and reattach muscle and tendon to bone without cutting through the deltoid muscle, which surrounds the shoulder. The arthroscopic procedure, which is performed on an outpatient basis, "is just as effective and results in less post-operative pain and a shorter recovery time than the traditional 'open' surgery."
Surgeons at UCLA are pioneering an effective, low-risk alternative to laminectomy. The X-Stop Interspinous Process Decompression Device (X-Stop) is a titanium implant that opens spaces in the lower spine to relieve pressure on nerves.
A new device to treat spinal stenosis that allows movement of the spine is now offered at UCLA, one of only five centers in the nation participating in a pilot study.
