• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

A New Approach to Rotator Cuff Surgery

Posted on: Monday, 9 June 2008, 03:00 CDT

By Schaff, Kim

Orthopaedics Northeast (ONE) is one of the area's premier orthopaedic centers. Since 1962 it has offered patients a full range of orthopaedic care, including diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. This multi-disciplinary orthopaedics group includes physicians who specialize in many areas, such as neck and back pain, bone and joint surgery, sports injuries, hand problems, physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Dr. Brett Gemlick with ONE specializes in sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Fort Wayne at the age of ten. While attending Snider High School, he shadowed Dr. Jim Albright, a family friend and orthopaedic surgeon at ONE. After spending time with Dr. Albright, he knew that pursuing medicine was the career path he desired.

In pursuit of his dream, Dr. Gemlick attended Purdue University for his undergraduate degree, Ohio State University for medical school and Indiana University medical school for his residency before returning to Fort Wayne for a sports fellowship. Following his fellowship, he was attracted to ONE because of the doctors within the group and the high-quality work they perform.

Dr. Gemlick sees a variety of patients and medical issues every day, ranging from teen athletes with ACL injuries to elderly patients with Arthritis; yet, he is renowned for his ability to perform the Latissimus Dorsi Transfer procedure. This surgery provides a new option to patients suffering from previously irreparable rotator cuff tears.

"The rotator cuff consists of four muscles and their associated tendons around the shoulder that extend from the shoulder blade and attach to the Proximal Humurous bone, or the arm bone, in the shoulder, which helps move the shoulder out and away from the body," he says.

Over time a tendon or group of tendons may become thin and tear. Once a tendon tears away from the bone, it will never heal on its own.

Dr. Gemlick says that rotator cuff problems like tears or tendonitis are more common in individuals over the age of 50.

"Occasionally we see it after an acute injury in a younger person, but it's more often a wear and tear issue," he says.

When a patient comes in with a rotator cuff tear, Dr. Gemlick assesses the tear and categorizes it as small, medium, large or massive. While many tears start out small, they slowly get larger over time. And if the muscle attached to that tendon doesn't see any force, it starts to turn to fat, eventually making the tendon irreparable.

Initial treatment for a tear is called conservative, or non- operative. Dr. Gemlick says they try physical therapy, medicine and injections first.

"If that doesn't work or if the patient is younger than the age of 60, we recommend repairing the tear," he says.

At this point, the ONE physician reattaches the tendon to the bone, usually with stitches or small suture anchors. More recently, they've been able to repair the rotator cuff orthoscopically through a scope with tiny incisions.

Previously, if the rotator cuff tear was categorized as large or massive and irreparable, the options were to live with the pain and loss of function or have a debridement procedure performed. This procedure involves going in through a scope to clean up the area. However, Dr. Gemlick says that performing the procedure was not effective in eliminating the problem and its results were unpredictable.

Luckily today, through the advancements of technology, ONE is able to offer its patients a more viable option for dealing with massive tears. Patients can choose to live with it torn, or they can have a "tendon transfer procedure where we borrow another tendon from the shoulder or arm and replace the rotator cuff with it," explains Dr. Gemlick. "Transfer procedures are very successful in eliminating pain and restoring function."

Not only does the Latissimus Dorsi Transfer surgery offer a life- changing solution to patients, but it also requires little time, as the surgery takes less than two hours and usually requires only an overnight hospital stay.

While the procedure has remarkable results, because of its complexity, few people actually perform it. In fact Dr. Gemlick and his partner, Dr. Steve Wright, are the only ones in the region who perform this surgery, which is why many of their patients drive up to 100-miles to see them. Since learning the procedure during a mission trip to India in 2000, Dr. Gemlick has performed it nearly 70 times, which is the second most by one person worldwide.

Whether you are suffering from a rotator cuff tear or any other injury, the ONE group can help restore your good health. As one of the largest and most experienced specialty centers in northeast Indiana, ONE has not only a qualified, but also compassionate, staff ready to serve you.

"I try to treat my patients like I would a family member," says Dr. Gemlick. "So I hope my patients feel like that is the case and keep coming back to me for that reason."

Orthopaedics Northeast (ONE)

Address: 11119 Parkview Plaza Drive, Suite 101

Fort Wayne, Indiana 46845

Phone: (260) 482-9273

President: Dr. Alan McGee

CEO: Ray Kuscisto

Employees: 350

Years in Business: 46

Web site: www.orthone.com

Products and Services: ONE offers a full-range of orthopaedic care, including diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. ONE's areas of expertise include: Arthritis; neck and back pain; sports injuries; joint replacement surgery; spine surgery; bone and joint surgery; foot deformities; hand problems; fractures and sprains; work-related injuries; physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Copyright Michiana Business Publications, Inc. May 2008

(c) 2008 Business People. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source: Business People

More News in this Category