It could be argued that the most life-changing procedures performed by Dr. Ryan Pereira at Anastasia Medical Group near Jacksonville are limb reconstruction surgeries. Putting a patient back on their feet after they thought a crushed leg was lost is simply priceless.
Patients can find themselves facing severely impaired mobility or amputation as a result of a number of situations. Some are purely medical. Others involve traumatic events. Regardless of the cause, limb reconstruction surgery can completely change a patient’s expectations for recovery.
Here are five reasons why patients seek limb reconstruction:
Car accidents
Car accidents can result in severe physical and mental trauma, even with the latest advances in vehicle safety over the last several decades. The fact is that legs and arms still get crushed, ligaments get torn, and lives are forever changed on impact. Even if patients are not paralyzed in a car accident, crush injuries of the legs can make standing and walking impossible. But advanced techniques of reconstruction surgery can radically improve expected outcomes, allowing patients to recover significant or complete use of their lower limbs.
Non-healing fractures
Doctors typically set and stabilize broken bones with a cast or sling to prevent movement and allow the fracture to heal. But sometimes it doesn’t. In cases where no significant healing occurs over a month or more, a reconstructive surgeon may advise surgery to reset bone fragments or insert devices such as screws, rods, or plates. This allows the fracture to start healing and ensures that the bone comes together in the proper way so that a deformity doesn’t develop.
Deformity correction
If a broken bone in the leg heals incorrectly, it can result in a deformity of length. This is especially true for severe injuries that involve multiple fractures. The resulting biomechanical issues can lead to impaired mobility, pain, and a visible imbalance. Adults living with a bone deformity resulting from a malunion can seek reconstruction surgery to correct the imbalance.
Having completed an advanced fellowship at the Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center in 2005, Dr. Pereira specializes in the Ilizarov method for bone lengthening and deformity correction. He is able to treat patients who have been living for years with complications from a fractured leg that healed incorrectly.
Deep bone infections
Osteomyelitis is a deep bone infection that can occur after as a result of an open wound located over the bone. Patients suffering from diabetes are especially at risk because reduced blood flow prevents proper healing of open wounds and makes them more vulnerable to infection.
A bone infection is a very serious condition, and one that often requires surgery in order to remove infected bone and tissue, remove any foreign material, and thoroughly debride and wash out the area. This results in a gap which will be filled with an antibiotic spacer. Following surgery to treat the infection, reconstruction surgery can improve the patients use of the limb after infected parts have been removed.
Severe sports injuries
Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) works for everyday sports injuries like bumps, bruises, and even sprains, but sometimes injuries are much more severe and complex. We’ve all seen the cringe-worthy videos of professional, collegiate, and Olympic athletes suffering an unimaginable injury in competition. For amateur and professional athletes alike, a complex fracture, joint separation, or other serious injury brings a flood of emotions around lifelong hopes and dreams potentially being lost.
That’s why athletes seek the most advanced, most promising treatments for serious injuries. Sometimes this includes reconstruction surgery for a complex fracture or crush injury. Athletes need a treatment that will help their body heal and allow them to recover full strength and mobility.