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Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine:
To sit down or stand up without thinking about it; to shake someone's hand without wincing; to walk to the mailbox without pain — these are all actions we take for granted until we can't do them any longer.
As anyone who has ever suffered pain or the loss of mobility as a result of a traumatic accident or a degenerative disease like arthritis knows, even the simplest activities can come to require superhuman effort.
A Growing Problem
One in seven Americans has a musculoskeletal disorder. Back or spine injuries are the most prevalent of these impairments, and musculoskeletal problems account for fully 20 percent of all patient visits to primary care physicians. When you add to these statistics our aging population and our optimistic expectation that our later years will be defined by second careers and new adventures rather than easy chairs and armchair travel, it quickly becomes clear that the field of orthopedics is becoming a critical health care specialty.
A Multidisciplinary Solution
The good news is that these developments are taking place amid an explosion of technological advances. Working with Stanford's Department of Athletics, specialists in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Division of Sports Medicine are merging humanistic patient care with extraordinary technology to develop new ways to repair and regenerate bone, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons — offering patients a second chance for a life free from pain and restrictions.
- With researchers in Stanford's acclaimed School of Engineering, we are designing innovative solutions — from joint replacement and minimally invasive surgeries to functional rehabilitation — for the most common musculoskeletal disorders.
- With colleagues in the Department of Genetics, we are seeking to translate advances in gene therapy and tissue engineering into treatments for orthopedic conditions.
- With faculty in the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, we are developing new bone- and cartilage-forming therapies to improve the success of artificial implants.
Our combined strengths will enable us to build on the following areas:
Orthopedic spine care: We are focused on better understanding cellular, tissue, and anatomical structures, as well as on advancing the biomechanical and biochemical science to improve the treatment options for spinal injuries. In time we plan to put neural stem cells to work to reverse the devastating damage caused by severe spine injuries, offering new hope to patients suffering from paralysis.
Hand and upper limb care: Already an area of special expertise at Stanford, we aim to expand our proficiency in treating injuries, deformities, and diseases of the upper limb, including trauma, infection, and arthritis affecting bone and joints; nerve injury and repair; and congenital anomalies.
Orthopedic trauma surgery: Our orthopedic surgeons are working closely with Stanford's biomechanical engineers and molecular and cellular biologists to create new approaches to musculoskeletal injuries, complementing Stanford's status as the only Level 1 Trauma Center on the Peninsula.
Sports medicine: In the Sports Medicine Center we are tracking the performance of Stanford student athletes, learning how the body functions at peak performance, and gathering key data that will allow us to more fully understand the complex mechanics of the human form, with benefits for people everywhere. Our expertise in exercise physiology, nutrition counseling, and physical therapy gives us the means to offer our patients powerful prevention techniques as well.
