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Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Peter Curcione is among the first orthopaedic surgeons in Southwest Florida to offer the anterior approach to hip replacement, an innovative, less invasive alternative to traditional surgery allowing patients to return to their normal, active lifestyles more quickly. The public is invited to an upcoming free seminar to learn more.

To provide more information on treatment options for severe hip pain, including information on the anterior approach to hip replacement, Curcione will host a free educational seminar on May 20 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Gulf Coast Medical Center, 13681 Doctors Way in Fort Myers.  The topics to be addressed will include:

• Osteoarthritis and causes of hip pain
• Treatment options including the anterior approach to hip replacement
• How hip replacement works, what to expect and recovery

For reservations, call 239-368-8277, ext. 2302. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited.

In addition to recent clinical studies that validate the outcomes of the anterior approach to hip replacement to the total hip replacement, patients also are reporting benefits.

After about a year of walking in pain, 69-year-old Rita Reinhart from Cape Coral visited Curcione at the recommendation of a friend. X-rays revealed Reinhart had severe osteoarthritis.

“I had been experiencing hip pain and having trouble walking for over a year,” said Reinhart. “After meeting Dr. Curcione, he recommended the anterior approach to hip replacement. Days later, I was home and walking again. I’m no longer living in pain and once again able to keep up with my 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.”

Hip replacement is a major surgery. While traditional hip replacement involves operating from the side or back of the hip, the direct anterior approach requires a smaller incision, about three to four inches long at the front or anterior of the hip. The anterior approach procedure to total hip replacement has been gaining popularity due to its potential benefits including reduced scarring and minimized risk of muscle damage. To learn more about the anterior approach to hip replacement, visit www.bone-fix.com.

Dr. Peter Curcione is an osteopathic physician, a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and a partner in the Athletic Orthopaedic and Reconstructive Center. With offices in Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres, Curcione has served patients in Southwest Florida since 1997. His specialty training and interests include joint replacement surgery, including minimally-invasive procedures such as the anterior approach to hip replacement. In addition, Curcione is experienced and trained in treating disorders of the shoulder and the hand, including fracture care, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis care and reconstructive surgery of the hand. He is trained in arthroscopic shoulder surgery, specifically, all arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs and ligament repairs, as well as arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder. He takes great care to keep up-to-date with the most cutting-edge technologies and procedures to optimally serve his patients.

For more information, visit www.bone-fix.com. Click video to view a broadcast of how the anterior approach to hip replacement surgery is performed. Also, visit Dr. Cucione’s blog at www.topbonedoc.com and follow him online on Facebook and twitter.com/topbonedoc.

For those suffering with chronic knee pain, there is good news! Options for knee replacement surgery have improved and the benefits include a shorter hospital stay, less blood loss and potentially less scarring. Athletic Orthopedic and Reconstructive Center is pleased to be among the first practices in the South Florida area to offer custom knee replacement. Using this new technique, we can now match the fit and placement of the total knee implant to the patient’s unique anatomy.

Why is this important? Because everyone’s knees are different. These differences, determined by factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and lifestyle, can have a tremendous impact on the success of knee replacement surgery. Just slight variations in the way the implant fits can lead to pain, stiffness, instability and potentially shorter implant life.

With custom knee replacement, surgeons can preserve more of the patient’s own bone and ligaments, which allows for better implant fit and knee alignment. This means that patients have the opportunity to experience a more “natural” feeling knee, greater range of motion and a quicker return to normal activities.

For more information, visit www.bone-fix.com or call 239-368-8277.

Good news for knee replacement patients!  A new study finds that knee implant durability is not negatively affected by high-impact sport participation. Read the study:

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients may be able to participate in high-impact sports without increasing risk of early implant failure, according to a new study presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). In addition, the authors observed better clinical scores in the group of patients who participated in activities discouraged by the Knee Society (KS) than those of the control group.

The Knee Society recommends TKA patients avoid activities that cause high stress loads on the implant and may increase the risk of early failure. Such activities include high-impact aerobics, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, jogging and power lifting, among others.

“Recent studies have shown that as many as one in six total knee replacement patients participate in non-recommended activities,” said Sebastian Parratte, M.D., PhD, an orthopaedic surgeon from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and the Aix-Marseille University, Center for Arthritis Surgery, Hospital Sainte-Marguerite in Marseille, France. “This study offers some reassurance to those patients who choose to return to an active lifestyle after surgery.”

Researchers evaluated outcomes of 218 patients between the ages of 18 and 90 who underwent primary knee arthroplasty at the Mayo Clinic and reported performing heavy manual labor or practicing a non-recommended sport following surgery. The “sport group” was matched by age, gender and BMI to a control group of 317 patients who underwent the same procedure using an identical implant and followed recommended activity guidelines.

Clinical and radiologic results were measured using Knee Society (KS) scores and implant survivorship was evaluated using multivariate analysis according to the Cox model.

At an average follow-up of seven-and-a-half years after surgery, the study found:

• No significant radiological differences and no significant differences in implant durability could be demonstrated between the sport group and the control group;
• The sport group showed slightly higher KS Knee and function scores compared to the control group;
• The control group experienced a 20 percent higher revision rate for mechanical failure (loosening, wear or fracture) compared to the sport group;
• After accounting for all variables, including co-morbidities, the sport group had a 10 percent higher risk of mechanical failure compared to the control group.

These results were quite surprising to Dr. Parratte and his team.

“We hypothesized that high-impact activities would not increase the risk of implant failure, but we did not foresee that such activities might actually improve clinical results,” he said. “It is clear that more research is necessary to evaluate the short and long-term effect of high-impact activities on the durability and function of modern TKA implants.”

He added that, although the industry is not ready or able at this point to revise its recommendations, the possibility may exist in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, he noted that surgeons and patients should continue to follow all industry recommendations relating to recovery following joint replacement surgery.

For more information on knee replacement, call 239-368-8277 or visit www.bone-fix.com.

For updates from our office, stories from patients and the very latest in orthopaedic news, click here to read the spring issue of our newsletter, “In Motion”.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Peter Curcione is among the first orthopaedic surgeons in Southwest Florida to offer the anterior approach to hip replacement, an innovative, less invasive alternative to traditional surgery allowing patients to return to their normal, active lifestyles more quickly. The public is invited to an upcoming free seminar to learn more.

To provide more information on treatment options for severe hip pain, including information on the anterior approach to hip replacement, Curcione will host a free educational seminar on April 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Gulf Coast Medical Center, 13681 Doctors Way in Fort Myers.  The topics to be addressed will include:

• Osteoarthritis and causes of hip pain
• Treatment options including the anterior approach to hip replacement
• How hip replacement works, what to expect and recovery

For reservations, call 239-368-8277, ext. 2302. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited.

“We call it the ‘muscle-friendly’ approach because we do not surgically detach the muscles or tendons,” says Curcione. “Following the anterior approach, patients are reporting less pain, spending less time in the hospital and experiencing a faster recovery.”

Hip replacement is a major surgery. While traditional hip replacement involves operating from the side or back of the hip, the direct anterior approach requires a smaller incision, about three to four inches long at the front or anterior of the hip. The anterior approach procedure to total hip replacement has been gaining popularity due to its potential benefits including reduced scarring and minimized risk of muscle damage. To learn more about the anterior approach to hip replacement, visit www.bone-fix.com.

Dr. Peter Curcione is an osteopathic physician, a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and a partner in the Athletic Orthopaedic and Reconstructive Center. With offices in Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres, Curcione has served patients in Southwest Florida since 1997. His specialty training and interests include joint replacement surgery, including minimally-invasive procedures such as the anterior approach to hip replacement. In addition, Curcione is experienced and trained in treating disorders of the shoulder and the hand, including fracture care, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis care and reconstructive surgery of the hand. He is trained in arthroscopic shoulder surgery, specifically, all arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs and ligament repairs, as well as arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder. He takes great care to keep up-to-date with the most cutting-edge technologies and procedures to optimally serve his patients.

For more information, visit www.bone-fix.com. Click video to view a broadcast of how the anterior approach to hip replacement surgery is performed. Also, visit Dr. Cucione’s blog at www.topbonedoc.com and follow him online on Facebook and twitter.com/topbonedoc.

Falls are a serious problem in Lee County. Falls are the most common cause of accidents in people over 65 years of age and the leading cause death to the injury. In fact, 94 people died in Lee County in 2008 due to falls. People living with orthopaedic conditions are especially at risk of falls and fall-related injuries.

The Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition is stepping up to help residents and their loved ones prevent falls and fall-related injuries and deaths through a community-wide campaign, appropriately named “Step WiseLee.”

Step Up and Do Your Part

Falls are not a normal part of aging. But according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), they are more common among the elderly population and the leading cause of injury deaths. Hip fractures and head traumas are the most serious injuries resulting from falls. The CDC recommends taking the following steps to reduce the risk of falls:

• Remove throw rugs or use double-sided tape or non-stick pads under rugs
• Eliminate clutter in walkways such as cords, wires, shoes, clothes, books, etc.
• Keep items you regularly use within reach and stored safely in cabinets and drawers
• Have grab bars installed in showers, bathtubs, next to toilets and in hallways
• Use non-slip mats in bathtubs and shower floors
• Have handrails and lights installed on staircases
• Add nightlights in bathrooms and hallways
• Wear shoes both inside and outside the house and avoid going barefoot or wearing slippers
• Schedule an appointment annually to have your vision checked
• Encourage seniors to participate in regular exercise such as walking or water aerobics to maintain balance and muscle tone
• Have health care provider review medications

By working together, we can reduce the number of falls and fall-related injuries and deaths in Lee County. For more information, visit www.StepWiseLee.com.

For updates from our office, stories from patients and the very latest in orthopaedic news, click here to read the latest issue of our newsletter, “In Motion”.

To provide more information and answer questions about treatment options for severe hip pain, including the anterior approach to hip replacement, orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Peter Curcione will host a free educational seminar on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Gulf Coast Medical Center, 13681 Doctors Way in Fort Myers.  The topics to be addressed will include:

• Osteoarthritis and causes of hip pain
• Treatment options including anterior approach to hip replacement
• How hip replacement works, what to expect and recovery

For reservations, call 239-368-8277, ext. 2302. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited.

Hip replacement is a major surgery. While traditional hip replacement involves operating from the side or back of the hip, the direct anterior approach requires a smaller incision, about three to four inches long at the front or anterior of the hip.

“The anterior approach procedure to total hip replacement has been gaining popularity due to the benefits for patients including reduced scarring and minimized risk of muscle damage,” says Curcione. “The time from replacement to recovery is reduced and patients are returning to their active lifestyles more quickly.”

Dr. Peter Curcione is an osteopathic physician, a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and a partner in the Athletic Orthopedic and Reconstructive Center. With offices in Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres, Curcione has served patients in Southwest Florida since 1997. His specialty training and interests include joint replacement surgery, including minimally-invasive procedures such as the anterior approach to hip replacement. In addition, Curcione is experienced and trained in treating disorders of the shoulder and the hand, including fracture care, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis care and reconstructive surgery of the hand. He is trained in arthroscopic shoulder surgery, specifically, all arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs and ligament repairs, as well as arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder. He takes great care to keep up to date with the most cutting-edge technologies and procedures to optimally serve his patients.

Dr. Peter Curcione and his partners in the Athletic Orthopedic and Reconstructive Center have moved from their prior Fort Myers office to a new state-of-the-art facility at 3210 Cleveland Ave. in Fort Myers.

For patient convenience, the new Fort Myers office features on-site MRI services and a new, fully equipped rehabilitation and fitness center. In addition, the practice has installed electronic medical records and digital X-rays to improve efficiencies for patients, physicians and staff.

“Electronic medical records provide immediate access to patient information,” said Curcione. “For example, a patient comes in with recurring hip pain. Using the EMR, I can immediately access his patient record to review his previous diagnosis, prior test results and document any new complaints. Very quickly, I have accurate, up-to-date information to help me make the best decisions for my patient.”

The practice also added touch screen patient kiosks in exam rooms allowing patients to more quickly and accurately enter in their medical symptoms, medical and surgical history, medications, family history, allergies and other medical background. In addition, new digital images have replaced large bulky X-rays. Images now are stored on the computer and can be accessed in patient exam rooms and physician work stations.

The office number remains the same at 239-936-6778. Curcione also continues to see patients at his Lehigh office at 3400 Lee Blvd., Suite 105 in Lehigh Acres. The Lehigh office number remains the same at 239-368-8277.

The Fort Myers office of the Athletic Orthopaedic Reconstruction Center has moved from its prior location, 2745 Swamp Cabbage Court, Suite 305 to a new state-of-the-art facility at 3210 Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers. For your convenience, the new office features on-site MRI services and a new fully equipped rehabilitation and fitness center. In addition, the practice has installed electronic medical records and digital X-rays to improve efficiencies for patients, physicians and staff. The phone number remains the same, 239-936-6778.