Hi there! It has been a while since we touched base on advancements and updates that are brewing at the practice!

Let’s start off at the foot! Dr. Popowitz, who heads the foot and ankle division, along with the talented Dr. Yasmin Sarraf, continue to make strides in foot care, with an emphasis on minimally invasive bunion surgery. They are using multiple cutting-edge technologies. Surgeries which would typically lead to a lot of downtime and scarring, as well as painful recoveries, can now be done through minimally invasive approaches with excellent cosmetic results. This includes Israeli technology such as the OSSIO implant. Dr. Popowitz, when asked about the results and patient satisfaction, is quoted as saying, “Patients are loving the new appearance of their feet and cannot believe it is done through such a small incision.”

In the realm of sports medicine, Dr. Heitman continues to have excellent results from his knee and shoulder surgeries, particularly to the shoulder. He is employing more and more four-knot double-row techniques, all done through an arthroscopic approach, in which repairs of the typically torn rotator cuff can be done with a very high repair rate and with significant strengthening to the shoulder after surgery. He recently operated on a father-son combination. They are both able to go back to tennis as well as weightlifting. Dr. Heitman’s comments to this are, “Yeah, we had to get these both right, otherwise I never would have heard the end of it. Thankfully, they are doing great and they happen to be a very high demand family, so we could not be more thrilled.”

In the area of spine surgery, we recently attended the North American Spine Surgery meeting in Chicago, which featured many new technologies as well as the major spine implant companies. A big focus continues to be that of minimally invasive surgery and spinal endoscopic surgery, as well as navigation technology. It was nice to see that some of the more prominent technologies in the field of navigation are being heralded out of Israel. Israel, as you know, was the major designer of spinal robotic systems, which we have reported on in the past, through the company known as Mazor, ultimately acquired by Medtronic. Now some lower cost navigation tools, by which the surgeon will be able to view the spine similar to the way it is viewed on a CT scan but within the operating room setting, continues to make forward strides.

On Nov. 21, we conducted a webinar on the topic “Diagnosing the Sacroiliac Joint: The Missing Piece.” Some 25% percent of back pain can actually be attributed to the pelvic joint, nearby the spine. Could this be you?

In regards to pain management, Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Simhaee continue to see and treat people for their cervical, lumbar and pelvic spinal conditions. Many of them are being relieved through targeted injection therapy, with no need for further surgery. A recent focus is on those patients who may be candidates for platelet medicine, regenerative medicine and stem cell healing injections into the degenerated spinal discs.

All told, we are happy to note that the results in all departments have been outstanding! If there is a way to help you with regard to any of your musculoskeletal complaints, please reach out to our office at (201) 510-3777 for an appointment or email Elianna Kranz, our community liaison, at [email protected].

Wishing you the best of health and a pleasant winter!