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About
Our
Practice
From
left to right, the
Olney, Silver Spring, Rockville, and Germantown
GWOG offices.
The
Greater Washington Orthopaedic Group
offers
a complete range of diagnostic and therapeutic services related to orthopaedic
surgery. We evaluate and treat problems of the shoulders, arms, hands,
hips, knees, feet, and spine.
Orthopaedic surgery is a surgical specialty dealing
with injuries and disease of the musculoskeletal system. Most conditions
treated by an orthopaedic surgeon, however, never require surgical intervention.
The majority of conditions seen in an orthopaedic practice involve either
injuries or degenerative wear and tear diagnoses. An orthopaedic surgeon
has received five years of post doctorate training to become eligible
to practice his specialty and become board certified.
Injuries are classified by the activity responsible. Trauma such as
motor vehicle accidents account for a significant number of serious
injuries. Work related injuries may be either traumatic or repetitive
activity related. Recreation is also responsible for increasing numbers
of injuries and has brought about a new category of medical practice
— sports medicine. Any of these conditions are frequently treated
by the family practice physician. When the symptoms are severe, or when
a more complicated injury is involved, the patient will be referred
to an orthopaedic surgeon.
Diseases
of the musculoskeletal system include the degenerative conditions of
arthritis and repetitive motion syndromes such as tendonitis, bursitis,
and nerve compressions.
Treatment begins with a complete medical history to determine the cause
or inciting event for the patient's symptoms. Trauma, working conditions,
recreational activities all play a part in causing most musculoskeletal
conditions, the single common element in each case being pain. The medical
history gives most of the clues to the patient's diagnosis, so a detailed
description of your symptoms is a great help to your doctor in determining
the diagnosis.
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Our services
include:
•
Arthritis surgery including total joint
replacement
• Arthroscopic
lumbar disc removal
• Arthroscopic
surgery and other types of joint surgery
• Back
pain treatment including non-surgical, as well as surgery
• Carpal
tunnel treatment including surgical release
• Cruciate
ligament reconstruction
• Dupuytren's
contracture surgery
• Epidural
steroid injections
• Foot
surgery
• Fractures
(broken bones) and dislocations
• Hand
surgery
• Knee
reconstruction
• Lumbar
facet blocks
• Neck
pain treatment including non-surgical, as well as surgery
• Pediatric
Orthopaedics including congenital and development problems
• Percutaneous
lumbar discectomy
• Spinal
cord stimulator implantation for chronic pain
• Spine
fusions
• Sports
medicine for acute injuries and rehabilitation
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Important
information to provide includes a description of the character, location,
intensity, and frequency of the symptoms, as well as the relation to
activity. The physical examination then allows the physician to concentrate
his observations on that part of the body that seems to be the source
of the problem. Additional diagnostic aids include use of x-ray, blood
tests, electrical tests or special studies.
An
orthopaedic surgeon has many options in treatment modalities other than
surgery. Surgery is always the last consideration when all other forms
of treatment have failed to relieve the patient's symptoms. Many conditions
are successfully treated with a combined program of physical therapy
and appropriate rehabilitative exercise. The physical therapist, often
working along with the orthopaedic surgeon, provides vital care and
instruction to the patient to relieve the symptoms, and more importantly
to prevent recurrence of the problem. The physical therapist is a highly
trained specialist, who provides the direct rehabilitative care after
the physician has determined the diagnosis and treatment plan. The doctor
may also prescribe medications such as anti-inflammatory agents, which
aid in the healing of damaged tissue, and when necessary, pain relieving
agents.
There are some conditions which must primarily
be treated by manipulative or surgical procedures. These include severe
injuries such as open wounds or deforming bone fractures. Interestingly,
orthopaedics first developed as the specialty of treating children's
deformities. The derivation of the name of the specialty means, "to
straighten a child." Today, orthopaedic surgery is the specialty
of treating any and all musculoskeletal afflictions, whatever the cause.
The treatment is customized to the individual, his or her needs, and
to the cause, whether that may be work related, sports related, traumatic,
or degenerative. The board certified orthopaedic surgeon is trained
in the latest techniques of fracture management, sports medicine, including
arthroscopic surgery, spine surgery, joint replacement surgery, and
non-operative management of back and neck injuries.
Diagnostic capabilities including x-rays and electromyography
are available in our offices. Our physical therapists and our specialists
in hand therapy offer complete therapy and rehabilitation services.
We have offices in Silver Spring, Rockville/Gaithersburg, Olney, and
Germantown, Maryland. We can easily be reached from Montgomery, Prince
George's and Howard Counties, and from the District of Columbia, and
Virginia. Please consult our map
and directions pages
for the office(s) nearest you. We admit patients to Holy Cross Hospital,
Montgomery General Hospital, and Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. We
perform surgery at these three hospitals, and also at the Healthsouth
Montgomery Surgery Center in Rockville, and the Surgery Center of Maryland,
in Leisure World.
GWOG
Office Locations:
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GERMANTOWN
Northlake
Medical Park
19532 Doctors Drive
Germantown, MD 20874
(301) 353-0341
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OLNEY
Suite
221
18111 Prince Philip Dr.
Olney, MD 20832
(301) 977-1300
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ROCKVILLE
Suite
120
9850 Key West Avenue
Rockville, MD 20854
(301) 762-4800
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SILVER
SPRING
Suite 400
1400 Forest Glen Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 589-3324 |
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