Orthopedics Division

The Division of Orthopedics of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center treats a wide variety of conditions related to the skeletal system and movement - bone, joint, and connective tissue - such as joint replacements, traumatic injuries, and sports conditions.

Team

Orthopedics expertise

  • Orthopedics provides targeted expertise in the following areas:
  • The joint replacement unit performs initial or revision joint replacements, primarily knee and hip replacements.
  • The trauma unit treats traumatic injuries - such as car accidents, work injuries, and home accidents - and cares for seniors with common osteoporotic fractures, such as in femoral neck fractures.
  • Sports medicine treats a complement of sports-related injuries - mostly knee, muscle, and tendon injuries, for professional athletes, sports enthusiasts, and novices.
  • The shoulder unit treats injuries such as torn tendons, dislocated shoulders, and fractures, and performs shoulder joint replacement surgeries.
  • The foot and ankle unit treats a range of problems, such as acquired deformities, fractures, and diabetes complications.
  • The hand and forearm unit treats a variety of conditions: fractures, torn ligaments and nerves, congenital malformations, and joint problems, including elbow replacements.
  • The spine unit treats back problems, from the neck to the tailbone: broken bones, degenerative illnesses, infections, and tumors.
  • In the unit for minimally invasive orthopedics, degenerative conditions and hip injuries are treated.

Advanced patient-focused medicine

  • The division performs over 4000 operations, treats about 40,000 emergency room patients, and conducts approximately 25,000 outpatient clinic visits annually.
    Orthopedics relies on the latest technologies, methods, and equipment to provide outstanding patient care.
    The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Emergency Department is supported by orthopedists around the clock for traumatic injury diagnosis, treatment, and consultation. As part of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s level 1 trauma center team, the division specializes in treating terrorism casualties.The orthopedics clinic provides professional consultations prior to treatment and post care on a national level.

Diagnostic and treatment procedures performed

  • Knee arthroscopy
  • Shoulder arthroplasty and repair
  • Cruciate ligament reconstruction
  • Knee replacement or arthroplasty
  • Hip replacement or arthroplasty
  • Shoulder replacement or arthroplasty
  • Spinal disk herniation (slipped disk surgery)
  • Carpal tunnel release surgery
  • Kyphoplasty – repair of osteoporotic vertebral fractures
  • Hip joint arthroscopy

Orthopedic services and specialties

  • Invasive and minimally invasive surgery
  • Pediatric orthopedics
  • Orthopedic trauma
  • Hand and forearm surgery
  • Shoulder surgery
  • Foot and ankle surgery
  • Joint surgery
  • Spine surgery
  • Sports medicine

Shoulder Surgery

The shoulder is one of the most crucial joints in the body. It enables movement and upper-body function. The shoulder is structured like a ball and socket, wrapped in a strong casing called a capsule, held in place and controlled by muscles and tendons that enable broad movement.

Shoulder fractures are usually caused either during simple forward falls onto the hands while attempting to break the fall, or as a result of a direct injury. During impact, the head of the bone breaks and the tendons tear from the bone. It is very important to repair the break anatomically, to return the bone’s ball structure and prevent joint degeneration, which if not restored properly, can heavily limit function. Because shoulder fractures are common in the senior population, it is important to restore shoulder function to promote independence.

These types of fractures are treated with innovative, surgically affixed metal plates designed specifically for this purpose or with special screws that facilitate successful healing and return of joint movement. In more elderly patients shoulder replacement should be considere.

Torn shoulder tendons are common in seniors, resulting from falls or sharp pulling on the bone. However degenerative tears are also very common. The area typically injured is the rotator cuff, the tendons set into the shoulder socket. Repairing this area and returning it to functioning is done by stitching the tendons under arthroscopic surgery, which does not require large incisions into the joint.

Recurring Dislocations, surprisingly common in young patients, are often caused by an acute motion that pulls the joint out of place. This is extremely painful and requires a skilled orthopedist to reset the bones in place (routinely performed in the emergency department). However, typically in young patients, when the joint is dislocated, there is also a tear in the joint capsule or fracture of the socket. As a result, the shoulder becomes unstable and shoulder dislocation can recur during routine activity, even during sleep.
Arthroscopic surgery is ordinarily performed to treat the injury—to repair the damage and to strengthen the joint capsule. Most tendon and joint repair surgeries are now done on an ambulatory basis in the day hospital.

Additional surgeries conducted by the unit include shoulder replacements—both total and partial—including unique prosthetic implantation, and procedures to treat function-limiting joint degeneration or severely torn tendons.