The ACL, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, is a commonly injured ligament of the knee joint. This picture is a sagittal slice of a knee MRI clearly showing the intact ACL and the ruptured ACL. This time of the year, in Montana, we typically see this type of injury in basketball and skiing. Ligaments are tough bands…
Is your knee joint catching, locking and swelling?
The knee is a complex hinge joint providing flexion and extension movement at the knee joint. It is formed where the thigh bone and the shin bone meet. The patella or knee cap is at the front of the knee and acts as a glide for the patella tendon that attaches to the quadricep muscle….
Tagged With: arthroscopy, best surgeons, knee injury, knee pain, missoula surgeons, outpatient surgery center, torn meniscus
Shoulder Pain – Rotator Cuff Injury?
Slipped on the ice and now your shoulder hurts? Dr. Michael Wright specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder injuries. You may first develop pain in the front part of your shoulder, your pain may spread down the side of your arm, the pain increases if you lift your arm above your head, the pain may be…
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Knee Injury
Dr. Gary Willstein uses the knee model in clinic today to explain to a patient about the role of the ACL, Anterior Cruciate Ligament. The ACL is one of the four ligaments in the knee joint that provides stabilization. It crosses from front to back across the knee joint, connecting the tibia (shin) bone to the…
Bunion Joint Pain
Hallux valgus, or commonly known as Bunion, is a condition that affects the joint at the base of the big toe. The base of the bone in your big toe (proximal phalanx) meets with the head of the metatarsal bone in your foot to form the metatarsophalangeal joint. Ligaments connect the two bones together for stability. …
Arthroscopic Posterior Cruciate Ligament Repair Surgery
Doctor Michael Wright, Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon, is joined by Scott Doherty, Physician Assistant, at Missoula Bone & Joint Surgery Center. Dr. Wright was on his way into surgery to perform a Posterior Cruciate Ligament, PCL, repair of the knee joint. The knee is structurally complex. It is held together by four ligaments (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL) and two tendons…
Total Ankle Replacement Surgery
Your feet and ankles are extremely complex, with 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, 5 tendons, plus nerves and blood vessels. The large Achilles tendon extends from the calf muscles to the heel bone (calcaneus), and allows running, jumping, walking upstairs, and raising the body onto the toes. Ligaments attach bone to bone…
What is ACI?
Autogenous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) is a procedure used to treat painful cartilage defects, primarily in the knee. This procedure is best suited for young patients without preexisting arthritis in their joint. The procedure is performed in two stages. In the first stage, a small sample of cartilage is harvested during knee arthroscopy. The sample is…
How can core strength help prevent joint pain?
Whether sitting, standing, or moving about, core strength is important for overall function and movement of our bodies. Often times when trying to improve core strength, variations of abdominal crunches come to mind. However, there are more functional and effective exercises to help you achieve the increased core strength you’re looking for. The area…
Tagged With: core strength, hip pain, knee pain, lower back pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, physical therapy
Sports Medicine Athletic Training in Montana
Athletic training (AT) in the United States began in 1881. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association was formed in 1950 to govern the profession. Many of us growing up did not have access to an Athletic Trainer or understood the importance of this health care profession. We had health care professionals or “team docs” that would…
