Experienced surgeons in Missoula, Montana Surgery is a big decision no matter what the injury is. With some acute injuries the decision is easier because surgery is the only option for an optimal recovery, for example rotator cuff repair, ACL reconstruction, or a complex bone fracture. Other joint pain may be chronic, which means that…
Knee
Meet Jim – doing the things he loves because of knee and hip replacement surgery
Meet Jim, a patient with Dr. Gary Willstein for over 10 years. Dr. Willstein has provided quality orthopedic care with a knee replacement and a hip replacement, and recently the other hip replaced, to keep this active 77 year old doing the things he enjoys. “Thank you Dr. Willstein, for making it possible for Jim…
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Physical Therapy in Missoula
Eccentric Strengthening of the Posterior Chain Muscles The single-leg dead lift is one of our favorite exercises for beginning eccentric strengthening of the posterior chain muscles of the hip. Here are some tips to make sure you’re performing this correctly. make sure you keep the leg you’re standing on relatively straight, but do not lockout…
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Partial Knee Replacement Surgery in Missoula
This x-ray of the knee shows degeneration in one compartment while the other compartment is normal. Partial knee replacement may be a good option for this patient. Traditionally, when patients develop arthritis of the knee that does not respond to conservative treatment, a total knee replacement was offered as the definitive treatment of choice. However,…
What are Steroid Injections?
What are Steroids? Corticosteroids are a class of medications that are related to cortisone. Cortisone is a naturally occurring corticosteroid hormone produced by your adrenal glands. What are the benefits of a steroid injection? The main benefits are to decrease pain and increase function at the injected joint. The aim is to reduce joint inflammation,…
Filed Under: Hip, Knee, Orthopedic Physician, Orthopedics, Shoulder, Sports Medicine, Total Joint Replacement
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Partial Knee Replacement may be an option for you
Traditionally, when patients develop arthritis of the knee that does not respond to conservative treatment, a total knee replacement was offered as the definitive treatment of choice. However, in nearly half of patients who come to an orthopedic clinic with knee pain, the arthritis is only located in a single part (compartment) of the knee….
What is that bulge behind my knee?
A Baker’s cyst, also called a popliteal cyst, is an abnormal swelling in the depression in the back of the knee joint. This condition is usually the result of something else going on in the knee joint, hence it is recommended that you have a consultation with an orthopedic physician who specializes in treatment of…
Where is the ACL?
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
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…
