Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Have an achy knee? Maybe you need to grow some new cartilage for it.
 

We are pleased to offer our Pediatric Bone Health Symposium, a clinical and research focused day with multidisciplinary lectures designed to provide a broader understanding of pediatric bone development and appropriate diagnosis and treatment practices.

Hosted by Dr. Aenor Sawyer, UCSF Pediatric Orthopaedics

Pediatric Bone Health Symposium

Friday, October 30, 2009 
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Lange Room, Kalmanovitz Library
University of California San Francisco

New pilots train on flight simulators before flying their first 757.  Scientists experiment on animals before giving their new drug to patients.  And Fledgling surgeons perform theri first few operations on ... real people.  Read about a new way surgeons are training here. 

Virtual Reality in the OR

San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, August 7, 2009

O&P Parity:  More than a Dream
ACA and AOPA push for awareness, vital legislation

One plus one makes two in all things except political leverage in securing public policy goals.  When it comes to leveraging political clout to achieve passage of the federal orthotic and prosthetic parity legislation (H.R. 2575), one plus one makes three or more.  The Amputee Coalition of American (ACA) and AOPA have partnered to secure passage of this important legislation that goes to the heart of assuring quality patient care. 

Mark Barr's fledgling sports career took a major detour when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, at age 14.  When chemotherapy failed to shrink the tumor on his right knee, Mark's doctors recommended amputating the leg above the knee to prevent the cancer from spreading.

The UCSF Orthotics and Prosthetics Center and the UCSF Amputee Support Group are pleased to announce their participation and support of the Challenged Athlete Foundation's Rock on the Green! 

Please join us at Marina Green for this premier event to help people with physical challenges realize their potential through physical fitness and athletics. 

Tendonitis, shin splints and problems with ankles and feet are common injuries among dancers. Some of these injuries can end a dancer's career. Hear Dr. Nancy Kadel, an orthopedic surgeon and former professional dancer, discuss how treating the early signs of stress and strain can prevent debilitating injuries.

This summer, the Orthopaedic Trauma Institute will be hosting the Perry
Program for Women in Orthopaedics and Engineering. This exciting program is designed to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, particularly orthopaedic surgery and mechanical engineering, which are two fields in which women are traditionally underrepresented.

The Biomechanical Testing Facility has again won the prestigious BS
Student Paper Competition at the 2009 American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) Bioengineering Division Conference. This is the second year in a row that the BTF engineers and clinical collaborators have won this award.

Lead Engineer of the BTF Spine Division, Mr. Justin Scheer, and clinical

Dr Vail participated in a live WebEx on the topic of optimizing technique and outcome of primary total knee arthroplasty.  The WebEx was broadcast internationally and featured video footage of surgical procedures.

KTVU Health and Science Editor John Fowler interviews SFGH faculty members Amir Matityahu and Theodore Miclau about a new technique and new ways to teach others.

View the 2009 schedule of events

Dr. Nancy Kadel and her work in the Healthy Dancers Clinic in which she and other Orthopaedic Surgery faculty participate is highlighted in this SF Chronicle story. 

Newshour correspondent Spencer Michaels interviews Dr. Hubert Kim and Dr. Tamara Alliston

Tom Scoville's arthritic body has more metal joints than Wall-E the robot's.  No matter.

By Juliet Farmer

It’s no secret that hobbies can provide relaxation and stress relief. Among the more unusual--collecting and racing vintage cars, dancing professionally, and riding horseback as a deputy sheriff—there’s also fun, excitement and the chance to share enthusiasm with like-minded individuals.

A letter to Governor Schwarzenegger detailing the deepening hospital crisis in California. The President of the California Healthcare Association describes the impact of recent trauma center closures.

In an abrupt announcement the owners of the financially troubled San Jose Medical Center said Wednesday they will close it Dec. 9, rather than in 2007 as previously planned. The shuttering of the landmark institution will leave San Jose without a downtown acute-care hospital, emergency room or trauma center for the first time since the 1920s.  The usual load of 100 or more emergency room patients will be diverted to several area hospitals...

Two UCSF Orthopaedic Surgeons were on a Group Study Exchange in Agra, India, assisting with the development of a charity polio treatment hospital and visiting many cities in the process. All was going as planned... when on January 26th, 2002, the Gujarat Earthquake occurred.

According to the first national report on fatal and non-fatal injuries released by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC). Unintentional injury is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S; about one in every three people treated in an emergency department is treated for an injury. In 2001, an estimated 29.7 million people (1 in 10 U.S. residents) were treated for nonfatal injuries in hospital emergency departments.

Toy Donations to Raise Kids’ Spirits at San Francisco General Hospital The Orthopaedic Trauma Institute (OTI) at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) held its annual holiday party on Thursday, December 20, 2007 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. in Room 3M during the Orthopaedic Pediatrics Clinic. The department’s own Santa Claus distributed toys donated by the community and hospital staff to children recovering from orthopaedic injuries.

Joint replacement is a proven remedy for many kinds of joint dysfunction, but the pain experienced by the patient after the surgery must also be addressed. To help reduce postoperative pain, UCSF takes a unique, multimodal and multidisciplinary approach.

The patient, a 50-year-old female from Northern California with an arthritic hip, is very active and rows competitively. The pain in her hip, however, is making rowing and even walking difficult. She tried a number of therapies, such as arthroscopy, Hyalgan (sodium hyaluronate) injections and chiropractic care, but nothing helped. She walked with a limp for more than six months before coming to UCSF Medical Center. "I was trying to do everything short of surgery," she says. "But eventually, it became clear that nothing else was going to solve the problem."