Orthopedics

Health Resources:

Joint Replacement This type of surgery is becoming much more common, particularly among aging baby boomers, but it is usually considered only after other treatment options have failed.

Total Joint Replacement

Total joint replacement surgery is the replacement of all or most of a major joint with man-made components. This surgery is done for treatment of pain and loss of motion. With advances in technology, we are able to get you back to what you love most even sooner.

Knees. The knee is the most common joint replacement. At SACMC, we are the area's only hospital currently using robotic knee replacement technology. It aligns the hip and knee so precisely that patients enjoy better mobility and a longer-lasting joint.

Hips. The hip was the first joint to be replaced using a low friction techniques and materials. Now there are even more advance techniques and joint to improve our patients lives. SACMC is the only area's hospital using anterior hip replacement techniques. Patients walk quicker, some the same day, and experience less pain. A specially designed table enables the physician to go in the front part, where there is less muscle and tissue to disturb. SACMC is also using the most advanced hip joints that have considerably more mobility and are longer lasting.

Shoulders and Hands. Shoulders and certain small joints in the hand may need replacement for arthritis.

Find an orthopedic surgeon…325-947-DOCS (3627), answered 24/7 or click here.

Rehab

At SACMC, we are a full service hospital. From a sprain to surgery, we have an excellent rehab team to help get you back into the swing of things.

Community Sports Medicine Program

San Angelo Community Medical Center is home to Community Sports Medicine, a sports medicine team dedicated to West Texas athletes. With more than 125 years of combined experience, this skilled team of orthopedic surgeons, family practice physician and certified athletic trainers provide a depth of talent and experience for Angelo State University and West Texas high schools. 

The physicians and operating room staff continually bring new, leading-edge orthopedic procedures to our area. The athletic trainers and rehabilitation specialists employ advanced in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation techniques and equipment to get patients back on the field or job as quickly as possible.

Concussion Management with ImPACT

Addressing the concerns of athletes today, the Community Sports Medicine team is proud to be the first in West Texas to launch Concussion Management with ImPACT for our area schools.

Concussion is a common injury, but is often difficult to diagnose and treat. ImPACT provides sports medicine clinicians with information that can help take the guesswork out of concussion management and promote safe return-to-play decisions for athletes.

What is ImPACT?
ImPACT is a sophisticated, research-based computer test developed to help clinicians evaluate an athlete’s recovery following concussion. The program begins with a 20-minute test battery administered in the preseason for a baseline, and includes puzzles and tasks that measure a variety of factors. When a concussion is suspected, a follow-up test is administered to see if the results have changed from the baseline. This comparison helps to diagnose and manage the concussion. Follow-up tests can be administered over days or weeks so you can continue to track the injury.

The ImPACT program evaluates and documents multiple aspects of neurocognitive functioning, including memory, attention span, brain processing speed, reaction time, and post-concussive symptoms. The user-friendly injury documentation system enables you to track the injury from the field and through the recovery process.

Why ImPACT is helpful.
ImPACT can help answer difficult questions about an athlete's readiness to return to play, protecting them from the serious consequences of returning too soon. While traditional neurological and radiologic procedures such as CT, MRI, and EEG are helpful in identifying many serious concerns (e.g. skull fracture, hematoma, contusion), they are not as useful in identifying the effects of concussion. As a result, doctors often must rely on subjective observations or a patient's self-reporting of symptoms to diagnose and track a concussion. This is where ImPACT can help. 

USING IMPACT to implement baseline and post-injury neurocognitive testing can help you objectively evaluate the concussed athlete's post-injury condition and recovery to prevent the cumulative effects of concussion. And in the event that baseline testing is not possible, ImPACT has a normative database of thousands of non-injured athletes, which can also be used for effective comparison.

WHO IS BEHIND IMPACT?
Mark Lovell, PhD, ABPN, Joseph Maroon, MD, and Michael Collins, PhD, founded ImPACT in 2002. These professionals are world leaders in the field of concussion management and are committed to the ongoing development of advanced concussion management tools. ImPACT team members have dedicated the past 15 years to the scientific study of sports-related concussion and the clinical application of this knowledge throughout professional and amateur sports.  

ImPACT IS USED AT MORE THAN 1,000 HIGH SCHOOLS, 300 COLLEGES, 250 SPORTS MEDICINE CENTERS, AND FOR PROFESSIONAL TEAMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR CONCUSSION MANAGEMENT.

Click here to learn more about ImPACT.

For more information about the ImPACT program, call Community Sports Medicine at 949-4357.

When in doubt...
Hunt Batjer, M.D., Neurosurgeon
"People can play through pain, but not through brain or spinal cord injury. If in doubt, sit them out."
Click here to read the concussion article from the December 2011 issue of Family Magazine.

AWARD WINNING: Randy Matthews, Hall of Fame athletic trainer.

The Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association inducted San Angelo Community Sports Medicine certified athletic trainer Randy Matthews into its hall of fame. Randy is the Director of the Sports Medicine Program at San Angelo Community Medical Center.

The Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association is the premier athletic trainers' organization in Texas and Arkansas. Randy's induction into its hall of fame is a significant achievement that honors his 25 years of excellence as an athletic trainer and the leadership role he plays in his profession.

If you attend an athletic event in West Texas, there's a good chance you will see Randy, or another member of his team, providing quality care to the participants-care so good it earned Randy a place in the hall of fame.

It's not surprising that he received this great honor. From teaching at Angelo State University to providing care to the professional Houston Oilers, Randy goes above and beyond. He has memberships in NATA, SWATA, TSATA, and TSSM. He serves on committees at the District, State, and National levels. Randy has also earned the SWATA Eddie Wojecki Award, the NATA 25 Year Award, and he has certainly touched the lives of the many athletes he has treated over the years.