Hand Treatment
Carolina Medical Center provides consultations with hand surgeons, orthopedics specialists, trauma surgery specialists with years of treatment experience, and plastic, reconstructive, and vascular surgeons. The collaboration of specialists in these fields enables a comprehensive range of treatments for the hand, the anatomically most complex part of the body.
The clinic specializes in conservative treatment and uses modern, lightweight, and waterproof thermoplastic, resin, rigid, and semi-rigid casts to immobilize the limbs. The benefit is that when removing them, it is not necessary to use an oscillating saw, which is often feared by children.
The clinic uses modern surgical techniques, including arthroscopy, which allows the reconstruction of damaged tissues without the need to open the joint. Growth factors, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich-plasma are used to support surgical treatment and degenerative changes in joints in order to slow the degeneration of articular cartilage, reduce pain, and hasten the regeneration of damaged tissues.
The clinic performs mini-open carpal tunnel surgery, mini-open trigger finger operations under Walant anesthesia or ultrasound-guided needle anesthesia, mini-open de Quervain’s syndrome surgery, and mini-open Lacerus syndrome surgery.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/orthopedics-and-traumatology/hand/
Elbow Treatment
The elbow joint can be treated conservatively, pharmacologically (painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs), rehabilitatively, or surgically. Additionally, intra-articular injections are frequently advised (e.g., intra-articular administration of hyaluronic acid). Occasionally, regenerative medicine (administration of platelet-rich plasma) is also helpful in promoting the healing of a damaged joint.
In the majority of cases involving serious and extensive elbow joint damage, surgery, either traditional or minimally invasive, may be the only option. The least invasive procedure is arthroscopy of the elbow. Most commonly, it is performed to release the articular capsule (arthrolysis), remove loose bodies or bone spurs, or both.
In cases of joint instability, ligament reconstructions are performed using transplants from the patient’s own body or from a tissue bank. If a patient has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the elbow, endoprosthesoplasty – the insertion of an artificial joint – is performed.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/orthopedics-and-traumatology/elbow/
Shoulder Treatment
The shoulder joint can be conservatively treated with pharmacological treatment or rehabilitation techniques. Sometimes, regenerative medicine can aid in the healing of a damaged joint.
In the case of surgical treatment, surgeons at Carolina Medical Center employ a wide variety of arthroscopic procedures, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation of damaged soft tissues, repair or removal of damaged joint elements or degenerative changes, and a thorough assessment of damaged soft tissues.
In the case of degenerative disease of the shoulder joint, arthroplasty is performed on patients for whom conservative treatment has failed to increase shoulder range of motion or reduce shoulder pain. It involves replacing the “worn” parts of the joint with individual prostheses printed using 3D technology. This method not only allows the patient to return to his normal life, but in the majority of cases also to return to sports.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/orthopedics-and-traumatology/shoulder/
Spine Treatment
Carolina Medical Center performs a variety of lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine procedures, such as disc removal and implantation, decompressive laminectomy, corporectomy, stabilization, vertebroplasty, and kyphoplasty, as well as spine tumor surgery.
Endoscopic surgery makes it possible to operate on the spine without severing the muscles, paraspinal ligaments, or bones, and the patient experiences less blood loss and less pain than with conventional treatment. Patients typically leave the clinic one day after undergoing surgery.
Treatment for disc hernias involves the percutaneous injection of the DISCOGEL® implant into the nucleus pulposus of the disc, which has an anti-inflammatory effect by filling the fissures in the weakened fibrous ring and blocking pain receptors.
In traumatic compression fractures and osteoporotic spine fractures, the advanced transcutaneous Spine Jack® stabilization system is used. The Kirschner wire is inserted into the corpus vertebrae following the percutaneous insertion of two needles during a 30-minute procedure. Two implants are inserted inside, recreating the broken corpus vertebrae’s height. The corpus vertebrae are filled with cement, thereby reinforcing the entire structure.
Through retroperitoneal (through the abdominal cavity) access, the lumbar spine is stabilized using the ALIF technique. ALIF leaves no scar in the spinal canal, has no effect on the paraspinal muscles, and facilitates access to the spinal canal.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/spinal-diseases-treatment-center/
Hip Treatment
Platelet-rich plasma with growth factors administration is one of the modern conservative methods of treating the hip. This is a series of injections with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that last for several months. This technique is completely safe and utilizes the body’s innate capacity to regenerate articular cartilage.
In cases of degenerative changes accompanied by inflammation or exudates, Orthokine or N-Stride therapy is administered. Similar to growth factors, plasma concentrate is extracted from the patient’s vein blood.
Carolina Medical Center also offers the full range of hip surgeries, including minimally invasive hip arthroscopy for physically active patients, personalized hip arthroplasty implants, and the bone-conserving hip resurfacing (BHR or ADEPT) procedure.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/spinal-diseases-treatment-center/
Limb Lengthening
As an alternative to the traditional lengthening techniques used in medicine since the 1950s, Carolina Medical Center employs intramedullary growing nails that change length due to an internal mechanism stimulated by a magnetic field.
The surgical procedure takes approximately two hours and requires 4-5 small (approximately 15 mm) skin incisions, or accesses. The physician then executes an osteotomy, or controlled bone fracture, and inserts a special telescopic nail and fixing screws into the medullary canal. The implant contains a motor that is stimulated by a magnetic field.
Within one week of surgery, gradual limb elongation begins and continues until the desired length is achieved. Three or four times per day, the patient places a device with a magnet on the affected area, which activates the engine in the nail, resulting in its gradual unscrewing, or elongation. The bone grows approximately 0.75 to 1 millimeter per day.
Depending on the desired lengthening of the limb, the procedure is performed on one or two levels. The general rule is to lengthen the shortened bone, but we occasionally deviate from this rule in search of the optimal method to lengthen the entire limb. In cases of elongation up to 5 centimeters, the surgery is typically performed on the tibia, whereas in cases of elongation up to 8 centimeters, it is performed on the femur.
Returning to activity and limb lengthening can take between two and four months, depending on how much the limb is to be lengthened.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/news/limb-lengthening-at-the-carolina-medical-center/
Knee Treatment
In the initial phase, the treatment of ankle and foot diseases and injuries consists of anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications, as well as physical therapy. If conservative treatment fails to produce the desired results, surgery may be required.
Carolina Medical Center performs various types of ankle and foot surgery, such as bunion surgery, minimally invasive ankle arthroscopy, or in cases where degenerative changes are advanced and the ankle joint is completely destroyed, alloplasty, i.e., implantation of an endoprosthesis, or arthrodesis, i.e., ankle joint stiffening.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/orthopedics-and-traumatology/foot/
Ankle and Foot Treatment
At Carolina Medical Center, we offer a comprehensive range of ankle and foot surgical procedures. Our expertise includes minimally invasive ankle arthroscopy. In cases where degenerative changes are advanced, leading to complete destruction of the ankle joint, two viable treatment options are available: alloplasty, involving the implantation of an endoprosthesis, or arthrodesis, entailing ankle joint stiffening.
Additionally, our clinic specializes in bunion surgery.
The rehabilitation of the ankle and foot plays a pivotal role in the immediate aftermath of an injury.
During the initial stage, rehabilitation focuses on pain reduction, swelling minimization, and the restoration of complete joint mobility. An integral aspect of ankle or foot rehabilitation is the reconstruction of muscle mass, which tends to decrease during joint immobilization (e.g., post-fracture).
Deep sensory receptors are housed within damaged ligaments and the joint capsule. In cases of trauma, these components may suffer damage, impacting mechanisms that support balance maintenance. Consequently, post-rehabilitation, our physiotherapists may recommend training that incorporates stabilizing exercises.
It is essential to note that inadequately healed ligaments and a premature return to activity following ankle or foot injuries can increase the risk of further injuries. Therefore, a thorough rehabilitation process is critical for a complete return to fitness and activity.
Rehabilitation
The Rehabilitation Center at the Carolina Medical Center provides individualized rehabilitation sessions adhering to the highest standards for patients suffering from chronic and overload diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as those recovering from injuries and surgical procedures. It is specialized in the rehabilitation of professional and amateur athletes, taking the specifics of each sport into account, and then applies this knowledge to children (as young as four years old), adults, and the elderly.
Each patient at Carolina Medical Center is attended to by a team of specialists, specialized in specific anatomical areas, including an orthopedist, imaging diagnostician, physiotherapist, bio-mechanists, and a motor skills preparation trainer. They all consult and create the treatment plan in accordance with the patient’s unique needs. This cooperation has the effect of minimizing the time required for the patient to regain full physical fitness.
A team of over thirty physiotherapists provides appropriate rehabilitation services: manual therapy, massages, physical treatments and kinesiotherapy.
Source: https://carolina.pl/en/rehabilitation/
