In cases where complex trauma or nerve damage to the limbs impairs functionality, sensation or circulation, limb reconstruction may be the most restorative treatment. The Methodist Center for Orthopaedic Surgery offers specialized expertise in limb reconstruction, as well as in the preservation of limbs that may otherwise be candidates for removal. By coordinating with vascular surgeons and plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons use leading-edge techniques such as microvascular tissue transplantation, recombinant DNA technology and Ilizarov bone lengthening to reconstruct or salvage patients’ limbs.
Conditions diagnosed and treated at the center include:
- Amputation stump preservation and reconstruction
- Arthritis complications of diabetes (Charcot joints/foot ulcers)
- Chronic bone infections (osteomyelitis)
- Chronic, unhealed fractures (non-union)
- Complex wounds
- Complications of compartment syndrome
- Deformed, angled fractures (malunion)
- Foot drop and leg paralysis
- Infected artificial joints (prosthetic infections)
- Nerve injuries, neuromas and compression
- Open fractures and lower extremity trauma
- Tendon reconstruction (Achilles and Patellar)
