There was a time when, with a little know-how and a box full of
tools, a person could tackle just about any ailment a car could display.
From leaky head gaskets to strut replacements, few jobs were
insurmountable. But as the years have passed, the technological
advancements meant to increase comfort and safety in automobiles also
increased the scope and complexity of the problems connected thereto.
Often, those advancements are made so swiftly the average person finds
it difficult to keep apprised of them all, much less understand them. As
a result, it becomes increasingly difficult to find a place where all
those problems can be competently diagnosed and fixed, especially when
multiple problems surface simultaneously.
Cars are not alone
when it comes to the paradoxical curse of technological innovations. The
advancements made in orthopedics also require minds capable of learning
and understanding them as well as hands that are capable of
implementing them. And just as finding a garage that can handle the
myriad issues of a malfunctioning auto can be difficult, so too can be
finding a medical practice that can handle the myriad orthopedic needs
of the most complex machine of all: the human body.
Enter McLean
County Orthopedics (MCO) in Bloomington, Illinois—a veritable one-stop
shop where a cadre of specialized orthopedic surgeons maintain expert
levels of preparedness in the latest, most effective and least invasive
methods in musculoskeletal care and they are all under one roof.
Make New Friends
MCO’s roof is sheltering a couple of unfamiliar faces in addition to
the original complement of surgeons. Dr. Paul Naour, originally from
Gibson City, joined MCO in the summer of 2012. After completing medical
school at the University of Illinois, Dr. Naour fulfilled his residency
in anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. Returning to Illinois,
he spent ten years as a practicing anesthesiologist in Bloomington
before bouncing back to Michigan to tackle a one year fellowship in pain
medicine. His specialized training in pain management complete, Dr.
Naour now joins MCO’s Dr. Craig Carmichael in treating and combating
patients’ pain by non-surgical means: diagnosis, therapy, injections,
medication, etc.
Starting in January of 2013, the aptly named
Dr. Joseph Newcomer joined McLean County Orthopedics. Since graduating
from the Medical School of the University of Texas at Houston and before
arriving at MCO, Dr. Newcomer worked in private practice in Normal. He
handles a long list of orthopedic issues, including diagnosis and
treatment of athletic injuries, arthroscopy of the shoulder, knee
cartilage restoration, and is one of the few surgeons in town performing
computer-assisted knee replacement surgery.
…But Keep the Old
With Dr. Newcomer and Dr. Naour, the group at McLean County
Orthopedics has become a better filled-out team. And like any football
team or squad of mechanics, every member at MCO has a specific
specialty—a particular niche to fill. With each niche, the surgeons can
tackle nearly every orthopedic problem imaginable. MCO is the only group
in the area that represents all orthopedic sub-specialties:
arthroplasty and revision—or joint reconstruction and replacement,
tumor, hand, spine, pain management, dietary, etc.
Dr. Mark
Hanson and Dr. Joseph Novotny are both MCO veterans. Dr. Novotny, who
joined MCO in 1998, handles general orthopedic issues, focusing mainly
on those regarding the shoulders, hands, hips, including direct anterior
approach total hip arthroplasty, knees and elbows. He is also the Chief
of Orthopedic Surgery for Advocate BroMenn Medical Center. Board
certified in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, Dr Hanson joined
MCO in 2002, and treats all general orthopedic problems, focusing on
shoulder, hip and knee replacement; arthropscopy of the knee and
shoulder; and fracture treatment.
Also taking special interest
in sports related injuries is Dr. Joseph Norris, who completed a sports
medicine fellowship in Baltimore, Maryland, where he also worked as a
physician for the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens. Returning
to Illinois, Dr. Norris joined MCO in 2008, and currently specializes
in shoulder arthroscopy and other sports-related injuries and maladies
while also tackling hip arthroscopy.
While Dr. Naour and Dr.
Carmichael handle patients’ pain, Carmichael focuses more on the spinal
area—specializing in neck and back pain. He has worked in conjunction
with MCO’s spinal surgeon, Dr. John Atwater, who completed a spine
fellowship at the University of Louisville before joining the team of
ace body mechanics at MCO.
Similar to Naour and Newcomer, Dr.
Nikhil Chokshi is a fairly recent addition to MCO’s garage, joining his
colleagues in 2011, after completing a fellowship in arthroplasty and
orthopedic oncology in Sydney, Australia. Specializing in primary and
revision joint replacements, as well as tumors of the bone and soft
tissue, Dr. Chokshi performs minimally-invasive joint replacements,
including direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty.
Extremities are also well-covered at MCO. Board certified in hand
surgery Dr. Jerry Oakey solves all the issues of the hand, wrist and
elbow: tendons, cartilage, bones, nerves and joints while podiatrists
Dr. Gerald Paul and Dr. Brian Hamm handle the feet. Dr. Hamm is board
certified in foot surgery and reconstructive rear foot and ankle
surgery. Dr. Paul, another member of MCO’s veterans, has been with the
practice for fifteen years, bringing with him board certification in
foot, ankle and lower extremities surgery. Like Drs. Norris and
Newcomer, Dr. Paul also sees his share of sports injuries, being the
team podiatrist for the Bloomington Edge football team and for the
athletic teams at IWU and ISU—his alma mater.
With all of these
highly-trained men in one concerted group, any combination of problems
can now be fixed in a single place, further simplifying how a patient
with multiple medical problems can go about getting those problems
fixed.
Specialized Mechanics in a Specialized Garage
Knowing how to better service the human vehicle through the latest,
least invasive and least painful methods is a wonderful thing, but
having access to all those methods and the people who carry them out all
in one place is even better. The overriding goal is to get patients
back to the activities of daily living as quickly and as painlessly as
possible. The podiatrists fit custom orthotics and perform minimally
invasive surgery in the same place. Dr. Atwater utilizes the latest
techniques in minimally invasive spinal surgery. Dr. Naour uses
sympathetic nerve blockade and pain intervention management to help
patients recover. Furthermore, in current total knee replacement
surgeries, patient-specific cutting blocks developed from a CT scan of
the patient’s knee are used which result in less blood loss during
surgery.
Such improved techniques can result in, at the most, a
one or two night stay at the attached overnight stay facility: The
Center for Outpatient Medicine (TCOM). This facility— staffed by nurses
and a physician—is the only surgery center in McLean County certified
for overnight stay. The latest approaches to pain management involving
psychology and physical therapy then help get the patient back home as
soon as possible.
The way TCOM itself is set up then becomes as
essential as the work that is done within it. Along with the overnight
stay facility, having the physical therapy in the same place as the
orthopedic care allows the doctors to keep watch over their patients’
recovery, lending a monitoring care approach. Having all the physicians
under the same roof allows doctors not only to consult with one another
but also to instantly direct a patient to another specialty surgeon
should that patient need work done in more than one area. This, in turn,
means a patient’s concerns can be addressed in a more timely way, thus
increasing efficiency for the care providers and patient, but minimizing
costs as well. Overall, clearer communication, immediate response and
treatment all result in better and faster recovery, fulfilling MCO’s
overarching goal.
Mechanics are known for being wielders of
tools; and as the technological age plows ahead, the objects and,
consequently, the tools of the mechanical trade become more and more
complex—the latter adapting in order to service the former. This
resultant complexity always demands an increase in know-how and often
requires specialization within the trade.
Surgeons are
well-known for being manipulators of tools as well—most notably the
scalpel. Similar to the plight of the modern mechanic, the edges of two
scalpels need to be well-honed in order to be the most effective in
surgery: the literal instrument wielded by the surgeon and the
figurative scalpel of the surgeon’s skills. As the techniques and
technologies involved in orthopedics evolve, the surgeon’s mind and
expertise need to evolve as well. Specialization within the garage of
orthopedics simply means the best, most advanced, and least painful care
for a patient’s best form of transportation: the body.
McLean County Orthopedics is located at 2502 East Empire in
Bloomington. For more information, you may call 309-662-2628 or visit www.McLeancountyorthopedics.com