Idaho Orthopedic Surgeon Adopts New Quadriceps-Sparing Technique

Idaho Orthopedic Surgeon Improves Knee Replacement with Quadriceps-Sparing Technique

Caldwell, ID (prHWY.com) April 3, 2012 - Dr. George Nicola, an orthopedic surgeon at the West Idaho Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Center, makes knee replacement surgery less traumatic with the Quadriceps-Sparing Technique. One of few doctors in the nation to use the technique, Dr. Nicola uses the technique to preserve as much muscular integrity as possible and to decrease recovery time after knee surgery. The Meridian, Idaho, orthopedic doctor is a Senior Orthopedic Specialist at West Idaho Orthopedics and has treated complex knee resurfacing and knee replacement surgeries for professional athletes.

The Quadriceps-Sparing Technique creates a smaller incision of 3 to 4 inches instead of the longer incision created by conventional knee surgery techniques. Traditional knee replacement surgery typically requires an incision roughly double this length. The major muscle of the upper leg, the quadriceps femoris, is retracted rather than cut during this minimally invasive surgery. The procedure takes slightly longer than traditional knee replacement surgery due to the greater surgical skill needed to perform it, but the time that Dr. Nicola spends during the procedure is time that patients don't have to spend in recovery.

A typical in-patient stay with conventional knee surgery can be up to five days, but the Quadriceps-Sparing Technique may reduce the length of patients' initial hospital stays. Because the major muscle group of the upper leg remains intact, patients report less discomfort during recovery. Many joint replacement surgery patients are able to walk within ten days to two weeks of the procedure, while patients who underwent knee resurfacing or other orthopedic surgery have even shorter recuperation times. Although this surgical approach represents an evolution in knee surgery, it uses the same reliable joint replacement implant designs as traditional surgical techniques.

Dr. Nicola has been a board-certified Boise, Idaho, orthopedic surgeon since 1984. During his residency at Rush Presbyterian General Surgery at the University of California at Irvine, he specialized in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, eventually serving as Chief Resident there before coming to Idaho.

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Tag Words: knee surgery, arthritis joint pain, orthopedic surgeon

Categories: Health

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West Idaho Orthopedics
206 E. Elm Street
Caldwell, Idaho 83605
208-459-4511

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