More than one hundred surgical procedures are performed on an annual basis for this patient population. Two clinics per week provide an opportunity for the resident to preoperatively evaluate patients with musculoskeletal neoplasms and follow them post-operatively. The Penn State Geisinger Rehabilitation Center, a contiguous 36-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit, is the site for the majority of the postoperative rehabilitation for adults and children following reconstructive orthopaedic procedures. An integrated multidisciplinary approach brings together physical and occupational therapy, patient education, prosthetics and orthotics, and functional training for activities of daily living to maximize patient recovery. The resident is provided with a well-balanced exposure to complete rehabilitation of the patient.
Clinical investigation is an integrated part of the adult reconstructive service.
Thromboembolic disease and heterotopic ossification are areas of ongoing prospective study. Many other clinical outcome studies involving performance of both implants and specific operative procedures as well as different treatment protocols for musculoskeletal sarcomas are underway. In the Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, servohydraulic testing equipment provides the ability for an array of biomechanical testing protocols which cover a broad variety of topics including enhanced fatigue life of bone cement, the effect of anterior femoral cortical notching on the success of total knee arthroplasty, fixation strength of various implant configurations, and study of the physiologic bone remodeling process around cementless femoral stems of various designs. The Adult Reconstructive Service is organized to provide a strong, balanced exposure to the challenges of clinical practice and the problems of basic and clinical scientific investigation. This service provides a broad exposure to both upper and lower extremity reconstructive problems and arthroplasty techniques in the shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist as well as the hip and knee.