RK & CATARACT EYE SPECIALIST Dr. Sheldon Gonte specializes in: • RK surgery • Sutureless cataract surgery • Glaucoma treatment • Diabetic laser treatment • Cosmetic eye surgery • Pediatric eyecare • Eximer laser treatment for nearsightedness FREE consultations for LASER SKIN REJUVENATION which gently and safely treats unwanted facial lines Joint replacement surgery opens up to a younger crowd. Personalized care given to each patient Dr. Sheldon Gonte, MD RUTHAN BRODSKY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS Second location now open in West Bloomfield Sterling Heights: 810-268-4400 40600 Van Dyke, Suite 12 West Bloomfield: 810 932 5300 5813 W. Maple Road, Suite 137 - - Board Certified Ophthalmologist, Experienced Laser Surgeon DONALD E. GALE, D.D.S. 353-2200 DENTURE CENTER HARVARD ROW MALL 21774 WEST 11 MILE RD. SOUTHFIELD, MI 48076 EXTRACTIONS DENTURES & PARTIALS RELINES & REPAIRS QUALITY DENTURES AT AFFORDABLE PRICES 30 YEARS' EXPERIENCE MP, Specializing in Body & Facial Hair Removal for Men & Women Call for Free Consultation Electrotogist /47 4/4ci f447 /Vt -- 5755 ./ti104 Apoac‘ Wai te gee giooNM • 626-6668 4tefirattilvic.coa HIGH EFFI 75,000 BTU CIENT FURNACE As low as Installed $1095 UJ 400.. NDY'S STATEWIDE G2303-75 80% HIGH EFFICIENT 2-TON CENTRAL AIR X C.) CC F- LU f=1 UJ 58 CONDITiONING • As low as $, 299 Installed I 10ACB-25 • SEER 10 11NG 14SA COMPLETE EATIN HG & COOLlti THE _ Call Us Today aa E lissa Dishell knew some- from the procedures. Numbers weight on uninjured parts of the thing was different. are likely to increase within the knee joint. "I felt taller. My friends next five years when baby All of these options buy the pa- said I looked taller. It's boomers reach their mid-50s. tients time and enable them to true," said Ms. Dishell, a resident Even so, most orthopedic sur- postpone the actual joint re- of Franklin. "I must have grown geons are cautious and conserv- placement for as long as possible. because I. had to let down the ative when deciding to accept a Dr. Sidney Goldman, an or- hem of my slacks soon after the patient as a candidate for knee- thopedic surgeon at the Birm- surgery on my knees." replacement surgery. Drug ther- ingham Orthopedics and Sports That happened two years ago apy in place of invasive surgical Medicine Clinic, recommends when Ms. Dishell was 58. She procedures still tends to be the trying conservative treatments had suffered intense and con- first choice for treatment for such as rest, ice or heat, muscle- stant pain for several years. The many physicians. strengthening exercise and non- agony forced her to leave behind Procedures that might help steroidal, anti-inflammatory her zest for the outdoors, includ- from time to time include arthro- drugs to control pain and lessen ing long walks with her husband scopic smoothing of rough sur- inflammation before considering and children. faces, abrasion arthroplasty (this any surgical procedure. "I was 35 when I PHOTO BY DANIEL LIPPITT can sometimes "When someone's life is limit- first started having stimulate ed significantly, it's a good sign trouble with my growth of new that it may be time for joint re- knees. The condi- cartilage lin- placement, " Dr. Goldman said. tion was diagnosed ing) as well as "The best of worlds would be if a few years later as fracture and the patient's life expectancy were deteriorating carti- realignment of equal in years to the life ex- lage," she says. some bones to pectancy of the new prothesis." "Doctors wouldn't place more But for those who can't wait, do knee replace- ment surgery on me at that age be- cause the results were considered too risky." RUTHAN BRODSKY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS By the time Ms. Dishell reached her 50s, however, joint hile many doctors hold out on replacing replacement joints in favor of more conventional drug surgery for the therapy, new techniques may put off that knee and hip with Dr. Arthur surgery further. a prosthesis be- Friedman plays Medical history was made last March at Massachusetts General came a relatively tennis on his Hospital when Dr. Bertram Zarins, an orthopedic surgeon, performed routine surgery. surgically the first knee surgery in the United States using the patient's own For orthopedic repaired knees. cartilage cells. surgeons in the ear- The results from this type of surgery may lead to a time when it ly 1970s, the proce- will be possible for someone to have his own healthy cartilage trans- dure had been considered a last planted to the damaged surface of his knee. resort for elderly patients who The group that would benefit most from this procedure would be suffered crippling arthritis. The those who are relatively active and under 50 years of age. objective was to get these pa- The procedure performed in Boston was nearly identical to the one tients out of wheelchairs and of- peeormecl in Sweden for the past seven years. fer an additional seven to 10 Three weeks before the operation, the surgeon uses an arthroscope years of somewhat improved mo- to harvest a tiny slice of cartilage from a healthy part of the knee. bility. These cells are taken to a lab, allowed to multiply'and injected into Because artificial joints wore the dam aged area out or came loose, someone The Swedish transplants have quickly reduced pain, swelling and younger would probably require locking of the knee. Three or more years after the operation, many a second or even third surgery. patients have formed cartilage almost as strong as the original and Times have changed. are using their knees normally. According to the American Since this procedure may take a while to develop in the United Academy of Orthopedic Sur- States, the experts advise patients to follow present recuperation geons, more than one-third of guidelines carefully and maximize the life of the new joint. Some of people who have joint (knee or these suggestions include: hip) replacement surgery are un- * Discussing the expectations for joint replacement with a physi- der the age of 65. The numbers cian before surgery indicate that close to 150,000 to- * Understanding the benefits of physical activity after surgery and tal-knee replacement surgeries following appropriate guidelines are performed yearly. Improved * Acknowledging the risks ofhigh-impact activities on prostheses knee prostheses and surgical * Participating in no-impact and low-impact sports techniques have enabled people * Avoiding high-impact activities in their 50s and 60s to benefit * Seeking follow-up care. 0 Techniques May Stretch Pre-Replacement Therapy ELECTROLYSIS Victoria Palace R.E. Better Bionics With New Knees 0441 4070 W