October 12, 2009

New Orthopaedic Institute Offers One-Stop Shop for Treating, Preventing Injuries

UCSF orthopedic surgeon W. Dilworth Cannon, center, shows off a virtual simulation of arthroscopic knee surgery to UCSF Medical Center chief medical officer Josh Adler, right, and University of Colorado electrical engineer Karl Reinig at the new Orthopaedic Institute at Mission Bay.

With its cutting-edge equipment and top-tier medical specialists, the new UCSF Orthopaedic Institute offers the ultimate full-body tune up for individuals looking to prevent injuries, improve performance or speed recovery.

The all-in-one research and patient care facility, which marked its official opening at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus on Oct. 1, offers customized outpatient services for elite athletes, weekend warriors and enthusiastic gardeners alike, as well as treatment for musculoskeletal problems.

The debut of the Orthopaedic Institute marks the first time clinical services for patients have been available at Mission Bay. Over the next five years, patient care at the campus will expand to include a new cardiovascular research building and the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, a planned 289-bed integrated hospital complex serving women, children and cancer patients.

The Orthopaedic Institute represents “a uniquely new, patient-centered method of care,” said Josh Adler, MD, chief medical officer at UCSF Medical Center, one of several prominent speakers at the opening gala.

Chancellor Sue Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, described the occasion as “the beginning of a new era” at UCSF, and said the Orthopaedic Institute would enable the University to “deliver the latest and greatest services to our patients.”

From left, School of Medicine dean Sam Hawgood; associate professor of orthopedic surgery John Callander; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery chairman Thomas Vail; and UCSF Chancellor Sue Desmond-Hellmann attend the opening of UCSF’s Orthopaedic Institute at Mission Bay on Oct. 1.

In addition, the speakers noted, by housing researchers and clinicians in the same space, the Orthopaedic Institute will foster the translation of groundbreaking lab discoveries into much-needed therapies —a concept that forms the foundation of the Mission Bay campus and UCSF’s strategic plan.

The Oct. 1 opening included demonstrations of some of the Orthopaedic Institute’s many state-of-the-art services and tools, including the futuristic contraptions contained within the new Human Performance Center.

Upon entering the center’s main room, guests were greeted by Chin-chin Hsu, a local dancer whose arms, legs and torso were studded with round sensors. As she began a series of leaps, kicks and turns, every motion was captured by 10 video cameras lining the ceiling. The result was a three-dimensional, moving image of Hsu projected onto a large screen in the front of the room.

Local dancer Chin-chin Hsu performs a series of moves while wearing electromagnetic sensors, in order to demonstrate the video motion detection system at the new Orthopaedic Institute at Mission Bay.

The motion detection system, along with force-plate flooring that can detect weight distribution during exercise, allows doctors to examine a wide range of physical activities — from a golf swing, to a pitch, to a runner’s gait —to help speed recovery and improve performance in athletes of all levels.

Forging New Frontiers

“We’re going into new frontiers, particularly in exercise physiology,” said Anthony Luke, MD, a UCSF associate professor of clinical orthopedic surgery, who led the demonstrations at the Human Performance Center.

Luke said the center’s menu of services will expand to include options such as 3-D bicycle fitting and golf-swing analysis, and a clinic to prevent injuries to the ACL, a ligament behind the knee that causes problems for many athletes and exercisers.

“We’re putting a big focus on preventive care,” he said.

While some of the Orthopaedic Institute’s services are being offered for the first time at UCSF, others are simply relocating or re-emerging in a new form. One of those is the Dance Medicine Center, led by orthopedic surgeon Nancy Kadel, MD, which evaluates and treats recreational and professional dancers and is among the only centers of its kind on the West Coast.

Yayoi Kambara and Corey Brady, two members of San Francisco’s ODC dance troupe, show off their healthy limbs during a performace at the opening of UCSF’s new Orthopaedic Institute on Oct. 1.

Since 2005, UCSF Medical Center has offered a free Healthy Dancer’s Clinic in San Francisco’s Mission District, on the campus of the Oberlin Dance Company (ODC). The troupe performed at the Orthopaedic Institute opening, and its artistic director Brenda Way thanked UCSF doctors for “saving” her hip — a sentiment she emphasized with a graceful sideways kick.

Two other existing UCSF community outreach programs— PlaySafe and RunSafe —have moved to the new orthopedic facility. Both programs are run by the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery but incorporate a multidisciplinary staff, including dieticians, certified athletic trainers and physical therapists.

PlaySafe provides education and care to student athletes throughout the San Francisco Unified School District, including twice-yearly physicals for all district athletes. RunSafe is a multidisciplinary clinic that teaches runners how to prevent injuries and train safely and effectively.

The Orthopaedic Institute features a hardware section as well: At the Orthotics and Prosthetics Center, UCSF clinical staff will evaluate, design, custom-fit, and manufacture all types of braces and artificial limbs. The center, which is the largest and most advanced facility of its kind, also will host an Amputee Support Group that will meet monthly and provide information and counseling.

In addition to those features, the Orthopaedic Institute includes a surgery center; imaging services; a cartilage repair and regeneration center; and specialty clinics in Hand and Upper Extremity, Sports Medicine, and Foot and Ankle. Specialists also will address pain management issues, working in conjunction with the UCSF Pain Management Center at Mount Zion.

Daniel Santos and Anne Zivolich show off the power of the human body during a performance by the ODC dance troupe at the Oct. 1 opening of UCSF’s Orthopaedic Institute.

Thomas Vail, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, said the dizzying array of options at the Orthopaedic Institute will not only provide patients with an experience tailored to their individual needs, but also will harness the expertise of a network of clinicians, researchers and other health providers.

“It is truly a whole team that makes all of this possible,” Vail said.
The Orthopaedic Institute consolidates the orthopedic practices of UCSF’s Mount Zion campus and segments of the arthroplasty service and outpatient spinal injections formerly located at the Parnassus campus.

Photos by Susan Merrell

Forging New Frontiers

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