2010 Report to the Community

Best Foot Forward

When Kevin lacerated the extensor tendon in his left foot, he wanted to be sure to find an experienced foot and ankle surgeon to repair it. So the 51-year-old from Alexandria consulted Kevin Lutta, MD, Commonwealth Orthopaedics’ new foot and ankle specialist.

“I’m very pleased with the care I received at Commonwealth Orthopaedics,” Kevin says. “Dr. Lutta is a real pro who does a tremendous job and I’m a living, breathing – and walking – example of that.”

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2010 Highlights

Keeping Patients Informed and Educated

Commonwealth is committed to keeping our patients and community updated on the latest orthopaedic advancements. Here’s how we are communicating:

The new Commonwealth Orthopaedics blog (http://blog.c-o-r.com) features information and advice from our physicians about orthopaedic conditions, innovative treatments, videos, surgical animations, and more.

Commonwealth Orthopaedics is on Facebook! Patients can now stay connected to the most current news and share it with family and friends. Every two months our patients receive an e-newsletter with timely items about orthopaedic care.

Community Outreach

rockstar run raises scholarship funds

The first annual Rockstar Run raised $22,000 for the Celebrate Cherie Scholarship Fund. Cherie Yadao, a Commonwealth Orthopaedics physical therapist and manager, was just 35 years old when she died of a rare cancer in 2009. Nearly 500 runners and walkers participated in the 8k event in April.

atc workshop improves care of student athletes

Commonwealth held its 5th annual workshop for certified athletic trainers (ATCs) and team physicians from local high schools in February. This free event connects ATCs with Commonwealth physicians to collaborate on prevention and sideline management of sports injuries, and improve care of student athletes. It’s another example of Commonwealth’s efforts to actively support sports teams and athletes in the community.

commonwealth staff volunteer at vhsl spring jubilee

Commonwealth physicians and staff volunteered at the annual Virginia High School League (VHSL) Spring Jubilee at Westfield High School in Chantilly. Our physicians were on hand to provide expertise and sideline management for injured athletes during the various sporting events.

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State-of-the Art Foot and Ankle Care

As Commonwealth’s new, fellowship-trained foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Lutta offers the most advanced techniques for the operative and non-operative management of foot and ankle problems. He is active in clinical research to ensure he provides his patients with the latest medical breakthroughs to restore activity and improve quality of life.

One of the most exciting new procedures he performs is the Modified Brostrom ankle ligament repair to correct chronic ankle instability. An incision is made along the lateral ankle, the anterior talofibular ligament is tightened or shortened, and the repair is reinforced with the extensor retinaculum. Patients wear a cast for four to six weeks before beginning PT. Most report full recovery within three months and fewer ankle sprains or other injuries afterwards.

Many foot and ankle procedures can be performed arthroscopically. Dr. Lutta uses this minimally invasive technique to remove scar tissue, loose cartilage, or bone fragments and manage cartilage defects in the ankle joint. With tiny incisions, less bleeding, and very little tissue trauma, arthroscopic surgery promotes a faster recovery with fewer complications.

Custom Orthotics and Braces Now Available

Dr. Lutta oversees a new service for Commonwealth patients: custom-molded foot orthotics and ankle braces. Custom orthotics can dramatically improve problems such as instability, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, bunion deformity, and arthritis. Custom-molded ankle braces are very effective when more extensive support is required to treat a degenerative condition or injury.

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Outpatient Surgery Centers Reach Milestone

Commonwealth Orthopaedics’ Outpatient Surgery Centers achieved a milestone in 2010 with 30,000 surgeries performed at these state-of-the-art facilities since they opened in 1999 (Herndon) and 2001 (Fairfax).

As the only outpatient surgery centers dedicated exclusively to orthopaedics in the region, they offer patients many advantages over a hospital setting including comfort, convenience, personalized one-on-one care, and fewer delays and disruptions.

Quality and safety are never compromised. The centers are accredited by The Joint Commission, which means they are held to the same high standards as a hospital.

Practice Statistics

Patient Satisfaction

• 92.8% rated their overall office visit as excellent or very good.
• 96.5% More than 96% rated their overall care at our outpatient surgery centers as excellent or very good.
• 99.9% of physical therapy patients surveyed rated their overall quality of care as excellent.

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Care and Services Expanded

Five more physician assistants (PAs) have joined Commonwealth Orthopaedics to enhance patient care and improve access to services. There are now 19 PAs working at a majority of our offices, especially our busiest locations in Arlington, Reston, and Fair Oaks. PAs are medically licensed to conduct exams, diagnose and treat orthopaedic conditions, perform tests, and prescribe medications. If necessary, they refer patients to Commonwealth’s specialists.

We have also expanded our Tysons Corner office, adding a new hand physician, Sarah Pettrone, MD; a foot and ankle physician, Kevin Lutta, MD; five PAs; and a procedure room.

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Advances in Pain Management

Our innovative Pain Management Program now offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to treat chronic tendinopathies and muscle/tendon tears. PRP therapy uses the body’s own platelets to enhance healing and accelerate recovery. Platelets are extracted from a patient’s blood and injected directly into the damaged tissue.

In another advancement, Commonwealth’s pain management specialists use in-office ultrasound for diagnosis, and ultrasound-guided injections for improved accuracy, when treating patients.