From a young age, David M. Sedory, MD was focused on making his dream of becoming a doctor into a reality. And he set his course to do just that.

Using an ROTC scholarship, he attended Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., where he completed his undergraduate work. Sedory went on to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio.

I owed the military some time, so when I completed medical school I matched into the orthopedic residency at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. I was there for five years, he said.

In 2010, Sedory was stationed at Fort Stewart in Savannah and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He finished out his military career at Hunter Airfield as team surgeon for the Army Rangers, while simultaneously working with Optim Orthopedics, which has a clinic in Brunswick.

Taking care of soldiers, their families and some of the wounded coming back from overseas was an incredible honor, he commented. When youre caring for soldiers in combat, you really have to have a team approach and I have tried to apply some of those philosophies and lessons to my current job with Optim.

Once his military time ended, Sedory transitioned into full-time work as a surgeon with Optim Orthopedics. Today, he specializes in sports medicine, focusing on areas often prone to injury.

I do shoulder, hip, and knee reconstruction. A lot of high-end cartilage repair, as well as joint replacements, he said.

Sedory has long been a noted expert in arthroscopic surgery, especially of the hip. This is a minimally invasive procedure that can treat a number of ailments, including impingement, labral tears, and tendon tears. He has lectured at national meetings and is an instructor at courses for other surgeons trying to learn these techniques.

Hip arthroscopy is mainly aimed at younger, active patients with the majority being between the ages of late teens to early 50s. They have a hip that is causing them pain from a labral tear, impingement or cartilage damage but its not broken down to the point of arthritis or needing a full hip replacement, he explained.

I also treat a lot of older patients with tendon tears around their hips that are causing a lot of pain and function issues. Many of them have been getting the run around for years and have been told that they have bursitis. Often times the underlying problem is actually a tear, much like a rotator cuff tear in the shoulder.

The knee, too, can also present similar deterioration or damage. And, like the hip, new modalities can offer a great deal of relief. Sedory has taken a great interest in cartilage reconstruction and transplantation, which can be used in either the knee or hip. This procedure is also offered to younger patients who have had some previous issues but do not qualify for a full knee replacement.

Ideal candidates for cartilage reconstruction surgery are between the ages of 18 and 50, Sedory commented.

There are a variety of methods for cartilage repair. These include stem cell or biological injections; debridement; microfracture; and implantation of juvenile cartilage to regenerate new cartilage.

Dr. Sedory noted that the cartilage can even be taken from ones own body, regrown in a lab, then implanted during a second surgery. This is known as MACI (matrix-induced autologous cartilage implantation). Cartilage can also be obtained from a healthy tissue donor and implanted in the leg.

These are often combined with other procedures such as ligament reconstruction, meniscus transplantation (replaces the shock absorber in the knee), or osteotomy to correct malalignment, Sedory said.

It is kind of like having the tires on your car wear out from bad alignment; you cant just slap on new tires, you have to fix the underlying stability or alignment problem as well to get the best outcome.

Once the procedure has been completed, most patients go on to spend four to six weeks on crutches followed by several months of physical therapy.

Dr. Sedory treats patients in Savannah and the surrounding area. He is currently expanding his practice in Brunswick. The Optim clinic is located at 1111 Glynco Parkway, off Spur 25, and adjacent to Applecare.

I mostly am seeing hip reconstruction patients. Either for an anterior hip replacement or hip arthroscopy, he said.

But a big part of my practice in Savannah is complex knee reconstruction and cartilage repair. I want patients to know that those are options available to them as well.

To make an appointment with Dr. Sedory, call 912-644-5300 or find out more at optimorthopedics.com

Read more from the original source:
Surgeon offers innovative treatments - Brunswick News