Orthopedic Surgeons in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Sonoma
Advanced Spinal Concepts
We are a team of orthopedic surgeons in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Sonoma serving Sonoma County and all of Northern California. There are many providers of spine care in the US, and we are the only country that has multiple layers of physicians, both surgeons and non-surgeons, as well as chiropractors, physical therapists, exercise physiologists, and trainers, all the way down to health instructors at various gyms. All would be happy to provide opinions on the expertise related to the spine.
However, there are very few physicians that truly have advanced credentials for the treatment of nonoperative as well as operative intervention for spine care. Chiropractors can do chiropractic, physical therapists can do physical therapy, and anesthesiologists can do acupuncture as well as injections, but only a spinal surgeon can martial all of these modalities to benefit the individual spinal patient.
Just because a surgeon has the ability to do surgery certainly does not mean that all of the patients coming to his office require or should be considered for surgical intervention. The treatment of advanced spine in the 21st century requiries an integration that stems from common sense approaches such as exercise and weight reduction, on to the ability to have a supervised exercise program with a physiasist and physical therapist, as well as chiropractic manipulation. When a person does not respond to the usual modalities, injection therapies and/or surgical intervention may need to be considered. North Bay Orthopaedic Surgeons, on a routine basis, offers all of these modalities.
For the treatment of advanced spinal conditions, which can result from instability, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, tumors of the spine, and disc herniation, surgical indications may be needed. We have been using state-of-the-art, minimally invasive techniques as they have become available. This office is skilled in offering minimally invasive discectomies and, more recently, disc repair techniques as well as total disc replacements. For individuals who have a gross instability, including scoliosis, fusion surgeries may need to be considered. Fusion surgeries these days are usually offered in minimally invasive technologies and techniques.
Dr. Harf has, for his entire professional life, encountered patients and family members that know of individuals who have had one, two, three, four, and up to six or seven spinal surgeries. This is caused by old-style practices, which were ineffective in treating the underlying conditions.
With modern spine care, we try to offer only one procedure one time, and we have been gratified that this has helped in the majority of cases. We provide superior expertise as orthopedic surgeons in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Sonoma.
Total Joint Replacement
Dr. Harf is an orthopaedic surgeon and is an acknowledged, skilled expert in total joint replacements including minimally invasive approaches to the hip and knee.
Total joint replacement surgery has been around for 45 years. Total joint replacements now are done with minimal-incision techniques. For our younger patients we offer metal-on-metal, press-fit total hips which take away plastic wear components as well as engage bone integration to the protheses. These are called press-fit, porous-ingrowth prostheses.
A total joint replacement needs to be tailored to the activities and needs of the individual. The common misconception is that a total joint will only last 15 to 20 years. I now believe that total joint replacements, especially in the hip, may last upward of 40 years.
Total joint replacements are continually evolving. However, joint replacement is still one of the most perfected surgeries that is offered in the orthopedic community.
Total knee surgeries are very similar in that we have had very good results, and patient satisfaction techniques range up to 99%. We have been offering joint replacements that are especially tailored to the patient, not just the size of the patient but to the sex of the patient and the activities that the patient is likely to engage in. In short, total knee and total hip replacements are becoming customized to the patient in the 21st century.
Total joint replacements are now being offered in the shoulder for which we are doing both standard as well as the newer reverse shoulder replacements which are for individuals who have rotator-cuff disease. This has been very helpful in reducing pain in individuals who previously were poor candidates.
Total elbow replacements, total ankle replacements, as well as total wrist replacements have also been done.
This office has additional training in all aspects of total joint replacement, performing more than 100 total joint replacements each year.
Orthopedic Surgeons with offices in Petaluma, Sonoma and Santa Rosa.
Serving Sonoma County and all of Northern California.