Orthopedic care at Swedish Medical Center

Orthopedic specialists in Englewood, Colorado

Swedish Medical Center provides a highly specialized orthopedics program at our orthopedic center in Englewood. As part of this program, our orthopedic doctors have special training in spine, bone and joint conditions, as well as robot-assisted surgery and orthopedic trauma. In fact, we offer one of the only programs in the country with a focus on pelvic trauma.

For more information about Swedish Medical Center's orthopedic services, please call our program coordinator at (303) 788-6682.

Hip Restoration Institute in Denver

A hip labral tear is an injury to the soft tissue (labrum) that covers the hip cup (acetabulum). An injury that will not heal on its own, surgery is often recommended when the tear is severe or producing persistent symptoms. The Hip Restoration Institute at Swedish Medical Center is home to a global leader in hip labral reconstruction. With a sole focus on the diagnosis and treatment of hip conditions, our surgeon has unparalleled experience in providing advanced treatment and exceptional outcomes for hip conditions.  

Hip arthroscopy

Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive hip surgery. During this procedure, our surgeon accesses the hip joint through several small incisions rather than one large incision. With the aid of advanced technology, the hip joint is visualized and repaired without ever being exposed. The technique often leads to reduced blood loss, fewer complications, less pain, a shorter hospital stay, a faster recovery and diminished scarring.

Labral reconstruction

Labral reconstruction is an innovative treatment for hip labral tears and often a superior alternative to hip labral repair. During this procedure, the torn or damaged labrum is removed arthroscopically. In its place, donor tissue (allograft) or your own tissue (autograft) are placed and used to reconstruct a new labrum. This reconstructed tissue does not regenerate nerve fibers or feel pain the way the labrum’s native tissue would. Thus, labral reconstruction patients report high rates of success and low rates of ongoing pain. Labral reconstruction is a highly complex surgery that requires an extremely experienced team. The Hip Reconstruction Institute providers perform hundreds of these surgeries each year and have unmatched experience using this technique to get patients back to the lives they love.

Labral reconstruction patients report high rates of success and low rates of ongoing pain. Find a doctor and make an appointment.

Ligamentum teres reconstruction

In addition to labral reconstruction, our team also performs reconstruction of the ligamentum teres—the rope-like connection between the ball and cup of the hip joint. By reconstructing this area, the hip is restabilized, which can prevent a labral tear.

Orthopedic trauma

Orthopedic trauma care focuses on treating patients with fractures and other injuries. As a Level I Trauma Center, we provide the highest level of trauma care. This includes an orthopedic trauma program to handle complex injuries and develop standardized approaches to care for our patients. Our orthopedic trauma doctors diagnose and treat bone and joint injuries, such as broken bones, intra-articular fractures and pelvic trauma.

Joint replacement

Joint pain can negatively affect your everyday life, and we want to get you back to doing the things you love. If this means getting a joint replacement, we are here to help.

During a joint replacement surgery, our bone and joint doctors replace damaged components of a joint with implants. The result is a new, healthy joint that allows you to move without pain.

We perform the following joint replacement surgeries:

• Ankle replacement
• Hip replacement
• Knee replacement
• Shoulder replacement

Ankle replacement

Our orthopedists provide comprehensive foot and ankle care. If nonsurgical treatments do not improve ankle pain and other symptoms of an injury or disease, we can perform an ankle replacement (if necessary).

During ankle replacement surgery, the surgeon removes the ends of the damaged ankle bones and replaces them with prosthetic implants made of plastic and metal.

Hip replacement

Your thigh bone (femur) is rounded at the top and fits into the socket of the pelvic bone. When you have a total hip replacement, a metal ball with a stem is put in place at the top of your femur. A prosthetic cup is then inserted into the damaged socket area of your pelvic bone.

Minimally invasive hip replacement surgery

When appropriate, our surgeons use a minimally invasive technique: direct anterior approach for hip replacement. This technique involves a three to four inch incision on the front of the hip that allows the surgeon to spare muscle by gently working around it instead of cutting through it.

The direct anterior approach also reduces the risk of dislocation and has been shown to decrease pain and recovery time.

Surgeons at Swedish Medical Center pioneered another highly advanced anterior approach technique: portal-assisted total hip arthroplasty. In this procedure, the incision is moved to a higher location on the body to minimize scarring and nerve damage and to reduce recovery time. We are proud to be one of only a handful of facilities in the country to perform the portal-assisted total hip arthroplasty.

View hip replacement patient guidebook

Knee replacement

The knee is one of the most complicated joints in your body. It is made up of the knee cap (patella), the upper bone (femur) and lower bone (tibia). All of these bones are held together with ligaments, tendons and muscles.

During a total knee replacement, our surgeons replace the knee with an artificial joint made up of three parts:

• A metal part covering the femur surface
• A plastic and metal part covering the tibia surface
• A plastic part that resurfaces the kneecap

View knee replacement patient guidebook

Shoulder replacement

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. When it is damaged, we offer shoulder replacement surgery, which may involve replacing only the ball (head of the humerus bone) or both the ball and socket (glenoid) with implants. Your specific procedure will depend on the stability of the shoulder and the condition of the surrounding ligaments.

Preoperative education classes

We believe you will experience better surgical outcomes when you know what to expect with your surgery and recovery. That is why Swedish Medical Center offers preoperative education classes before your spine surgery or total joint replacement surgery.

In the preoperative class, we will discuss how to prepare for your specific surgery and rehabilitation process. Our goal is to provide you with the necessary tools and information you need for a safe and healthy recovery.

Treatment for limb pain after amputation

Chronic limb pain after amputation is common. To reduce this pain for patients with upper and/or lower extremity amputations, at Swedish Medical Center we provide an advanced procedure called targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR). The procedure reroutes nerves damaged during amputation. By giving these nerves a place to transmit their signals, patients report reduced pain, including phantom limb pain, residual limb pain and peripheral neuropathy.

At Swedish Medical Center, our innovative team provides this advanced, delicate procedure for both upper and lower extremity amputations — one of the few centers nationwide to offer this level of care.

Primary TMR

A primary or acute TMR, is performed at the time of amputation. The reconstructive surgeon is in the operating room with the orthopedic surgeon and/or vascular surgeon, and the amputation and TMR are performed during the same surgery.

Occasionally, patients that require life-saving amputation are transferred to Swedish Medical Center with a vacuum-assisted closure on the amputation, which allows the reconstructive surgeon to perform TMR, then close the surgical site.

Secondary TMR

A secondary TMR, or delayed TMR, is performed for patients who have already had amputation without TMR. These patients may experience phantom limb pain, painful neuromas or residual limb pain affecting their activities of daily living. In these cases, another surgery is scheduled to perform the TMR.

A multidisciplinary team of specialists

Our reconstructive surgeons, together with a multidisciplinary team of orthopedic and vascular surgeons, physical, occupational and hand therapists, and a patient navigator, work with you to develop a treatment plan that helps minimize pain and maximize function after amputation.

For a consultation to discuss if TMR is right for you, please call our TMR patient navigator at (303) 788-6467.

Orthopedic rehabilitation

Part of your inpatient care after orthopedic surgery involves physical therapy and rehabilitation. Our physical therapists and occupational therapists have extensive experience rehabilitating patients after various orthopedic surgeries. They will work with you while you are still in the hospital to restore function and movement.