FACE OF ORTHOPEDICS CONWAY ORTHOPEDIC & SPORTS MEDICINE CENTER

What is the key to your success?

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center (COSMC) has provided comprehensive orthopedic care to Central Arkansas since 1988. The center of our practice is anchored by the experience and expertise of orthopedic surgeons

Scott Smith, MD; Grant Bennett, MD; Jay Howell, MD; J. Tod Ghormley, MD; Bryan Head, MD; James Head, MD and Robert McCarron, MD, who provide comprehensive orthopedic care for North Central Arkansas and the River Valley. The center offers a wide range of services, including specialized care for the hand, upper extremity, foot and ankle; minimally invasive knee and hand surgeries; total hip, knee and shoulder replacements; and sports medicine services.

What kinds of challenges do you face in your industry and how is your clinic facing them?

Our medical specialty continues to provide high-quality health care using advanced technology, and our surgeons continue learning new techniques and technology, including the Mako Robotic Surgical System. Three of our surgeons currently use Mako technology. In many hip and knee replacements, orthopedic surgeons Grant Bennett, Scott Smith and Tod Ghormley utilize Mako’s robotic-arm assisted technology.

What should our readers know more about?

Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery is a new approach to joint replacement that assists the surgeon for a more precise, customized positioning of implants for each patient. A CT scan of a knee or hip is uploaded into the Mako system software, where a 3D model is created. This 3D model is used to pre-plan and assist surgeons in performing a hip or knee replacement.

From a surgeon’s perspective, the advantages are the precision and intraoperative customization Mako provides. That precision often enables orthopedic surgeons at COSMC to remove less bone or decrease the amount of soft tissue trauma. For many patients, this can translate into an improved range of motion and less time on crutches or a walker. The majority of patients return home the day after surgery.

What is the most important thing you do for Arkansans?

The talented group of orthopedic surgeons, surgical specialists, nurses and therapists offer a wide array of bone and joint disease evaluation, treatment and surgeries, including:

• Total joint and partial joint replacement of hips, knees, shoulders and elbows

• Arthroscopic joint surgery of knees, elbows, shoulders, wrists and ankles

• Hands (carpal tunnel release and reconstructive surgery)

• Pediatric orthopedics (clubfeet, bowlegs and pediatric fractures)

• Foot and ankle (sprains, strains, fractures and reconstructive surgery)

• Sports medicine (all sports-related injuries for athletes of all ages)

The most crucial part of providing these services is being able to help our patients regain their quality of life after they have suffered from an injury or debilitating condition.