Rodney W. Rieger, M.D.
I am Rodney Rieger, one of nine orthopaedic surgeons with Fox Valley Orthopaedic Associates. The 25th Anniversary of the practice also marks the eighteenth year of my personal practice of orthopaedic surgery (which has been continuously with Fox Valley Orthopaedic Associates).
I cannot help but feel nostalgic when I look back at the years that have gone by and the changes that have occurred, not only in the Fox Valley area and the greater Elgin region, but in our own practice as well. We have continued to add associates and made available the most advanced orthopaedic surgery possible in the Fox Valley area.
When I arrived in the Fox Valley area, it was the practice throughout the country to remove torn cartilages from the knee through an open operative procedure requiring a four or five day hospital stay and the inability to put full weight on the knee for up to six weeks. The poor patients of that era could hardly lift their legs from the bed for an entire week with their own muscle strength.
Gradually, advances in arthroscopic surgery allowed the performance of corrective procedures in the knee joint, thus revolutionizing the practice of knee surgery and the treatment of disabled knees. These advances allowed many people to have outpatient operations with immediate full weight bearing capabilities. In the past, these same patients would have been disabled for weeks or months from their occupations.
In these fields, Fox Valley Orthopaedics has pioneered many of these operations in the Fox Valley area. We were among the first to perform shoulder arthroscopy, elbow arthroscopy, the application of arthroscopic principles to the ankle, trans-arthroscopic stabilizations of shoulder dislocations and the correction of anterior cruciate ligament torn knees as an outpatient procedure.
A commitment to continuous education and a willingness to spend the time and effort to stay current in the newest forms of treatment is required of all of our physicians and medical staff. The results that we see -- the return to sports and occupations that were not possible in the past -- have made these sacrifices worthwhile. It amazes me to see that almost everything has changed over the last ten to twenty years.
In spine surgery, the major improvements have been in the miniaturization of the surgical approach for disc excision, allowing a microscopic approach that can often be performed as an outpatient. These patients are often able to return to their occupations in a matter of weeks than months.
The application of metallic internal fixation devices has revolutionized the ability to achieve spinal stabilization and augmentation of spinal fusions. The newest devices sit within the disc space itself, giving immediate fixation and the ability for fusion through smaller incisions and a decreased need for bone grafting.
In many cases, the routine use of abdominal surgery to approach the spine can be avoided and the complete stabilization operation can be performed posteriorly. I see that the minimization of incision length and the improvement of the maintenance of the alignment of the spine and skeleton during the healing process has led to significant improvements in patient outcomes. In many cases, orthopaedic operations are not only life saving, they are certainly lifestyle saving!
It has been a real honor for me to be able to serve the patients in the Fox Valley area and I am looking forward to my next eighteen years of work with the good people from our region.