Hofmann Arthritis Institute’s very own Dr. Michael Blatter explains the many fractures and the successful treatments patients can consider. As an Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Blatter has helped many patients in almost every age group. Learn how he can help you. There are many things to consider before an Orthopedic Surgeon creates a patient’s treatment plan. For example, did you know the patient’s age, or stage of life, is one of the first considerations for an orthopedic treatment plan? In addition, existing medical issues, as well as where the fracture occurred, is also taken ..read more

The shoulder is very flexible because it is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three bones: the shoulder blade (scapula), the collarbone (clavicle), and the upper arm bone (humerus). It moves your arm in a variety of directions — in front, above, to the side, and behind your body. It is the most flexible joint in your entire body. This flexibility can make the shoulder prone to injury from overuse, repetitive motions, falls, or strain from excessive weight. Due to anatomic and physiologic changes related to the aging process, the shoulder is among the more common joints affected by active life ..read more

Mini-Posterolateral Total Hip Replacement The most common approach today is referred to as the “posterior approach,” which is done from the back of the hip. Approximately 60% of surgeons in the United States use the posterior approach for hip replacement. Recent improvements to this approach allow a smaller incision and less tissue trauma, enabling a more rapid post-operative recovery. This modification of the posterior approach has been called the “mini posterior approach.” The mini-posterior approach allows our surgeons to perform total hip replacement through a relatively small incisio ..read more

Muscle Sparing Anterior Approach The Anterior Approach for total hip replacement is a muscle-sparing alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery that provides the potential for less pain, faster recovery, less dislocation risk, and improved mobility because muscles are not cut during the surgical procedure. The technique allows the surgeon to work between your muscles and tissues. With the Anterior Approach, the surgeon uses one small incision on the front (anterior) of your hip that is about 4 inches long. The Anterior Approach procedure for total hip replacement has been gaining popu ..read more

Are You Living with Hip Pain? The hip is called a ball-and-socket joint because the round ball-shaped head of the thighbone (femur) moves inside the cup-shaped hollow socket (acetabulum) of the pelvis. These bones are covered by cartilage, a layer of strong tissue that cushions the bones and allows smooth, easy movement of the joint. Degenerative joint disease (also known as DJD) can cause a loss of cartilage, resulting in bone-on-bone contact that may result in pain, swelling, and stiffness. What causes degenerative joint disease? The risk of developing symptomatic DJD is influenced by multip ..read more

Muscle Sparing Approach to Knee Replacement Dr. Aaron Hofmann pioneered the “subvastus” muscle-sparing approach and all of our surgeons are trained in this minimally invasive approach. We are one of the only practices in the mountain west that utilizes this technique. The muscle-sparing or “subvastus” technique combines minimally invasive instruments with a surgical approach that leaves key muscles and tendons intact. Instead of cutting the quadriceps tendon, surgeons make a 3-5 inch incision on the knee and split or dissect under a single quadriceps muscle. Because no major tendons or muscles ..read more

Your knee consists of three “compartments” or sections: Medial compartment (inner half of your knee) Lateral compartment (outer half of your knee) Patellofemoral compartment (behind the knee cap) Osteoarthritis can affect one, two, or all three compartments. Osteoarthritis (often abbreviated to OA) is a form of arthritis and a degenerative joint disease characterized by the breakdown and eventual loss of joint cartilage. Cartilage is a protein substance that serves as a cushion between the bones of a joint. With OA, the top layer of cartilage breaks down and wears away, allowing bones under ..read more

We are excited to announce our very own Dr. Hofmann as one of the top 22 knee surgeons in the nation, according to a recent article from Orthopedics This Week. This list of “super-elite” surgeons is comprised of some of the very best specialists in the field today, and we are proud to have one of the very best right here in Salt Lake City ..read more

About 85% of all people have lower back pain at some point in their life. Between 15–30% of all low back pain is generated by the sacroiliac (SI) joint. In people with hip osteoarthritis or status post hip arthroplasty, that figure is even higher. The sacroiliac joint lies below the lumbar spine and above the tail bone. It connects the sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine) with the pelvis. SI joint pain or dysfunction is one source of low back and/or leg pain. The leg pain may feel similar to sciatica or pain caused by a lumbar disc herniation. The ‘SI Joint’ has the followin ..read more

The MAKOplasty® procedure is a unicompartmental or bicompartmental knee replacement enabled by robotic arm technology that allows the surgeon to perform surgery precisely through a smaller incision as compared to standard manual procedures. Surgeons use the RIO® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System, a surgeon-controlled robotic arm system that combines computer imaging with an intelligent instrumentation. This allows the surgeon to precisely place an implant that has been selected for your knee. MAKOplasty® can be performed through a four- to six-inch incision over your knee with small in ..read more