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Orthopedics and Total Joint Unit
St. Luke's Orthopedics and Total Joint Unit in Sioux City, Iowa, cares for patients with fractures, hip surgery and joint 
replacements, helping them through recovery after surgery. With an experienced staff of nurses, orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, the hospital's unit is committed to compassionate care in a patient-centered environment.
Patients can enjoy the comforts of private, state-of-the-art rooms and therapy services offered seven days a week by rehabilitation therapists.
The unit commonly cares for patients undergoing the surgeries listed below. Click on each link for a breif description of the surgery.
| Total Joint Procedures | Discectomy |
| Pinning of Fractures | Reconstructive Surgery |
| Fusion Surgery | Kyphoplastry |
| Laminectomy |
To be scheduled for an orthopedic surgery, patient must have a referral from a primary care doctor or orhopedic surgeon. The orthopedic surgeon or doctor will make sure the procedure is scheduled.
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Typicla Surgeries Performed in the Total Joint and Othopedic Unit at St. Luke's:
Total Joint Procedures- St. Luke's offers a comprehensive Total Joint Program for knees and hips with the mission to achieve the highest levels of patient outcomes and satisfaction with joint replacement within days. View the Total Joint Brochure PDF to get a complete understanding of this program. Pinning of Fractures- For this operation tension is applied to get the fractured bones to line up. The surgeon checks the alignment using a fluoroscope, a type of X-ray machine that shows the image on a TV screen. A small incision is then made and the surgeon uses the fluoroscope to guide the metal screws or pins into the correct position to hold the bones together. Fusion Surgery- Most commonly this procedure is done to fuse the spine. General anesthesia is used to put the patient to sleep. The procedure can last from two to twelve hours depending on the severity of the problem and the surgeons technique. To fuse the spine, doctors use small pieces of bone to fill the space between two vertebrae. Sometimes doctors may also use wires, rods, screws or metal plates as alternatives. Laminectomy- A laminectomy is done to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. Depending on the amount of bone removed, this procedure may be done with a spinal fusion to prevent instability. Patients are given a general anesthesia to put them to sleep during most spine surgeries. The incision cuts all the way through the lamina so one edge can be lifted away from the spinal cord and the other edge can act like a hinge. The hinged side forms a bone union, which holds the opposite side open and keeps pressure off the spinal cord. Discectomy- This surgery is performed under general anesthesia. The procedure takes about an hour and is intended to remove a fragment of herniated disc in the back. The surgeon will make an incision over the center of the back and carefully dissect the muscles away from the bone of the spine. Using special instruments, the surgeon removes a small amount of bone and ligament from the back of the spine. Once this bone and ligament is removed, the surgeon can find the disc herniation and remove the herniated disc fragment. Reconstructive Surgery- This procedure can be done to restore damaged tissue and restore stability to a joint. One example of reconstructive surgery is replacement of torn knee ligaments with substitute tendons taken from muscles around the knee. Holes are placed in the bones and the substitute tendon pulled across the joint and fixed in the holes. Another example is shoulder reconstructive surgery where the torn ligaments are reattached to the bone with suture anchors to which the torn ligament is attached by passing the sutures through the ligament and tying them. Kyphoplastry- Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive spinal surgery used to treat painful, progressive vertebral compression fractures. Two small incisions are made in the back where a tube is inserted into the center of the vertebral body to the site of the fractured bone. A balloon tamp is then inserted down the tube and inflated to push the bone back to its normal height and shape. Inflation of the balloon creates a cavity in the vertebral body, which the surgeon fills with bone cement. When the cement hardens, the tubes are removed and the incision is closed with a single stitch.
