UnaSource Surgery Center’s 2017 APEX Award win has deemed the facility one of only six in the USA (and the ONLY facility in Michigan) to receive this award nine years running!

Check out the full press release here: http://www.sphanalytics.com/2017-apex-award-winners/

Thank you to all of our patients who have provided us with feedback on your surgical experience. Your input is very important to us and assists in maintaining this prestigious designation!

UnaSource Surgery Center has received the APEX Award for excellence in patient satisfaction and quality of care by SPH Analytics for 2016 – that’s 8 years in a row and counting!

View the full press release here!

Patients who come into my office might have one or more procedures in mind, but in general, every patient desires to look good for their age and to slow down the aging process. From keeping skin looking smooth and bright to helping their weight-loss goals by minimizing problem areas and contouring the figure, there are many options available. Every plan starts with a healthy lifestyle, filled with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

When people talk about getting older, it’s not uncommon for them to use the term “aging gracefully.” Often, celebrities are described this way, because they are beautiful older women (or handsome men) who don’t seem to be going out of their way to hold on to their youth. But, celebrities aside, how does the “average” person grapple with the concept of aging gracefully when we get so many mixed messages about what it means to grow older?

“Aging gracefully” is often used as a euphemism. People may use the phrase to mean, “Looking old, but embracing it” or “Showing signs of aging, but still powering forward with life.” In this way, the term feels almost negative or backhanded – it’s the phrase we use to describe someone who isn’t looking as good as they once did.

But is that the only interpretation we can affix to this term? Perhaps aging gracefully doesn’t necessarily have to refer to age or appearance, but rather the attitude people have as they go through the various stages of life.

The best of both worlds

“Aging gracefully” has also been a word used to describe women (or men) who choose to grow older without undergoing any aesthetic procedures to help them maintain their looks. This perspective, however, feels a bit outdated. There was a time when plastic surgery was a taboo subject, but today, it’s gained wide acceptance, because people have realized that there truly are benefits to cosmetic procedures. They can help you not only look younger, but also feel more confident.

Aging gracefully doesn’t mean you have to wear your wrinkles with pride – instead, you need to do whatever is necessary to stride into your older years with confidence. For some people, this may mean simply embracing the natural signs of aging without visiting a board-certified plastic surgeon along the way. For others, it means taking steps to make your outside appearance match the way you feel on the inside. If you feel energetic and youthful internally, then there’s no shame in getting a facelift, eyelid lift, tummy tuck, or breast lift to keep your body at the same level.

Ultimately, it comes down to personal needs and desires. If you are confident about getting plastic surgery, then electing to go under the knife is the most graceful choice you can make.

About the author:

Dr. Samuel Mucci is double board-certified by The American Board of Surgery and The American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. His office is located on the northwest corner of 13 Mile and Greenfield in Beverly Hills, MI. If you’d like to see what treatments are available to you, please contact Dr. Mucci’s office at 248.283.1115.

Many women think that urinary incontinence, the involuntary loss of urinary control, is “just a part of aging,” but women no longer have to accept this bothersome condition that was once ignored.  Urinary incontinence affects almost 1 in 3 adult women at some point in their life, and can be a result of childbirth, surgery, and other causes.  The most common types of incontinence are “stress” (associated with activities, such as playing sports, laughing, or sneezing) and “urge” (associated with a strong desire to urinate and inability to hold it until one gets to a toilet).  Treatments available include non-surgical options, such as pelvic floor exercises either done independently or with a trained therapist, medication, and/or behavioral management (such as minimizing caffeine).  The vast majority of surgical procedures for incontinence nowadays are minimally invasive, take less than an hour, and patients can go home the same day as the procedure.  Recovery is short, with most people returning to daily activities and work in a few days.

Pelvic prolapse is another bothersome condition that is often referred to as a “dropped bladder.”  Like incontinence, this can happen after childbirth, but can also occur after hysterectomy.  More than 1 in 10 women will undergo surgery to correct this problem.  The common symptoms are that of a bulge or pressure, difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement, or discomfort.  Non-surgical options include placement of a pessary, a small device used to hold up the prolapsed tissue.  Surgical procedures to address this can be done either through a vaginal or a laparoscopic approach.

Dr. Gilleran is a board-certified Urologist with fellowship training focused in female urologic conditions such as incontinence, prolapse, and chronic pelvic pain.  He is on staff at Royal Oak and Troy Beaumont Hospitals, as well as at the UnaSource Surgery Center in Troy.   If you would like to schedule a consultation, please contact the Comprehensive Urology office inside the UnaSource Medical Building at 248-267-5035.

UnaSource Surgery Center’s own Dr. Robert Kohen speaks to Outpatient Surgery Magazine about the benefit of having your total joint surgery performed in an outpatient setting. Click here to read the article

Dr. Robert Kohen is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon practicing in Farmington Hills, Michigan. To see if you’re a candidate for outpatient total knee surgery, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Kohen by calling 888.647.1100.

Bunion comes from the Greek word meaning ‘turnip’. Commonly seen as a ‘bump’ about the inner aspect of the great toe, this prominence can be a very common condition. Arthritis, a cyst and/or deviation of the toe from the normal straight alignment can present as a ‘bunion’. Generally speaking, there are two causes: 1) intrinsic, or genetic, causes and 2) extrinsic ones, or those caused by ill-fitting shoes. Most bunions are not painful and are well tolerated by those with this affliction. However, some bunions cause pain with shoewear and with increased activity. Hammertoes, or a ‘bent’ toe, are commonly associated with this condition. Hammertoes can be inherited, can develop from repeated use of a narrow shoe toebox or can develop as the great toe deviates to the side, as in a classic bunion deformity.

As mentioned most prominences about the foot do not cause pain and as such, do not require any treatment. Proper fitting shoes and avoiding the repeated, long-term use of a heeled shoe with a narrow toe-box will be ones best bet to avoid the development of these conditions. However, if the prominences become painful, there are several options available for treatment.

Nonsurgical treatment generally revolves around appropriate shoewear, ie those with a wider and deeper toe box. The so-called bunion straps and stretching devices that one occasionally sees on late night commercials are generally useless in correcting the condition. Pain about a hammertoe can be improved with a corn pad placed directly over the prominence to limit rubbing on the shoe. Toe sleeves can be placed over the affected toe to limit friction. The toe can be taped down in a figure-of-8 manner to place the toe in the appropriate alignment.

Surgical treatment is indicated for pain and perhaps with the inability to wear a reasonable shoe. Surgical treatment for cosmetic reasons, if poorly performed, can result in a painful condition that otherwise was not present initially and is strongly discouraged. One often hears horror stories about friends and family that have undergone a procedure on the foot only to have continued pain and a recurrent deformity.

However, if the foot prominence is painful and the condition limits activities or reasonable footwear, surgery can improve or eliminate the problematic situation. Advances in anesthesia, postoperative pain control as well as the multitude of procedures available to correct the condition has vastly improved patient recovery and outcomes from a foot procedure. While the surgical procedure is generally quick, the recovery usually takes around 3 months for most people to recover fully and notice the benefit. During this time, one is able to ambulate, however slowly. Proper preparation for this time period, should it arise, can ease the recovery.

In summary, knowledge about the condition, its causes and consequences and the treatment options available, will help improve patients appropriately manage this condition. Two reputable websites that explain foot/ankle problems in-depth include www.aofas.org and www.orthoinfo.org.

Dr. Christopher Stroud is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and a member of the Medical Staff here at UnaSource Surgery Center. His office is located at 4550 Investment Drive, Suite 240 in Troy. To learn more or schedule an appointment with Dr. Stroud, please call 248.792.9881.

Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physicians, are nerve, muscle, and bone experts who treat injuries or illnesses that affect how you move

The field of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) began in the 1930s to address musculoskeletal and neurological problems, but broadened its scope considerably after World War II. As thousands of veterans came back to the United States with serious disabilities, the task of helping to restore them to productive lives became a new direction for the field. The American Board of Medical Specialties granted PM&R its approval as a specialty of medicine in 1947.

Rehabilitation physicians are medical doctors who have completed training in the medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Specifically, rehabilitation physicians:

1. Diagnose and treat pain
2. Restore maximum function lost through injury, illness or disabling conditions
3. Treat the whole person, not just the problem area
4. Lead a team of medical professionals
5. Provide non-surgical treatments
6. Explain your medical problems and treatment/prevention plan

The job of a rehabilitation physician is to treat any disability resulting from disease or injury, from sore shoulders to back & neck pain. The focus is on the development of a comprehensive program for putting the pieces of a person’s life back together after injury or disease – without surgery.

Rehabilitation physicians take the time needed to accurately pinpoint the source of an ailment. They then design a treatment plan that can be carried out by the patients themselves or with the help of the rehabilitation physician’s medical team. This medical team might include other physicians and health professionals, such as neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists. By providing an appropriate treatment plan, rehabilitation physicians help patients stay as active as possible at any age. Their broad medical expertise allows them to treat disabling conditions throughout a person’s lifetime.

Dr. Peter Biglin is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. His office, Performance Orthopedics, is located at 24255 Thirteen Mile Road in Bingham Farms. He is also a member of the Medical Staff at UnaSource Surgery Center in Troy. To learn more or schedule an appointment with Dr. Biglin, please call 248.988.8085.

The abuse of painkillers is becoming an epidemic and it is imperative that physicians and patients explore alternatives to narcotics for pain management, especially in a post-surgical setting. One of the greatest advancements in terms of effective knee surgeries has been to manage this pain with regional anesthesia.

Until recently, post-surgical pain was primarily treated with narcotics, which may cause undesirable side effects including post-operative nausea and vomiting, sedation and pose the risk of dependence and addiction. My anesthesiologists regularly use regional anesthesia, or nerve blocks, to help control post-operative pain.  I have them perform femoral nerve blocks for surgeries like ACL reconstructions and adductor nerve blocks for routine knee arthroscopies.  These blocks definitely help assist patients with their pain management, and I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of nerve blocks utilizing regional anesthesia, specifically with the ON-Q Pain Relief System. My patients experience fewer narcotic-related side effects and a faster early recovery when compared to narcotics alone.  I truly believe – as I tell my patients – that these nerve blocks have revolutionized early post-operative pain control.

The greatest challenge in performing peripheral nerve blocks is not the actual procedure, but the lack of familiarity amongst most patients and many clinicians. Unfortunately, patients aren’t as aware as they should be regarding the options that are available to them when it comes to post-operative pain control.  Surgeons and anesthesiologists alike need to remain current and “in the loop” when it comes to the most advanced pain control options so that they can offer their patients the best options for post-operative pain control – including regional anesthesia.