Skip to content
Luminis Orthopedic Institute Call
Menu

Patient resources

Conditions & Treatments

Plain-language guides to common orthopedic conditions: what they are, typical symptoms, how they are treated, and when to seek care.

Spine, Pain & Neurosurgery

Visit the center

  • Herniated disc

    Also called slipped disc, ruptured disc, bulging disc, disc herniation

    The discs between the bones of the spine work as cushions and shock absorbers. Each disc has a tough outer ring and a soft, gel-like center. A herniated disc oc...

  • Spinal stenosis

    Also called lumbar stenosis, cervical stenosis, narrowing of the spinal canal

    Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces inside the spine that hold the spinal cord and the nerves branching from it. When the space becomes tight, the nerv...

  • Sciatica

    Also called pinched nerve in the lower back, lumbar radiculopathy, leg nerve pain

    Sciatica describes pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve, from the lower back or buttock down the back of the leg. It is a symptom rather than a...

  • Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve in the neck)

    Also called pinched nerve in the neck, cervical nerve compression, neck radiculopathy, arm nerve pain

    Cervical radiculopathy is irritation or compression of a nerve root in the neck where it branches off the spinal cord. Because these nerves travel to the should...

Joint Replacement

Visit the center

  • Hip arthritis

    Also called hip osteoarthritis, degenerative hip disease, worn hip joint

    Hip arthritis is a breakdown of the cartilage that lines the ball-and-socket joint of the hip. As that cushioning thins, the bones move against each other with...

  • Knee arthritis

    Also called knee osteoarthritis, degenerative knee disease, worn knee joint

    Knee arthritis is the gradual loss of the cartilage that cushions the ends of the thighbone, shinbone, and kneecap. Without that smooth covering, the joint beco...

  • Total hip replacement

    Also called hip arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, THR, THA, hip replacement surgery

    Total hip replacement is surgery that removes the damaged ball and socket of the hip and replaces them with implants. A stem placed inside the thighbone carries...

  • Total knee replacement

    Also called knee arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, TKR, TKA, knee replacement surgery

    Total knee replacement is surgery that resurfaces a knee damaged by arthritis. The surgeon removes worn cartilage and a thin layer of bone from the ends of the...

Sports Medicine

Visit the center

  • ACL tear

    Also called torn ACL, ACL injury, anterior cruciate ligament tear

    The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) crosses through the middle of the knee and keeps the shinbone from sliding forward beneath the thighbone. It is one of the...

  • MCL injury

    Also called MCL tear, MCL sprain, medial collateral ligament injury, inner knee ligament injury

    The medial collateral ligament (MCL) runs along the inner side of the knee, connecting the thighbone to the shinbone, and keeps the knee from bending inward. It...

  • Rotator cuff tear

    Also called torn rotator cuff, shoulder tendon tear, rotator cuff injury

    Four muscles and their tendons form the rotator cuff, a sleeve that wraps the rounded head of the upper arm bone, keeps it centered in the shoulder socket, and...

  • Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow

    Also called lateral epicondylitis, medial epicondylitis, lateral epicondylalgia, elbow tendinitis, elbow tendinopathy

    Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) are overuse conditions of the tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the bony...

  • Hamstring strain

    Also called pulled hamstring, hamstring tear, hamstring injury, hamstring avulsion

    The hamstrings are three muscles along the back of the thigh that run from the pelvis to just below the knee. They extend the hip and bend the knee and work esp...

  • Stress fracture

    Also called stress reaction, bone stress injury, fatigue fracture, shin stress fracture, metatarsal stress fracture

    A stress fracture is a small crack or area of injury in a bone caused by repeated force over time rather than a single injury. Bone is constantly breaking down...

Foot & Ankle

Visit the center

  • Plantar fasciitis

    Also called heel pain, plantar fasciopathy, heel spur pain

    Plantar fasciitis is irritation of the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that runs along the sole from the heel to the base of the toes and helps hold up...

  • Ankle sprain

    Also called sprained ankle, rolled ankle, twisted ankle, ankle ligament tear, chronic ankle instability

    A sprained ankle means that one or more of the ankle's supporting ligaments (strong, fibrous bands that tie one bone to another) has been overstretched or torn....

  • Bunion

    Also called hallux valgus, big toe bump, bunionectomy

    A bunion (hallux valgus) is a bony prominence along the inner border of the foot, where the big toe joins the foot. It develops slowly: the tip of the big toe a...

  • Achilles tendinitis

    Also called Achilles tendonitis, Achilles tendinopathy, insertional Achilles tendinitis, back of heel pain

    The Achilles tendon is the thick band at the back of the ankle that anchors the calf muscles to the heel bone. Achilles tendinitis (also called tendinopathy) is...

  • Hammertoe

    Also called hammer toe, bent toe, curled toe

    A hammertoe is a toe that bends downward at its middle joint, giving it a curled, hammer-like shape. It most often affects the second toe, though other toes can...

  • Morton's neuroma

    Also called Morton neuroma, interdigital neuroma, ball of foot nerve pain

    Morton's neuroma is a painful condition in which the tissue surrounding one of the small nerves between the toes becomes thickened, usually in the space between...

  • Ankle fracture

    Also called broken ankle, fractured ankle, malleolus fracture, bimalleolar fracture, trimalleolar fracture

    An ankle fracture is a break in one or more of the bones that form the ankle joint: the lower ends of the tibia (shinbone) and fibula (the thinner outer leg bon...

  • Diabetic foot care

    Also called diabetic foot, diabetic foot ulcer, diabetes foot problems, neuropathy foot care, Charcot foot

    Over the years, high blood sugar can injure the nerves and circulation in the feet. Reduced feeling means a blister, cut, or pressure sore can go unnoticed, and...

Hand & Upper Extremity

Visit the center

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

    Also called median nerve compression, numb hand at night, CTS

    Carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve as it runs through the carpal tunnel, a tight channel at the base of the palm formed by the wrist bones a...

  • Trigger finger

    Also called trigger thumb, stenosing tenosynovitis, locking finger

    Trigger finger, also called stenosing tenosynovitis, happens when a tendon that bends a finger or the thumb can no longer slide smoothly through the tunnel of t...

  • Wrist fracture

    Also called broken wrist, distal radius fracture, Colles fracture, scaphoid fracture

    A wrist fracture is a break in one or more of the bones that make up the wrist. A frequent type is a distal radius fracture, a break in the larger of the two fo...

  • Cubital tunnel syndrome

    Also called ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow, ulnar neuropathy, numb ring and little fingers

    Cubital tunnel syndrome is pressure on, or stretching of, the ulnar nerve where it passes behind the inner side of the elbow, the spot often called the funny bo...

  • De Quervain tenosynovitis

    Also called de Quervain's tendinitis, de Quervain's tendinosis, thumb-side wrist pain

    De Quervain tenosynovitis is a painful condition of two tendons that run along the thumb side of the wrist on their way to the thumb. The tendons pass together...

  • Ganglion cysts

    Also called ganglion cyst, wrist cyst, lump on the wrist, mucous cyst

    A ganglion cyst is a noncancerous, fluid-filled lump that grows out of the lining of a joint or tendon, most often on the back of the wrist. The cyst holds a th...

  • Finger fractures and mallet finger

    Also called broken finger, hand fracture, boxer fracture, baseball finger, jammed finger, drooping fingertip

    Finger fractures are breaks in the small bones of the fingers (phalanges) or in the long hand bones that connect to them (metacarpals). Mallet finger is a relat...

  • Hand and wrist arthritis

    Also called finger arthritis, wrist arthritis, osteoarthritis of the hand, rheumatoid arthritis of the hand, post-traumatic wrist arthritis

    Arthritis of the hand and wrist is the loss of the smooth cartilage lining the small joints of the fingers and the joints of the wrist, which causes pain, stiff...

This information is general patient education. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace advice from a clinician who has examined you. For a medical emergency, call 911.

Schedule an appointment

Book a visit with Luminis Orthopedic Institute online through MyChart, or call us.

Schedule online Call (410) 268-8862

New injury? OrthoToday offers same-day and next-day orthopedic appointments.

Luminis Health providers and staff: on-call and scheduling information is in the provider hub. Provider login

For a medical emergency, call 911.