Katy, TX & West Houston Orthopedic Surgeons

To get the best orthopedic care available you have to start by picking the right surgeon. There are plenty to choose from: one can find really good orthopedic doctors employed by the University of Texas or Houston Methodist Hospital. In addition, due to the huge teaching centers downtown, we have more than our share of world class private practice orthopedic surgeons. They all have excellent training, certifications, and many are fairly handsome. But how do you know which one is the BEST?

That depends entirely on you! If you think about it, the best plumber in the world is not the right person to fix your dead electrical socket. In the same way, a Sports Medicine specialist is not the best choice when you need a hip or knee replacement. We tend to think in terms of great hospitals, but no hospital is great at everything. As it turns out, finding the best orthopedic doctor starts with understanding what you need, and only then progressing to what they offer. So, let’s start with you.

What hurts?
Is it your neck? Shoulder? Low back? Hip? Knee? Orthopedic surgeons specialize based on body part and procedure. Start with the body part or joint that hurts. Then we will move into the condition you have, and likely the procedure needed.

And a word to the wise… pick a surgeon not a hospital. Houston Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann are excellent, but they didn’t know what was wrong with you when they put together their advertising campaigns. You deserve the best for you; not what fills up their hospital beds with paying bodies. Skip to the body part you need help with below.

Note: We don’t research or vet foot, ankle, or hand surgeons. If you have a foot/ankle or hand problem, please seek help elsewhere.

Most hip pain that lasts more than 12 weeks is caused either by arthritis or a tear in the labrum of hip. Arthritis shows up on a plain x-ray. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is required to show a labral tear.
Total hip replacement is the definitive treatment for hip pain due to severe arthritis that fails conservative measures. We certify orthopedic surgeons for hip replacement if they meet ALL the following criteria:

•  Board certified orthopedic.
•  Fellowship trained in joint replacement.
•  Perform a high volume of total hip replacements (>50 per year).
•  Use registry proven implants that are not likely to be recalled.
•  Have a robotic assistant, and
•  Use a minimally invasive approach so that they can operate out of an ambulatory surgery center.  Orthopedic doctors certified for Total Hip Replacement in Katy Texas and the West Houston area are shown below.

The key to arthroscopic labral tear repair is finding an orthopedic doctor who does a high volume. We do not list these separately, but you can call around your community and usually find the right orthopedic doctor. For more on finding the right surgeon for total hip replacement look here: Best Hip Replacement Surgeons in Katy Texas and West Houston

Knee pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks is most often due to arthritis. The definitive treatment for severe arthritis when PT and/or injections fail is knee replacement.

We certify knee replacement surgeons using criteria similar to those we use for the hip. The Best Practice Health certified robotic knee replacement surgeons in Katy Texas and West Houston area are shown below.

To learn more about finding the right surgeon for total knee replacement please visit: Best Knee Replacement Surgeons in Katy Texas and West Houston

Meniscal and anterior cruciate ligament tears are best treated surgically using an arthroscopic approach. This type of orthopedic surgery requires extra training obtained in a Sports Medicine fellowship. We do not yet certify sports medicine orthopedists, but you can find a list of the board certified ones here: AAOS. Set the method of search to “Choose a specialty,” and set the specialty to “Sports Medicine.”

Spine doctors come in 3 different flavors: pain management, neurosurgeons, and spine orthopedic doctors. The key is to find one who is board certified and performs microsurgery using minimally invasive techniques. We will discuss the features of surgeons you should look for by procedure below.

Laminectomy for spinal stenosis is done by neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons. The most minimally invasive form of this operation currently being done is with the Medtronic METRx (Minimal Exposure Tubular Retractor) system. Once you have a surgeon in mind, call and ask the office if the doctor uses this equipment. If not, try again with another choice.

Epidural injection and Microdiscectomy for herniated discs require a team. Start out with epidural injection by a pain management doctor who is double board certified in anesthesia or physiatry, and pain. The neurosurgeon should use the microscope or endoscope for visualization on all procedure.

Radiofrequency ablation for low back pain due to arthritis is best done by a double board certified pain management doctor.

For spinal fusion, find a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon who offers a minimally invasive approach and image guidance for placement of pedicle screws in the low back. In the neck anterior cervical discectomy and fusion can be done well by any competent spine surgeon.

The best shoulder surgeons wear two hats. They start out as board certified orthopedic surgeons. Then go on to a year of specialty training in Sports Medicine. Arthroscopic rotator cuff and Bankart tear repairs require high volume and training for surgical excellence.

If you have shoulder pain due to arthritis, then find an orthopedic surgeon who does at least 50 total shoulder replacements a year. Volume is key.