Blog Archive

You’ve injured the soft tissue surrounding your bones when you have a sprain or strain. Ankle sprains are one of the most common orthopedic injuries, followed by wrist and thumb sprains.  Workers who do manual labor are prone to muscle strains from heavy lifting, carrying, pulling, and pushing movements. Any...

Is the base of your thumb swollen and painful? The pain may continue into your wrist. You may see a nodule on the side of your wrist near your thumb. It’s hard to pick up a coffee cup or hold a toothbrush. You know it’s time to see a specialist....

You’re seeking relief from musculoskeletal pain. Maybe it’s a knee that’s getting arthritic. You may play sports and have chronic tendonitis, or you’re a warehouse worker who’s hurt your back.  Whatever your musculoskeletal pain, our board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Shults, with Coastal Empire Orthopedics, will investigate it and promptly...

Have you or a loved one broken a bone? Many children and adults have casts on an arm or a leg. That’s one way doctors heal a broken bone, but sometimes the break is more severe. Then your surgeon uses a surgical procedure called internal fixation to repair your broken...

Have you been told that your knee cartilage is shot? Your cartilage is soft tissue that covers the bones of your joints so the bones don’t rub together. When you have arthritis, your cartilage has years of wear and tear. It thins and loses its protective function around your joints....

If you’ve been injured in an accident, had a fall, or have experienced some other type of physical trauma, your body sustains damage in a variety of ways: cuts, bruises, and broken bones, to name a few. If the wound is deep enough, you may have nerve damage.  Our board-certified...

Is a big part of your life playing a sport that involves frequent overhead motions? You may have experienced at least one sports injury that’s kept you out of the game; it’s likely a shoulder injury. Swinging your tennis racquet overhead for 70 mile per hour serves or throwing a...

Are you tired of chronic pain from knee arthritis? Medication is only a temporary help, and it can lead to organ damage and other side effects when taken for too long.  Dr. Jonathan Shults, the board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Coastal Empire Orthopedics, provides several options for the non-surgical treatment of...

Have you tried all the traditional approaches to ease your lower back pain without success? Lower back pain affects up to half of the adult population in the US and is a frequent complaint of senior adults.  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Shults, with Coastal Empire Orthopedics, now treats...

Your knees are central to your ability to move. Your knee joints help you stay stable when you stand and engage in physical activity. When you hurt a knee, it’s hard to walk, and you may have difficulty performing daily tasks. One of the most common knee injuries is damage...

Do you have painful arthritis that’s inhibiting your quality of life? Arthritis is the most common joint complaint in the US. As baby boomers age, the number of people with arthritis is projected to balloon from 30 million to 67 million by 2030.  Perhaps you’ve stopped playing your favorite sport...

You likely take your hands for granted until something goes wrong. Pain in your hand and wrist can disrupt daily life, impeding your work and everyday tasks like cooking and getting dressed in the morning. Life is more stressful when it’s difficult to button a shirt, use a washcloth, or...

Do you have a muscle, tendon, ligament, or joint injury from overuse or years of normal wear and tear? Some soft tissue injuries take a long time to heal. Whether you’re an athlete waiting for your injury to heal or an individual whose work makes you prone to an overuse...

Your shoulder pain isn't getting any better. You've learned that your rotator cuff is torn or partially torn. Your rotator cuff comprises muscles and tendons that work together to keep your shoulder in place while enabling arm extension and rotation overhead, sideways, and backward. The joint's complexity enables various movements,...

Do stiff, achy joints slow down your days? About one-quarter of US adults have some arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of joint disease.  Painful arthritis of the knee, shoulder, wrist, hip, or other joint can send you to the doctor and the hospital. Our board-certified surgeon, Dr. Jonathan...

You’re experiencing pain in your thumb and some of your fingers. Sometimes you feel a tingling sensation. Hand pain makes normal daily tasks more difficult. Everyday motions such as buttoning a shirt and flossing your teeth become frustrating because of the discomfort.  You may have carpal tunnel syndrome. If so,...

Arthritis isn’t just one disease. There are over 100 forms of arthritis. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most common, affecting more than one in five Americans and almost 50% of Americans over age 65.  You’ve been diagnosed with arthritis. Whether it’s affected your knees, hips, hands, or...

You’re scheduled for orthopedic surgery. Perhaps you have a meniscus tear. Maybe you have unexplained joint pain. Even though you’ve had imaging, your doctors aren’t sure of the diagnosis. They need to look at your joint during surgery to determine exactly what needs to be done.  You’re wondering how long...

You’ve been to the doctor about your knee pain. You’re not alone. Almost half of adults develop osteoarthritis of the knee during a lifetime. Your pain may be a result of normal wear and tear or the aftereffects of a traumatic accident. Whatever the reason, you’re looking for answers and...

You likely take your hands for granted until pain prevents you from doing an everyday activity. Your hands perform thousands of tasks for you, from long days typing on a keyboard to swinging a hammer if you’re a carpenter.  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Shults, with Coastal Empire Orthopedics,...

Your knee pain has escalated. Physical therapy, injections, and other remedies aren’t helping enough. Your doctor has recommended knee arthroscopy to get to the root of your discomfort and treat it. If you’ve been scheduled for arthroscopy, you likely have critical questions about what to expect before, during, and after...

Do you have a tendon, other soft tissue injury, or a degenerative condition such as arthritis that affects your joints? Whether your musculoskeletal issue results from a sports injury or normal wear and tear from aging, you’re seeking relief. Dr. Jonathan Shults, board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Coastal Empire Orthopedics, stays...

Do you feel pain or tingling in your hands or fingers, or do they feel numb sometimes? Perhaps you shake your wrists; sometimes, the feeling disappears but returns hours later. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome.  The carpal tunnel sounds exotic, but it’s a narrow channel in your wrist through...

Sprained ankles are one of the most common orthopedic injuries. Whether you twisted your ankle when playing tennis or fell when you missed a step on the stairs at home, an ankle sprain disrupts your life for a few days.  Sometimes you can treat minor ankle sprains at home using...

Does the phrase “Oh, my aching back” apply to you? If so, visit our board-certified orthopedic surgeon Jonathan Shults with Coastal Empire Orthopedics. Dr. Shults promptly diagnoses the cause of your back pain after reviewing your medical history, examining you, and conducting needed tests such as X-rays, MRIs, or other diagnostic tests.  If...

Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic complaints, especially in adults over 50, but it’s also common among younger athletes. Dr. Jonathan Shults, our board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Coastal Empire Orthopedics, treats young and older patients with knee injuries and conditions. He uses conservative treatments whenever possible. Sometimes regenerative medicine helps avoid or postpone surgery. ...

If you’ve sprained your ankle, you know it takes time to heal; meanwhile, you’re out of action on the field or the court if you play sports. You’re more at risk of an ankle sprain if you play sports in which you twist or roll your feet, like tennis, football,...

Is baseball or softball your sport? Then, you’re in good company. Almost 16 million Americans play baseball, with over 25 million playing baseball or softball.  Baseball is a great sport, but all the repetitive movements involved in throwing a ball expose you to overuse injuries. Irritated, inflamed tendons and muscles...

You’re a runner. Whether you’ve loved running since childhood or have taken up running as an adult, you find that running raises your endorphin levels. You feel better after a good run.  Running is excellent for your health. It improves cardiovascular fitness, strengthens muscles, and builds strong bones. If you’re...

As a parent, you try to protect your child from accidents, but a broken bone is an inevitable part of many childhoods. Up to half of boys and 40% of girls experience a fracture. Forearm fractures are the most common type of broken bone.  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Coastal...

You’ve had carpal tunnel syndrome for quite a while. You’ve tried wearing a splint and have had injections and physical therapy, but you can’t shake this disabling condition. Conservative treatments just haven’t worked for you.  If you’re looking at surgery, our board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Coastal Empire Orthopedics performs many carpal tunnel operations that restore the...

Do you use your hands when you work? Perhaps you’re a desk jockey whose keyboard is constantly used from 9 to 5 daily. You may be a carpenter bringing down a hammer or using a drill many times during the day. You may work in a factory or warehouse or...

You’re an athlete and have sustained a soft tissue injury. Your immediate concern may be how long you’ll be out of commission. You want to know when you can get back in the game.  Your board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Michael Shults, at Coastal Empire Orthopedics, is a trained sports medicine...

Your shoulder is unstable. It hurts and feels loose. You’ve lost the ability to engage in many of the sports or hobbies you love, and handling day-to-day tasks has become difficult.  Whether your shoulder instability results from a sports injury or loose ligaments from your genetic makeup, our board-certified orthopedic surgeons with Coastal Empire Orthopedics can...

If you’ve ever injured your rotator cuff, you’re motivated to prevent injuring it again. Ligaments, tendons, or muscles may be involved in the injury. You may need to wear a sling for a period, making it difficult to engage in normal activities. Some rotator cuff injuries need surgical repair.  At Coastal...

You’ve hurt your knee, and it’s been diagnosed as an ACL tear. Will you recover function? How long will it be until you’re back to normal?  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons with Coastal Empire Orthopedics treat many patients with ACL injuries. After performing tests to confirm that you have an ACL injury and determine the...

Knee pain is a common complaint. Your knee has an important job: it helps support your entire body when you’re upright and enables you to raise and lower yourself from sitting to standing. When you have painful knees, your mobility is limited.  Coastal Empire Orthopedic board-certified orthopedic surgeons are the experts to...

You don’t think about how many tasks you complete with your hands until you have a problem with them. Perhaps the problem has come on gradually. At first, you felt twinges, and now, every time you move them, it’s painful.  It’s hard to accomplish daily tasks with pain in your...

Peripheral nerve damage affects more than 20 million Americans. Peripheral neuropathy means that the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord are damaged. These nerves send information to and from your brain and spinal cord and affect feeling and sensation. Nerve damage could be the reason for your unexplained pain or...

Whether it’s tennis, golf, basketball, soccer, dance, or another activity that gets you on the move, you love your sport. If you’re physically active much of the time by playing your sport, you’ve probably had at least one minor injury, if not more. You don’t like being out of the...

You may remember a parent or grandparent talking about their arthritis pain. Perhaps you recall how stiff their fingers were or how long it took them to get up out of a chair. You may be wondering if you’ll develop the same condition.  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons with Coastal Empire...

You’ve been clumsy lately because you’re having a problem with your hand. You have pain on the side of your hand with your thumb. At night, your hand sometimes goes numb. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s time to see an orthopedic specialist. Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons with Coastal...

You don’t realize how much you depend on your hands until you have a physical injury that causes pain in your thumb or wrist when you try to open a jar or lift your two-year-old and put him in his car seat. What’s going on?  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons with...

Suppose you have knee, wrist, hip, or other joint pain. It may be from damaged or torn cartilage. Cartilage is strong, fibrous tissue that you have in many places in your body. Articular and fibrous cartilage help your joints function normally.  If cartilage around a joint is damaged from wear...

Have you been sidelined because of arthritis? Whether it’s in the knees or elsewhere, the pain and inflammation from your arthritis can be debilitating and interfere with daily life and your general health. For example, if you have knee arthritis and it’s hard to walk, you likely aren’t getting the...

If you’re an athlete who loves to play your sport, you don’t want an injury to set you back and make you sit out a season. Finding the right medical professional is part of the equation of staying injury-free.  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Coastal Empire Orthopedics have advanced training...

Your central nervous system is responsible for your ability to speak, move, and think. It consists of the brain and spinal cord. Think of it as the major interstate highway in a system of roads. Your peripheral nervous system includes nerves in your body beyond those points. These are the...

You’ve been told you need to have arthroscopic surgery. In terms of surgery, this is good news. Arthroscopic surgery is less invasive than traditional open surgery. But when can you get back on the court or playing field? Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Coastal Empire Orthopedics perform arthroscopic surgery routinely,...

It’s easy to confuse two different bone diseases: osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. As you age, you’re more susceptible to both of these conditions, although they can occur at any age due to specific circumstances. Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Coastal Empire Orthopedics specialize in treating these and other common musculoskeletal conditions....

If you’ve played a sport all your life, you’ve probably had bouts of tendonitis; you’ve overused your elbow or shoulder in tennis, for example, to the point where you can’t play for weeks. Your profession may also lead to chronic tendonitis. If you’re a warehouse worker or painter, you may...

Unexplained pain in your fingers, thumb and hand is perplexing. You haven’t hurt yourself at the gym or in an accident. What’s causing the pain? Any time you have pain of unknown origin, it’s time to see the doctor, and in this case, an orthopedic specialist. You may have a...

You’re experiencing pain and other troubling symptoms like tingling and burning in your hand and fingers. Perhaps you’re in a job where you repeat the same motions with your hand and arm all day long: a painter, warehouse worker, office worker who uses the keyboard most of the day, or...

Whether it’s from chronic overuse or a fall or other accident, you’ve sustained a tendon injury that requires surgery. Perhaps it was from a laceration that went through the tendon, or it’s a chronic overuse injury that’s causing limited range of motion and painful movement. Your physician has deemed an...

You have a nerve injury. Perhaps you have numbness, weakness, or chronic pain in a hand or an arm or leg from a traumatic injury, an infection, or a chronic disease like diabetes.  You may have been on temporary disability if your nerve injury affects your ability to do your...

If you play a sport, you’re keenly aware of the risk of injury that can keep you out of the game for months. One injury you want to avoid is harm to your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. It’s one of the most common knee injuries among athletes and can...

You’re having shoulder problems; you’re in pain, and the shoulder feels loose. You likely have shoulder instability.  Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Coastal Empire Orthopedics treat many patients with shoulder instability. They’ll help you regain strength in your shoulder.   You probably didn’t realize that your shoulder is the most flexible...

Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common reasons for visits to the doctor. Whether it’s from a muscle, tendon, or ligament injury, you want the pain to stop. If you have these types of soft tissue or joint issues, there has been no easy medical answer to quickly get...

Ongoing knee pain can be quite debilitating. Your knees support you as you accomplish daily tasks. If you start limping to favor the knee and continue to do so over some time, you may also begin to have back pain and other musculoskeletal issues.  Treating knee pain early so that...

Your motor and sensory nerves control your movement and enable you to feel hot and cold, pressure, and pain. Compared to your bones, they’re fragile; they can be injured by undue pressure, being stretched too hard, or being severed. In all of these instances, you’ll have either pain, numbness, or...

You’ve been noticing discomfort in your wrist and thumb whenever you use it. At first, it might have been a slight twinge, but now it’s reached the point that pouring a cup of coffee or peeling carrots for dinner is painful. What’s going on? It’s time to see a specialist. ...

A blow to the head, whether from a car accident, a sports injury, or a fall, can mean you have a concussion. A concussion is a brain injury that causes your brain to move rapidly inside your head. It temporarily alters brain function; you need to see the doctor. If...

You’ve experienced alternating pain and numbness in your thumb or your fingers; sometimes it moves up your forearm. Along with the pain, which can include a tingling sensation, your hand feels weak when you try to grasp something. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome.  Since the problem involves the hand,...

If you play spring sports like baseball, track and field, lacrosse, volleyball, or tennis and live in a warmer climate, you’re already practicing spring sports! It’s easy to push yourself too hard in early practices and potentially injure yourself if the muscles you use in your sport haven’t been warmed...

If you have a tissue or joint problem that requires surgical diagnosis and repair, you may be able to have arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopy means “to look inside the joint” in Greek. It’s the most common method of orthopedic surgery today, thanks to advances in technology during the 20th century. Arthroscopy...

If you’ve always been physically active and play sports, you want to avoid injury. Whenever a musculoskeletal problem sidelines you, you want to remedy it quickly but properly, so you don’t make the injury worse. What if you had a specialist to help you avoid injuries?  At Coastal Empire Orthopedics,...

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or an on-the-go mom, you may be in danger of experiencing knee pain because of the shoes you wear. The wrong pair of shoes can affect not only your feet and knees but your overall health as well.  The team at Coastal Empire Orthopedics is...

Your hands are some of the most complex parts of your body, with dozens of tiny bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Damage to any of the parts of your hands can cause pain, tingling, numbness, and functionality problems.  At Coastal Empire Orthopedics in Savannah, Georgia, Dr. Jonathon Shults and his...

Nerve damage is commonly thought of as a complication of diabetes, but it can also result after an injury. Nerve damage is also known as peripheral neuropathy. The nerves that are most likely to be damaged tend to be in your arms, feet, and hands, although other parts of the...

If you can’t move your thumb or finger out of a painful, crooked position, you may have trigger finger. This condition is associated with diabetes, gout, and other diseases, as well as certain repetitive activities. However, you’re more susceptible to this condition if you’re a woman in your 40s or...

Obesity puts you at risk for a long list of life-threatening health conditions that include diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also increases your risk for osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders of the knee and hip. Problems with weight on your bones, muscles, and joints are so common that 33% of...

Chronic pain can slow you down or stop you in your tracks. Whether you’re suffering from arthritis, tendonitis, muscle strains, or ligament sprains or tears, you don’t have to live with pain and limited mobility. And you don’t have to go under the knife to fix it. Regenerative medicine can...

An ankle injury can be something as simple as a sprain. This can occur if you twist or turn your ankle in the wrong way and damage the ligaments. If not treated properly, it can lead to chronic ankle instability.  If you have a sprained ankle, Jonathan Shults, MD, at...

Arthritis is the condition where one or more of your joints suffer from inflammation. For some people it can be debilitating, and can cause pain, stiffness, swelling and a drastic decrease in your range of motion. There are two main types: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is where your joints...

Do you work in an office and use your hands to do repetitive work, like typing on a computer? Are you experiencing itching, numbness, or tingling in your fingers or hands? These could be the early warning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. If left untreated, it can result in a...

People of all ages suffer from knee pain. Whether you’re a high school athlete, a longtime runner, or a senior adult, anyone can develop knee pain. Knee pain has the power to keep you from enjoying the activities you love and it can significantly impact your quality of life. Arthritis,...

When you have joint pain, life can be miserable. Going up and down stairs can be a chore, taking the lid off a jar seems like a monumental task, and even the prospect of going to bed offers no comfort because you know you’ll toss and turn in an effort...

Image Credit: Pexels To understand how trigger finger occurs, it’s important to understand a little bit of the anatomy of the hand. Your finger has muscles and tendons that work together to facilitate bending and straightening. When you bend your finger, the muscles in the finger contract and pull on the...

Do you have nerve damage? Nerve damage can result from a variety of causes: traumatic injuries, exposure to toxins, infections, metabolic problems, and even inherited causes. Oftentimes, it’s more than just an inconvenience. You could be experiencing stabbing pain in the middle of the night. Or you might be feeling...

Your hands and wrists are complex structures of nerves, tendons, and muscles. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition that affects the nerves and tendons in your wrists and fingers, making movement difficult. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you don’t have to live with the pain. Carpal tunnel surgery...

Weekend warriors usually spend the work week sitting at their desk. When they have free time during the weekend and can get moving, they often enjoy popular activities like running, tennis, golf, soccer, and basketball. While Dr. Jonathan Shults encourages everyone to get plenty of exercise, a lot of weekend...

Arthritis is a collection of painful conditions that affect the joints, and traditional treatments may help you manage the pain somewhat, but they can’t restore tissue or halt the progression of joint deterioration. Read on to learn about a few revolutionary new arthritis treatments that can improve your function and...

An estimated 30 million American children and teenagers are getting valuable exercise and socialization by participating in organized sports. Unfortunately, many of them are also being sidelined by overuse injuries.While overuse issues can affect various parts of the body, they most commonly strike the knee or foot, and they account...