What’s New at Sanford Orthopedics & Sports Medicine?

Sanford Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, delivers comprehensive and compassionate musculoskeletal care with a team approach.

Our team is the largest in South Dakota with 60 orthopedic providers that include surgeons, physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Our providers are national leaders in orthopedic care who use cutting-edge technologies and treatments. 

These technologies and treatments cannot be found anywhere else in the region:

• Orthopedic oncology – highly specialized care for the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant bone and soft tissue neoplasia

• Wide-awake hand surgery with an immersive virtual reality experience that helps lower patient anxiety

• Customizable 3D-printed surgical guides that improve precision during complex procedures

Our surgeons collaborate with the University of South Dakota and multiple national research grants. They also support health policy issues in South Dakota and the nation to help patients seeking musculoskeletal care.

Orthopedic oncology

Orthopedic oncology is highly specialized with only a few hundred practitioners in the country. Sanford Health has the only orthopedic oncology program in the state, with two orthopedic surgeons who are fellowship-trained in oncology.

Joshua Johnson, MD, and Mark Heidenreich, MD, provide diagnosis, treatment and management of tumors or cancers that start in, spread to, or affect bones and soft tissues, including cartilage, fibrous tissues, muscles, nerves and vessels.

If patients report bone pain, especially if it occurs primarily at night or they have constitutional symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, fever and chills, they should see their provider for imaging. Scans may reveal a tumor or other lesion, which should be further examined by a specialist like Dr. Johnson or Dr. Heidenreich.

“Anytime a provider discovers a concerning bone or soft tissue lesion, I’m happy to see their patient,” said Dr. Johnson. “Any soft tissue mass larger than a golf ball should be evaluated with advanced imaging prior to resection.”

Since orthopedic oncologists are so rare, most patients with bone or soft tissue cancers need to travel to get the care they need.

Dr. Johnson and Dr. Heidenreich are grateful to be able to provide this treatment locally.

Incorporating virtual reality

Wide-awake surgery is a safe and convenient treatment option for a variety of hand injuries and conditions.

“The biggest selling point is patient convenience,” said Robert Van Demark, Jr., MD. “People can keep their clothes on, they can eat breakfast and they can drive home after surgery.”

Since 2015, our providers have done over 2,000 procedures in our office procedure rooms.

“The in-office procedures are safe with high patient satisfaction scores. 99% of patients felt that their procedure room experience was better than going to the dentist,” Dr. Van Demark, stated. “The ability to do a majority of our hand procedures here in the office has been a game changer for our practice and our patients.”

Many patients have used virtual reality during the procedure to help decrease their anxiety. A virtual reality (VR) headset immerses them in a computer-generated environment where they can fully experience the sounds and sights on the screen.

In addition to VR, they can watch television, listen to music or talk with the staff during the procedure.

Barb Halstenson is one of many patients who has had wide-awake hand surgery.

Using a local anesthetic, Dr. Van Demark took about 15 minutes to operate on Halstenson’s carpal tunnel.

She was awake the whole time and experienced a pleasantly uneventful procedure.

“I definitely would recommend if you have hand surgery to do it the way I did it,” Halstenson said. “And I might be a little biased, but I think Dr. Van Demark is the best.”

3D technology for foot and ankle program

The 3D printing lab at Sanford has allowed for more advances in foot and ankle care. Alan Yan, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in treating foot and ankle conditions. 

He is one of the providers who uses 3D printing models for surgical planning and 3D-printed implants for total ankle replacement and total talus replacement.

Our team of experts helps patients explore their orthopedic options, using the latest in treatments and technology. Put your patients in our capable hands. 

Making a referral is easy. Contact us at (605) 328-2663.