Rochester Hills Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

03/06/2023

Good morning! Our office has been without power since Friday. It has just been restored, however, our phones and internet are still not back online. Please leave a voicemail and someone will return your call when we are back in order. We are seeing our scheduled patients today.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!!

02/22/2023

Our office will be closing today, Wednesday February 22, at 12:00 pm to allow our staff to get home prior to the inclement weather. The phones will still be available for any emergencies. Stay tuned for any updates for changes to the schedule for tomorrow, February 23.

Stay safe out there today!

07/19/2022

Rochester Hills Orthopedics and Sports Medicine provides comprehensive treatment information for musculoskeletal medical problems that includes both surgical and nonsurgical options.

Many patients fear that coming in for an appointment means that they are going to be advised that their only option is surgery. The reality is that only 30% of the patients seen at our clinic actually need surgery! That means the overwhelming majority of patients need to be counseled on non-operative treatment options. While this kind of approach has many facets, the primary tool that we use is Physical Therapy.

At RHO we have invested in a comprehensive Physical Therapy Suite that helps accomplish the goals of each individual patient and their unique conditions. Physical therapy means much more than just “lifting weights”. While getting stronger is definitely helpful to many conditions, this is far from a complete solution. Each of our therapists have their Doctorate in Physical Therapy, have spent years in study and practice and have a unique desire to help active people restore their quality of life. We have recently added new modalities to help individuals better achieve their personal outcomes and goals.

RHO is very interested in preventative techniques and treatments. One of our toughest challenges is the decision to return an athlete to sports safely. Dr. Perkins has and additional interest in this challenge as he is father of six children, all of whom are or were highly competitive athletes.

We now have a diagnosis and testing apparatus that provides us significant data to help with this decision. Introducing DorsaVi movement suite, this is a sophisticated movement assessment software combined with state-of-the-art wearable motion sensor technology in order to assess body movement and muscle activity. This tool measures jumping technique, knee movement, hamstring movement and core function. During the evaluation, the sensors are placed on the individual. The individual’s legs and core are then challenged with multiple dynamic tests which are designed to assess strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. This information then helps us to formulate an Athletic Movement Index which highlights areas of good and bad movement performance to assess risk of lower extremity injury for both healthy joints and post-operative/injured limbs. With this information we can then make further recommendations to mitigate risk and subsequently improve performance. We primarily use this technology for post-operative patients to mitigate risk of return to athletics, however, this tool can be used proactively in healthy individuals to provide information in order to prevent injury from happening in the first place!

Blood flow restriction therapy (BFR) is another new modality that has been added to our treatment options. Anyone who has had an injury or surgery can attest to the muscle atrophy and loss of strength that occurs and understands the difficulties in getting their strength to return to the affected limb. The main restricting factors to achieving muscle and strength are pain and swelling. This makes it difficult to put in enough effort to regain strength. Blood flow restriction therapy has been used in athletics, body building, power lifting and therapy for years, however, it has been difficult to quantitate its use and how to make it effective for all individuals. Newer technology has helped therapists quantitate the effectiveness and allows safe application. Basically, BFR, uses tourniquets to occlude venous and some arterial blood flow while performing low intensity exercises. By restricting some of the blood flow, the muscles will have highly intense activation but under lower intensity load/effort. What once took more than a 70% load to stimulate growth, now can be done with a 20%-30% load to achieve the same outcome. This gives all the benefits to stimulate muscle growth without causing increased pain!!

Dry needling techniques are well known and applicable to many musculoskeletal problems. The needle is similar to acupuncture with the addition of mild electrical stimulation in order to release tightness/trigger points, to restore range of motion, muscle contraction and decrease pain. This technology has been very well received in our clinic as many of our patients, with either surgical or non-surgical issues, have had muscle and tendon related pain.

All of these treatment modalities are our effort to provide options for all patients (surgical and nonsurgical) and are provided in order to create an environment that allows the body to help heal itself.

Let us help you achieve the healthy lifestyle that you are looking for!

For more information, call our office to schedule an appointment with
Thomas Perkins D.O. or Teresa Schroeder NP-C.
248-239-5300
Copyright © *2022* *Rochester Hills Orthopedics & Sports Medicine*, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is: 1349 S. Rochester Road Suite 205 Rochester Hills, MI 48307
frontdesk@rhosportsmed.com

02/02/2022

Due to the weather, RHO is closing early today so that our staff can get home safely! Our emergency phone line is always available, but we will resume normal business calls tomorrow morning at 8:30 am.

Thank you for your understanding! Be safe out there!

04/26/2021

Before you start training for the Detroit Marathon...... Be careful! Be smart!

NEW YORK, April 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Marathon runners hoping to stay injury-free now have further cause to avoid sharp spikes in their weekly mileage, according to a study conduc…

01/23/2021

Our amazing Physical Therapist, Nicole Monette, has been invited to race in the Hoka Project Carbon X2! This race features the fastest men and women from around the country, striving to break the 100k world record. 100k is 62 miles. It's a very long way. I've done it myself, it took me 22 hours. These elite runners include Jim Walmsley, Camille Herron, KC Lickteig, Haden Hawks and the fastest humans out there. It is an honor to be included in this amazing group of professional athletes and we could not be prouder of Nicole. She is a fantastic human being, a devoted mom of three littles!, a wonderful and kind therapist and of course, a tremendous athlete. We are proud of her and so excited to see her chase her dreams and reach for the goals she has spent her lifetime working towards. God speed Nicole! May you race swiftly, safely and enjoy this fantastic experience!

If you would like to follow the race, please use this link:

Project Carbon X 2 is an undertaking as bold as the shoe they’ll use for it. Follow along as HOKA athletes attempt to break the 100K world record in the all-...

12/14/2020

RHO will be closed 12/24 and 12/25 so that our staff may spend time with their families. We will resume our normal business hours on 12/28/2020.

We are also closed on 12/31/2020 and 1/01/2021. Normal business hours will resume on 1/04/2021.

The after hour line will be available for emergency calls. Have a safe and joyous Holiday Season from all of us at Rochester Hills Orthopedics and Sports Medicine!

11/25/2020

A beautiful message for us all.

11/25/2020

RHO will be closed on 11/26/2020 and 11/27/2020 so that our staff may spend time with their families. We will return to normal business hours on Monday, 11/30/2020. Our after hour line will remain on in case of an emergent issue. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

11/11/2020

RHO Covid Protocol Update -

10/06/2020

We are so proud of our Physical Therapist, Nicole Monette, on her AMAZING finish at the Yeti 100! Despite the persistent rain, Nicole set a new women's course record, finished first female and third over all! She slashed the course record by more than two hours, running 100 miles in 16:19:57! To add to the fantastic story, this was her first 100 mile attempt AND she had her third baby only a year ago! Congratulations to Nicole and to her terrific family who continue to support her dreams. RHO Physical Therapy is blessed to have such a committed athlete and dedicated provider in our clinic.

08/20/2020

Dr. Perkins most recent blog post: Outpatient joint replacement.
In early 2020, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the approval and fee scheduling to allow physicians and patients to perform partial and total knee replacements on an out-patient basis. They have now approved total hips and shoulders to begin in 2021. This comes at a critical time when we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing fears of hospitalization. At RHO, we have been successfully performing outpatient knee replacements for more than 5 years and have partnered with the Orthopedic Surgical Institute (OSI) to deliver the premiere outpatient surgical experience in the tri-county area. In total, OSI has performed more than 1,000 successful outpatient partial and total knee replacements as well as numerus total hip replacements. These have mainly been commercial insurances (BCBS, Aetna, United Health Care etc.) but now those patients with Medicare can proceed if they are considered good candidates for such a procedure.
Who is a good candidate for outpatient joint replacement? There are several key criteria to consider when deciding candidacy for this type of procedure.
1. Overall general good health, minimizing co-morbidities. Joint replacement surgery is a major procedure and will place significant stress on your body. Therefore, being in good health will certainly help the recovery. At RHO, we will partner with you and your primary physician to make sure your general well-being and health are primed for optimizing your outcome.
2. Support at home. It is critical to have a good home support system in order to avoid complications and set the stage for rapid recovery, especially in the first several days following the procedure. We will coordinate, with your insurance, home care with both a nurse and physical therapist coming right to your home to help overlook your initial days of recovery. They are in direct contact with Dr. Perkins and his staff for reporting all issues regarding your early recovery.
3. A motivated patient! You will be the ultimate determining factor in your recovery. This procedure is designed to be a long-term solution to joint pain and dysfunction. Staying motivated and consistent will allow you the best chance to have a positive outcome and the quality of life you desire.
Benefits of outpatient joint replacement.
1. Recovery in the comfort of your own home. This is not to be understated! Rest is a critical part of the recovery process and allowing you to recover at home has been shown to improve rest and decrease anxieties that follow surgery and subsequent hospitalization.
2. Loved ones at home with you. With the COVID-19 pandemic, visitors and loved ones are restricted from the hospital. Having them with you at your home during recovery will help decrease stresses and hopefully motivate you with your journey!
3. Decrease risk of infection. Hospitals and long-term care facilities carry many more bacteria and viruses than our homes. These bacteria and viruses in care facilities are also more virulent and resistant (i.e. MRSA and COVID-19). By recovering in your own home, the chances of post-operative infection will be considerable diminished.

Things we at RHO will do to ensure a positive outcome:
1. Thorough preparation for the procedure including: patient education with pre-operative class offered at RHO to go over all aspects of the surgery and recovery. Coordinated health screening with your primary care physician. Coordinating with our anesthesiology team for pre-operative health overview and post-operative pain management (including post op neurologic pain catheters), coordinate home health care advisors (nursing and Physical therapy). We also offer medical equipment to use after surgery to aid in recovery and reduce pain, this includes: ice machines, continuous passive motion machines (CPM), walkers/crutches/bracing, compression pads to reduce chances of DVT (blood clot).
2. Pre-operative MRI is offered to prepare patient specific guides used at the time of surgery which will decrease surgical time, decrease blood loss and lead to better post-operative function.
3. RHO is located in the same facility as the Orthopedic Surgical Institute as well as our complete out-patient physical therapy center. This allows us to follow your care from beginning to end if you desire. Having the ability to oversee all aspects of your surgery and recovery will help us achieve the desired best outcome!
While not all patients are candidates for or desire their procedure to be outpatient, we will assess each patient’s candidacy for such an operation and give our best advice and opinion to allow each patient to reach the best outcome possible. Stay healthy!!