Orthopedics, the branch of medicine concerned with diseases, injuries, and conditions of the musculoskeletal system, is one medical discipline widely represented in the Greater New Orleans areas. Physicians and other medical specialists tend to various conditions relating to the body’s muscles and skeleton – including the joints, ligaments, tendons and nerves. Many of New […]
The medical community has long recognized the differences in treating male and female patients, and has even identified certain diseases more commonly fatal for each gender. Many medical professionals agree that the top five greatest threats to men are: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Fortunately, because of the respectable collection […]
Alec Baldwin had a request as the limousine sped from the airport to the Windsor Court Hotel. He asked the two board members of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival who were escorting him into town to “take [him] to the best men’s clothing shop in town, because [he] needed to buy some clothes.” Following […]
Though Mayor C. Ray Nagin has recently encountered stormy seas regarding an aide’s affiliation with one, New Orleans was once proud to have a yacht available for entertaining dignitaries and showing off the port – that yacht belonged to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (the Dock Board) and was named […]
Just for a change, the Gunch family decides to take a little trip that don’t involve fleeing for our lives. We’re gonna spend a couple days at the Beau Rivage casino in Mississippi. The kids can splash around in the pool and after they’re in bed, the stupider adults can take turns losing money in […]
Having shared a home when they were growing up and a last name for life was not enough. Just in time for Father’s Day we decided to look for some local father and son combinations that share the same workplace and to have them comment on their respective differences and similarities. For some families the […]
This year’s jury was comprised of principals of leading national firms based in Chicago: Joe Valerio, FAIA from Valerio Dewalt Train Associates; Diane Legge Kempt, FAIA, ASLA – DLK Architecture; and John Ronan, AIA, John Ronan Architecture. Valerio shared his perspective on the post-Katrina architectural environment: “It’s possible that stress leads to great work. Just […]
Of this year’s featured projects, two were already in construction prior to Hurricane Katrina, and two are the result of Katrina; the hurricane continues to be a primary reference point for architectural activity. There are some emerging positive indications for future development. At least three substantial, tall residential buildings are being planned for the CBD/Warehouse […]
Since we began our annual best architecture feature in 1997, many buildings have been considered; most were rejected and a worthy few singled out for praise. After a decade’s worth of critiquing we thought that this would be a good time to whittle a bit further and determine the best of the past. We found […]
Steven “Steve” Smith was immediately attracted to the handsome 1910 cottage in Bywater. “The house had always been in the same family,” he says, “and although some of the cosmetic changes to the house were pretty bad, the basic structure had remained pure. I could see past the siding that covered the exterior and the […]
Idoubt that many 20-somethings are canning these days but it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you happen to have a fig tree in your yard or know somebody who does. Fruit trees thrive well in Louisiana – including persimmons, figs and pears – not to mention the burst of sunshine that citrus gives us in […]
• Drs. Maurice Sholas and Tony Gonzales have opened a specialized amputee clinic at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. The clinic will allow patients and their families to meet with physicians, therapists and prosthetic and orthotic vendors in one convenient visit. “Amputees need experienced doctors, therapists and technicians to receive the most appropriate durable prosthetic […]
Look what Mr. Smith hid in the dining room. You can’t tell him we found it,” was the secret my grandmother shared with me. It was the 1950s and my maternal grandmother always called her husband – my grandfather – Mr. Smith. This amused us grandchildren and friends our age. Hidden on top of a […]
Ed. Note: With this issue we introduce our new education column written by Dawn Ruth. Ms. Ruth is a former reporter for The Times-Picayune whose beats included higher education. She won the American Association of University Professors 1986 Higher Education Writers Award for an education series she wrote entitled “Cheating Our Children.” In addition to […]
It was the reason for New Orleans’ founding and remains to this day a linchpin of the area economy, but the local port is undervalued and underfunded, its director says. With aggressive rivals nearby, the port can’t afford to sit still. Pointing out that the local maritime industry scrambled to make a quick comeback after […]
There’s a new New Orleanian emerging – we call that person the “YAHT” an acronym for Young at Heart and Tenacious. People who choose to stay in New Orleans, despite it all, are those who want an urban lifestyle. If you want solitude and beautiful sunsets, you move to the country. If you want events […]
Flooded out of its long-time headquarters in the upper 9th Ward and inundated afterward with desperate cases of pets abandoned to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, the local nonprofit devoted to ending animal suffering is emerging from the crucible with new facilities and a vision to bring “pet tourism” to New Orleans. In May, the […]
BOOKSPoetry l In her poetry collection, The Dirty Side of the Storm, Martha Serpas lets her words glide over the waters of the south Louisiana coast. Serpas’ poetry inhabits the mysteries of nature and spirituality, all with the backdrop of the bayou country water and land, before and after the storm. Fiction l “What happens […]
In the last cool days of spring, an assemblage of musicians turned out for the funeral of Keith Moore, a 43-year-old conceptual artist, musician and son of rhythm-and-blues bandmaster Deacon John. The wake at Charbonnet-Labat Funeral Home in Tremé was equal parts tender and impassioned as family members gave the space eloquence through spoken memories. […]
Two long-neglected historic buildings are being brought back to life in different parts of town targeted for revitalization. The former Krauss department store on Canal Street and the former Falstaff brewery building near Tulane Avenue and South Broad Street are both being converted into large apartment complexes by separate local development companies. Opened in 1903, […]
Spring Rollin’ Two new Vietnamese restaurants have appeared on the scene. Vietnam Cuisine on Veterans Boulevard in Metairie has been opened by a team of sisters and their mom. The food is more on the American side of the Asian cuisine spectrum (hopefully that will change) but their Pho (soup) is aromatic with a heady […]
Ask a guy about what constitutes an economical dining option for dates and you’re bound to receive some startling answers. “Camping,” was one friend’s firm assertion. “MREs?” suggested another. These romantic (and single) fellows aside, it’s easy enough to spend a lot of money taking a lady out to eat in New Orleans since the […]
Newsweek magazine declared 1984 “the Year of the Yuppie,” a then-new term for young urban professionals that carried pejorative connotations of selfishness and greed. In post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, however, a new term is gaining currency as quite a different way to look at young people on the way up in their careers: the Young […]
The morning is sunny. The a.m. meteorologist has predicted sun all day but by 1 p.m. it’s raining. You curse said meteorologist because your car windows are partially open, umbrella is in the car and you’re wearing a new pair of shoes. No one ever said it was easy being a meteorologist — it’s always […]
ROAD TO HOMEDear Connie,We were in New Orleans this weekend playing the Zephyrs. After that, we go to Memphis and then home to Nashville. The Zephyrs are a farm club for the New York Mets just as we are for the Milwaukee Brewers. Of course, I hope to get called up to Milwaukee some time […]
4 PLACES TO LOOK If there is anything good to say about Mayor Nagin and his blundering “Recovery Czar”, Ed Blakely, it is that when the histories of the Recovery are written, the tenacity of the people of New Orleans will look even better because they had to rebuild the city despite those two.With the […]
Now that France has elected a new president, incumbent Jacques Chirac will be fading from the scene. Before he totally disappears here is one last grasp at Jacques Chirac stories, which are relevant to us because some trace back to New Orleans. When Chirac was a graduate student he spent time in this city doing […]
There’s a new New Orleanian emerging, I call that person the “YAHH” – an acronymn for Young at Heart and Hip. People who choose to stay in New Orleans, despite it all, are those who want an urban lifestyle. If you want solitude and beautiful sunsets you move to the country, if you want events […]
The Gulf Coast remains one of the most beautiful and well-traveled parts of the United States. The combination of historic venues, the balmy Southern climate and easy getaways from any point in the Southeastern U.S., and the Gulf Coast becomes irresistible. This summer, area attractions and accommodations are up and running, and awaiting your […]
Oscar could relate to our experiences though he’s too busy trying to resolve his. Until Hurricane Wilma flattened Cancun in October 2005, Oscar worked at a hotel there. The hurricane destroyed the Mexican resort town’s only industry – tourism – so Oscar was one of many young Mexicans out of a job. He headed south […]
Beta Alphs Gamma house party at the Fenner home on Bayou Liberty in Slidell, circa 1948. Front row from left: Ninette Perrilliat, Anne Greenslit, Laurette Montgomery, Nancy Nicholson. Back row, from left: Barbara St. Paul, Pat Ewing, Doris Charbonnet, Margaret Hilzim. We had more fun than you can possibly have,” M.I. (Mary Irene) Richeson Scoggin […]
It’s a good thing my gentleman friend Lust don’t have to live life as a bat. I realized this while I was watching the Discovery Channel. Bats find bugs to eat by using their sense of hearing. Lust would starve. And he would starve not admitting he couldn’t hear. “Them crickets don’t CHIRP loud enough. […]
Before Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters submerged New Orleans, Poppa and his homeboys dominated a small corner of Central City, protecting their street-level drug trade through intimidation. When intimidation wasn’t enough, they brandished assault rifles. Business was brisk. The group – including Pie, Tron, Boochie, Juice, Fat and Skinny – bagged and sold retail packets of crack, […]
What makes New Orleans dining different from the rest of the nation? We like to do things our own way. You may call it a European flair, a love of tradition or just the celebration of life. Eventually, it manifests itself in its own style of music, architecture, entertainment and food. Take barbecue, for example, […]
Orthopedics, the branch of medicine concerned with diseases, injuries, and conditions of the musculoskeletal system, is one medical discipline widely represented in the Greater New Orleans areas. Physicians and other medical specialists tend to various conditions relating to the body’s muscles and skeleton – including the joints, ligaments, tendons and nerves.
Many of New Orleans’ orthopedists are busier than ever, due to injuries sustained during the process of rebuilding. The increase in extreme physical activity has led to a number of falls, incidents using tools and other accident-related injuries.
Diagnostics, treatment and disease management in orthopedics have taken giant steps toward alleviating or successfully treating a variety of conditions. Among the greatest advances is the emergence of arthroscopic surgery, allowing an orthopedic surgeon to make a small incision in the patient’s skin, insert a pencil-sized instrument with a small lens and lighting system and then magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint. Total Joint Replacement Still, many patients are undergoing procedures that replace entire joints. At East Jefferson General Hospital, (EJGH), an entire program is in place to treat individuals requiring joint replacement surgery.
“We have a program that has been a big success,” says Laurie Norman, R.N. certified in orthopedics. “We have a patient-centered focus, in which we educate the patient and family members about surgery and rehabilitation, and we try to address all questions along the way.”
The skilled nursing staff at EJGH works with and counsels patients throughout the process, and therapy continues even after the patient goes home.
“We found there was a huge need for patients who are finished with their therapy, usually after about eight weeks,” Norman says. “They were not always sure what to do in terms of exercise, so we have a new program at our wellness center, free for the first month. They can do either warm water pool exercises or land-based exercises that get them moving, meeting new people and seeing other joint patients. Our goal is to help them with strength and mobility. We are working primarily with replacement of hips and knees, although we also do some minimally invasive partial joint replacement surgery.”
As for the post-Katrina environment, Norman says there has been a high incidence of hip and other fractures. EJGH has also met the needs of those who are going to go home to trailers. Personnel work with each patient’s specific home needs, teaching patients how to use ramps, steps, bathrooms and more.
“We have a whole house built in which we teach patients how to maneuver bedrooms, kitchens and even how to get in a car,” Norman says. “We also have different types of flooring, tubs and showers the patient might have.
Norman and the staff at EJGH conduct classes for patients who will undergo joint replacement surgery. For more information, visit www.EJGH.org. On the home page, click on “Classes and Education.”
Rapid Medical Advances The business of orthopedics has advanced at breakneck speed in recent years, according to Fernando L. Sanchez, MD, an orthopedist with Westside Orthopaedic Clinic.
“The joint replacement industry has changed a lot in the past three years,” Sanchez says. “Today we are using what are called alternative bearing surfaces, which represents new technology. In the past plastic was the limiting factor of these implants. In time, the plastic would fail or wear out. Now there are alternatives made of metal, or metal on ceramic, and a new frontier plastic called cross linking plastic.”
The main goal of the new materials, according to Sanchez, is simply to make them last longer. Initially, the focus was on design features that would help the joint move better. Today that focus has been broadened to include use of materials that will endure.
“When it comes to knee replacement, the newest technique is intra-operative pain management,” Sanchez says. “That involves using medication ‘cocktails,’ a combination of pain meds and anti-inflammatories. Before the surgery, the patient is injected with a combination that is intended to decrease pain after surgery. During the past two years, especially, our focus has been on making these procedures less painful.”
The doctors at Westside Orthopaedic Clinic, who operate at West Jefferson Medical Center, are also using a new technology called Sonocur ®. This is a medical device used to treat and relieve the pain associated with soft tissue conditions like tendonitis and heel spur. This Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy System has provided pain relief in up to 90 percent of the patients treated in European health centers and is now available here in New Orleans. Unlike other therapies, the low energy Sonocur treatment does not require a hospital stay or visit, invasive surgery or anesthesia.
The team at Westside Orthopaedic also includes Chris DiGrado, MD, MBA; David Kessler, MD; and Ralph P. Katz, MD. For more information, visit www.westsideortho.com.
Pain Relief Footwear Sometimes, relief of pain in the joints is as simple as finding the correct footwear. Enter Dr. Theodore Kurz, a Metairie-based chiropractor and New Orleans native, who has introduced Z-Coil pain relief footwear to this area.
“Z-Coil is impact reduction footwear that absorbs 50 percent of your foot shock every time your foot hits the ground,” Kurz says. “It has a full one-inch high density neoprene toe cushion. This helps reduce impact in ankles, knees and backs.”
Z-Coil started in Albuquerque, N.M., Kurz says, and went through 12 years in the design phase. “As a chiropractor who has spent 30 years treating patients, I find Z-Coil, due to its impact reduction, prevents problems I have spent all of these years treating.”
A large part of Kurz’s practice focuses on nutrition and treatment of muscular skeletal disorders.
For more information about Z-Coil pain relief footwear, visit zcoil.com.
The Conservative Approach Dr. Alexis Waguespack is a fellowship trained spine specialist, providing treatment of cervical, thoracic and lumber spinal disorders and trauma, including herniated discs, spinal stenosis (pinched nerve), tumors and infection. She also treats adult scoliosis and osteoporotic fractures. “I try things conservatively, not operatively, but if surgery is necessary I do minimally invasive procedures,” says Waguespack. “For osteoporatic fractures, we use kyphoplasty procedures, where we inject cement into the bone, which restores height and strength and gives immediate pain relief. It also allows patients to stand and walk again.”
Waguespack is starting her own medical group, where she will continue to offer various types of injections and share space with a pain management physician. Waguespack is a board certified orthopedic surgeon and member of the North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Waguespack maintains two offices in the metropolitan New Orleans area to serve the needs of her patients. Her East Bank Office is located on the I-10 Service Road North at the corner of Lake Villa Drive. Her West Bank office is located in the Meadowcrest Professional Building next to Ochsner Medical Center on the West Bank. For more information, call (504) 887-7207.
The skilled nursing staff at EJGH works with and counsels patients throughout the process, and therapy continues even after the patient goes home.
Sometimes, relief of pain in the joints is as simple as finding the correct footwear. Enter Dr. Theodore Kurz, a Metairie-based chiropractor and New Orleans native, who has introduced Z-Coil pain relief footwear to this area. 
Dr. Alexis Waguespack is a fellowship trained spine specialist, providing treatment of cervical, thoracic and lumber spinal disorders and trauma, including herniated discs, spinal stenosis (pinched nerve), tumors and infection. She also treats adult scoliosis and osteoporotic fractures. “I try things conservatively, not operatively, but if surgery is necessary I do minimally invasive procedures,” says Waguespack. “For osteoporatic fractures, we use kyphoplasty procedures, where we inject cement into the bone, which restores height and strength and gives immediate pain relief. It also allows patients to stand and walk again.”