Patient Education

George Kappakas would like to be your partner in health care. Feel free to ask your questions and share your concerns with us. We will work with you to develop a wellness program for the care and treatment you need.

We welcome you to our practice and look forward to caring for you.

George Kappakas provides a full range of medical services including the following:

Bone Health

Healthy bones are a necessity for a full and active lifestyle. Although we depend on our bones everyday for physical support and consider them strong and rigid structures, bones are actually living tissue, growing and changing on a regular basis. Along with the calcium that gives them their strength, bones are also made up of a collagen protein that gives them flexibility but also makes them susceptible to weakening and injury. ...

Bone Scan

A bone scan is a diagnostic exam that evaluates the bones for new areas of growth or breakage. It may be used for the entire body or just a certain area, and can diagnose a specific problem. A bone scan can often detect abnormalities much earlier than a regular X-ray.

During a bone scan, a radioactive tracer substance is injected into a vein in the arm and helps show cell activity and function of the bones as it travels through them. A special camera can capture images of the tracer to help identify any abnormalities. The procedure takes about an hour and is generally painless. ...

Fractures

A fracture is a break or crack in a bone that occurs when the bone cannot withstand the amount of force being placed on it. A fracture is usually the result of trauma, a fall or a direct blow to the body. The severity of a fracture usually depends on the force that caused the break. A bone may be completely fractured or partially fractured in several different ways. Treatment for fractures may include a splint, cast or surgery, depending on the severity and location of the break. ...

Joint Reconstruction / Replacement

Because joints are in constant use, they often wear out over time due to overuse or aging. Joint reconstruction or replacement may be required to relieve the resulting pain and restore function. Most joints in the body, including the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles and feet, are synovial, permitting movement and articulation. When these joints suffer traumatic injury, or when the cartilage that normally protects them wears away, surgical repair or replacement may be necessary. ...

Orthopedics

Orthopedists specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of injuries to and diseases of the musculoskeletal system - the network of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves that gives the body its shape and allows us to move.

Many of the problems orthopedists treat involve the joints, places in the body where two or more bones meet. Humans have three different kinds of joints: fibrous (in the skull), cartilaginous (in the spine) and synovial (the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles and feet). This last type is what we usually refer to when we say "joint." Ligaments connect bones to each other, and tendons connect muscles and bones. ...