A Vision for the Future
Robert A. Pedowitz, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair
We depend upon the musculoskeletal system to get us from here to there, to work, to play, and to enjoy active, healthy, and pain-free lives. The musculoskeletal system integrates our bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels, right down to the cells and molecules that form these structures. It is an incredibly complex system that is simultaneously tough and yet amazingly intricate; durable for a lifetime while at the same time vulnerable to injury and to the effects of aging. Musculoskeletal disorders represent a huge and growing percentage of health care expenditures. It is our responsibility to provide the best possible care for every patient while simultaneously developing ways to maximize health resources for generations to come.
We have witnessed fantastic changes in orthopaedic medicine, from magnetic resonance imaging that shows exquisite structural detail (without radiation exposure) to enhancement of fracture healing via administration of proteins to stimulate bone formation (an approach that was pioneered at UCLA!). Surgical technology has advanced in leaps over the last few decades, from minimally-invasive arthroscopic methods of repair and reconstruction to pain-relieving and durable replacements for joints that have been ravaged by arthritis and rheumatology disease. Interdisciplinary medical teams allow us to rescue and return patients from the terrible sequelae of polytrauma, and to save limbs affected by tumors that would previously have led to the patient's early demise.
We stand at the threshold of another transition, when improved understanding of the fundamental basis of musculoskeletal disease will lead to disease prevention and tissue regeneration at the level of cells, proteins, and genes. Advancing knowledge and educating the next generation of clinicians and scientists: these are central objectives for the UCLA / Orthopaedic Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Patients benefit from breadth of knowledge, depth of experience, visionary leadership, and cutting-edge technology delivered by a truly great hospital system.
Along with this complexity comes an opportunity to integrate many of the service areas that pertain to diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system. How can patients best navigate the system? Would it be most effective (and the best use of the patient's time) to see a physical therapist, take oral medications, have an MRI, see a rheumatologist, or to talk with an orthopaedist about surgical alternatives?
The UCLA Center of Excellence for Musculoskeletal Care is dedicated to integration and interdisciplinary collaboration for the benefit of our patients. The field is complex, but our objectives are fairly simple:
- Provide comprehensive, safe, and effective care for patients across the full spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders.
- Help patients find the most efficient way to achieve the best possible solution for their particular musculoskeletal concerns.
- Advance knowledge and provide education in order to maximize our positive impact on the future of musculoskeletal care.
Services and Specialties that are Integrated by The UCLA Center of Excellence for Musculoskeletal Care
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Orthopaedic Hospital (Pediatric Orthopaedics, Cerebral Palsy, Hemophilia)
- UCLA Spine Center (Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Physiatry)
- Sports Medicine (Orthopaedics, Primary Care, Pediatrics)
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Osteoporosis & Metabolic Bone Disease
- Radiology Services (X-ray, MRI, CT, bone scan)
- Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy)
- Geriatric Medicine
- Neurology & EMG
- Rheumatology / Arthritis Center
- Podiatry
- Pain Clinic
- Pharmacy Services
- Durable Medical Equipment (Braces, Splints, Orthotics)
- J. Vernon Luck, Sr., MD / Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center at UCLA
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
- Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital
