What are your business hours?

Our offices are open 8am - 5pm, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Appointments can be made by
calling (714) 634 4567.

Who is or What makes an Orthopaedic Surgeon?

An Orthopaedic Surgeon is a medical doctor who completed 4 years of medical school, 5 years of orthopaedic residency, and 1-2 years of subspecialty training during a fellowship. Orthopaedic surgeons operate on the musculoskeletal system (bones, cartilage, muscles, and tendons) to restore function and activity after traumatic injury or other pathological processes (osteoarthritis).

What are the Orthopaedic Subspecialties?

There are eight orthopaedic subspecialties – hand, foot and ankle, joint replacement, sports medicine, trauma, spine, pediatrics, and oncology. Nearly all of the physicians at OSI are subspeciality trained. This means they have spent at least one year and up to two years of extra training in their field of choice.

What does a Sports Specialist do?

Sports specialists perform arthroscopic surgery on the Shoulder, Elbow, Hip, and Knee. Not all of their patients are athletes, but most of the surgeries involve returning patients to their prior level of function. The sports specialists at OSI provide treatment to the athletes at the USA Volleyball Treatment Center, UCI, CSUF, Chapman University, Santa Ana College, and numerous local high schools (Mater Dei, Servite, Crean Lutheran, Villa Park, El Modena).

What is a Physiatrist?

A Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physician is a medical doctor (M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in the non-surgical treatment of orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions. Physiatrists diagnose and treat conditions, prescribe physical therapy and medications, perform office injections, epidural injections and EMG/Nerve Conduction Studies. A physiatrist specializes in diagnosing your problem and formulating a treatment plan.

What is an EMG or nerve conduction study?

EMG/Nerve Conduction Studies are a two part test designed to evaluate the function of nerves. The nerve conduction part involves stimulating nerves in either your arm or leg to evaluate the function of that nerve. Electromyography (EMG) involves inserting a small needle into some of the muscles in either your arm or leg. There is usually no electrical stimulation involved with the EMG part of the test.

What do hand specialists do?

Hand specialists focus on the treatment of disorders of the hand and upper extremity. This includes traumatic, degenerative, and congenital injuries of the upper extremity. The hand specialists at OSI provide specialist level care at the CHOC for complex hand disorders.

What do spine specialists do?

Spine specialists focus on the treatment of disorders of the cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and pelvis. They commonly treat degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis, trauma, and scoliosis. Their treatment includes surgical and nonsurgical modalities.

What does a foot and ankle specialists do?

Foot and ankle specialists focus on the treatment of disorders of the foot and ankle. This includes arthroscopy of the ankle joint, corrective osteotomies, and the treatment of traumatic injuries of the bones, tendons, and ligaments of the foot.

What do joint replacement specialists do?

Joint specialists focus on the reconstruction on part or all of arthritic or diseased joints with the use of implants. These replacements include the shoulder, elbow, knee, and hip.

What difference does it make seeing a specialist?

At OSI, we feel that patients receive the best care when treated by someone who is an expert in the field. We feel the best results are obtained when patients are cared for someone who regularly sees, examines, and operates on patients with similar problems. It doesn’t make sense to have a hand surgeon do your knee replacement or to have a joint surgeon do your hand surgery. The Orthopedic Specialty Institute is a facility founded and organized by a group of dedicated, specialized Orthopaedic Surgeons to provide the highest quality of care in a professional, comfortable, congenial, and caring atmosphere.

What Should I bring to my visit?

On your visit to OSI, you should bring your ID, insurance card(s), any xrays you may have, and any MRI or CT scans you may have, old operative reports, and other consultations / notes. If you have specific questions you can call the office staff for your particular physician’s preferences. You should also consider bringing comfortable clothing to allow access to the body part to be examined or a disposable gown / shorts can provided at the office.

Does OSI take my insurance?

OSI accepts most types of insurance – PPO, POS, EPO, HMO, Medicare, and Worker’s Compensation. However, we may or may not be in network for a particular provider at a particular time. Insurance plans are constantly changing and at OSI we are always working to adapt to these changes. If you have a specific question about your plan – please contact your insurance company to see if OSI is in your network and to verify your level of benefits. You will need to have your insurance ID card ready to provide information regarding your plan.

Do I need a referral?

At OSI, we are happy to see you with or without a referral.

Does OSI take Medicare?

At OSI, we do accept medicare at all of our facilities – the office, the surgery center, physical therapy, pool therapy, hand therapy, and MRI.