Struggling to get a good night’s sleep with your CPAP? Learn how Inspire might be able to help during an educational webinar presented by Dr. Ron Hanson on Wednesday, May 24th at 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Country Inn and Suites Little Falls
209 16th Street NE, Little Falls, Minnesota 56345
Inspire is the only FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment that works inside your body to treat the root cause of sleep apnea with just the click of a button. No mask, no hose, just sleep.
Learn more at a free community education event presented by:
Dr. Ron Hanson of St. Cloud Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic
With 30 years of experience and a flourishing practice, Dr. Gregory Rouw knows a thing or two about issues of the foot and ankle!
As a committed figure skater in his youth, Dr. Gregory Rouw has been familiar with the field of podiatry for many years. During his figure skating career, he met an excellent podiatrist who inspired him to pursue the profession. After 16 years working in the field, he teamed up with his wife, Dr. Karen Rouw, to build their practice. The duo is well respected in the community and has helped many Central Minnesotans return to the healthy lifestyles they love!
Like other podiatrists at St. Cloud Surgical Center, one of the things Dr. Rouw loves most about the foot is the challenge it brings. The human foot is very complex, comprised of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments that provide support, balance, and mobility. For the mechanism to work correctly, all of these pieces must work seamlessly together; even the slightest disruption to the foot mechanism can cause extreme pain. One of the most common disruptions we see are bunions, and if not corrected, they can cause further issues, including hammertoes, arthritis, and more.
It is the goal of all surgeons to treat patients’ issues using conservative methods. However, they may not permanently alleviate the pain from bunions, and surgery is necessary. You may be a strong candidate for surgery if you’re experiencing one or more of the following symptoms that have gone uncorrected following conservative measures:
Deformations of the foot
Unable to fit into proper shoewear
Ongoing pain or aching in the joint
Deformities start to appear on other toes
Pain under the ball of the foot
At St. Cloud Surgical Center, Dr. Rouw uses the Lapiplasty® procedure for bunionectomies. Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction™ is a patented, advanced design to correct all three dimensions of the bunion at the root of the problem, i.e., the unstable joint. Dr. Rouw prefers this procedure because it allows for more precision when correcting the deformity by using specific instrumentation. In turn, patients are back to their daily activities sooner! Learn how Lapiplasty® works here.
The biggest thing for patients after surgery is the timeline for recovery. While every surgery and patient is different, the typical recovery for bunion surgery using the Lapiplasty® procedure is 4 to 6 months. A typical timeline is outlined below.
At two weeks, patients can begin to bear weight on their foot.
In the next four to six weeks, patients can walk in their boot and return to light activities.
At six to eight weeks, patients can transition into regular shoes.
About four to six months, most patients will resume activities and return to normal footwear.
While the recovery time is not short, the result of walking without pain and returning to your favorite footwear is undoubtedly a win for patients!
Colorectal cancer, or CRC, is the second deadliest cancer in the United States. It can affect any age, gender, or fitness level. No one is immune to being diagnosed with colon cancer. In most cases, colorectal cancer occurs in people ages 45 or older but can affect younger patients as well. That is why every year in March, we spotlight the disease in hopes of inspiring more people to get checked starting at age 45.
Why should I have a colonoscopy?
With 1 in 24 people being diagnosed with colon cancer in their lifetime, it is extremely important to get screened. Through years of research, we know screening is the number one way to prevent or detect the disease. Screenings, as recommended by your doctor, could save your life!
Screening can:
Find the warning signs of colon and rectal cancer, letting doctors take action to prevent the disease.
Find colorectal cancer early, when treatment is most effective.
Source: Colorectal Cancer Alliance
Screenings at St. Cloud Surgical Center
Colonoscopies play an important role in colorectal cancer prevention. A colonoscopy is a minimally invasive, safe procedure used to evaluate the colon for cancer and other gastrointestinal symptoms, such as rectal and intestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, or changes in bowel habits.
During your colonoscopy, you’ll receive sedation to minimize any discomfort.
At St. Cloud Surgical Center, we use advanced, high-definition endoscopic equipment to screen the entire length of your colon. Should we detect any abnormal growths — called polyps — we’ll remove them and send them to the lab for analysis.
We know this can seem overwhelming and, at times, scary, but there is nothing to fear when having a colonoscopy. If you’re still struggling with anxiety or fear, check out this blog post about Colonoscopy Myths to calm your nerves!
How can I encourage others to be screened for CRC?
You might be asking yourself, if colorectal cancer is highly preventable with screening and highly treatable when caught early, why is it the second deadliest cancer in the U.S.?
There are many answers to this question, but one reason is lack of awareness. Since the year 2000, groups like the Colorectal Cancer Alliance have been fighting for CRC awareness, and with the help of thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates around the country they have been doing just that!
Wearing blue! Learn more about what the color blue means to the colorectal cancer community here.
Talking to your loved ones. Express how much it means to them that they take care of their health, especially if they are on the fence and over the age of 45.
For more information about colonoscopies at St. Cloud Surgical Center, fill out our easy Colonoscopy Screening Request form at the bottom of the page. No referral necessary!
Ear Tube placement is one of the most popular surgeries performed on children. Along with the removal of Tonsils and Adenoids, the ENT team at St. Cloud Surgical Center stays busy helping our littlest patients!
A Myringotomy, or ear tube surgery, is one of the most popular procedures done by the ENT specialists at St. Cloud Surgical Center. Ear tube surgery is best thought of as a ventilation surgery. Tubes are typically needed when the eustachian tube from the nose to the ear is not allowing the necessary amount of ventilation, resulting in ear infections, fluid building up, and more. We recently sat down with Dr. Theodore Truitt to learn more about this popular procedure, including how you, as the parent, can prepare.
Why does my child need ear tubes?
Recurrent ear infections are the #1 reason parents consider ear tubes for their children. Children who start getting 4, 5, or 6 ear infections in a year and rotate through antibiotics are prime candidates for a myringotomy. Tubes put an end to all infections. Another reason a child might need tubes is for fluid build-up that results in difficulty hearing. Sometimes, it’s a combination of the two. To clear the fluid and prevent further infections, tubes will be placed to ventilate the space allowing your child to hear better and spend less time at the doctor.
Do tubes need to be removed?
Short answer, sometimes but not always.
Long answer, there are two types of tubes, Short Acting, aka temporary tubes, and Long-Acting, aka permanent tubes. Removal of the tubes depends on what type your child has.
Short Acting (Temporary Tubes): Last about 6 to 18 months. The eardrum will start working on a process of growing underneath the tube and pushing them out—roughly 5% of the time, we have to take temporary tubes out in the office.
Long Acting (Permanent tubes): These tubes are reserved for children with chronic problems, and you expect to continue placing tubes in the child’s ear until they reach a certain age. In this case, putting in a longer-lasting tube is better. The downside to this option is that there will be a hole in the drum when the tube comes out, and the longer that tube is there. The chance of the hole closing on its own is lower, meaning a future surgery might be necessary. Once these tubes have been in for about 2 to 3 years, we like to schedule removal and assess from there.
I’m a parent, and I’m nervous. Is that normal?
Parents, we know how you feel, mainly because most of us are parents, too! Being nervous is normal when your child is undergoing any type of surgery. At St. Cloud Surgical Center, we do everything possible to make the experience comfortable for you and your little ones. You’ll have the opportunity to hold your child’s hand as they go back to the OR, and once the short procedure is complete, we’ll bring them to the room where you are waiting. Your face is the first they see when they wake up!
Thankfully, surgery and recovery time for ear tube surgery is speedy, with most patients back to normal in two hours. Yes, we said hours. In fact, the feedback we often hear from parents, “Wow, it doesn’t even feel like my child had surgery!” As the week progress, your child may be able to hear and balance better, and you’ll noticeably have spent less time at the doctor. So, while it seems scary initially, ear tube surgery benefits you and your child.
Bottomline, Dr. Truitt and the rest of the ENT surgeons are confident in the team at St. Cloud Surgical Center. Together, we’ll make sure your child’s surgery is short, and recovery is quick!
Some of the links on this page will take you away from
this site to another website, which may be a non-WCAG compliant website. SCA may not control the
content or links of non-SCA websites.
