Professional Orthopedic Associates of Southern NJ (POASNJ)

Orthopedic Information

Orthopedic Surgeons serving NJ and PA  

Professional Orthopedic Associates of Southern NJ

Joseph W. Kozielski, MD, FACS --  Walter Poprycz, MD, FACS 

Our Mission:

Professional Orthopedic Associates of Southern NJ is devoted to offering the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art treatment in the field of Orthopedics. POASNJ promises to provide, to all their patients, the finest medical attention in a proficient and timely fashion and to administer exceptional care, through their experience and expertise in Medicine

Office Hours: 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday

Our office hours are by appointment. When the office is closed, for emergencies,  you may reach one of our Orthopedic Surgeons by calling the office telephone number: 856-547-2323.  For billing, scheduling, renewal of prescriptions, or orthopedic concerns, please call during normal office hours.

For Billing Inquiries, Please Call Amy Smith, Billing Manager:  856-547-2323 Ex: 18

Although it is customary to pay for services when rendered, we participate in a wide range of insurance plans, PPO's and HMO's. This practice accepts most medical insurances and will submit claims "as a  courtesy". 

Office Staff:

Angela Burckley--Radiologic Technician

Dawn Cummings--Appointments and Telephone Receptionist Ext# 0

Megan Goins--Medical Receptionist/Billing

Amy Smith--Billing Manager Ext#18

Crystal Dick--Medical Assistant/Surgical Scheduler Ext#19

Cynthia Vancho--Practice Manager/Radiologic Technician Ext#23

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Why Drs. Kozielski & Poprycz Apply Splints and Casts

Splints and Casts protect and support ligaments, bones and soft tissue especially when a serious injury occurs. Sometimes a Splint or Cast is applied after undergoing surgery. A splint or cast helps to reduce swelling, pain, and even muscle spasm.

Splints sometimes referred to as "half casts" provide less support than casts. But, splints can be adjusted to fit each individual, so the injured area can better adapt to the swelling that sometimes occurs after an injury. If the injured area is swollen, it is easier to apply a splint than an enclosed cast. The doctors will determine whether a splint or cast will be applied, based on each patient’s injury. Each splint or cast is custom-made, and will be applied by the attending doctor.  

Types of splints and casts

When you have a broken bone, plaster splints are commonly placed onto the injured area. To protect the skin, several layers of cotton are wrapped around the injured area, before both plaster and fiberglass casts are applied. Therefore, the cotton must be kept clean and dry to insure comfort to the injured site. Because plaster becomes pliable and heavy when wet, it must always be kept dry. Water distorts the shape of the plaster and can cause problems with the fitting of the cast. When this occurs, it eventually delays the healing process.

Ace bandages, along with bulky cotton, are used to pad the splint, so that the patient’s injured area is made comfortable. When the injured area is too swollen, the site may need to be iced and elevated, before and after the splint is applied. Swelling sometimes impairs circulation to the extremities (fingers and toes) and can cause problems. This is why a plaster splint is commonly used instead of a plaster cast; the splint allows room for swelling. After the plaster splint is applied, each patient should observe the injured area, especially for redness or swelling. If the area swells or turns red, call the doctor immediately. The splint may have to be removed or adjusted.

When the swelling goes down, the plaster splint may become too loose and may have to be removed. At this time, the doctor will determine whether a fiberglass cast will be applied to the injured area, instead of the plaster splint. Initially, plaster is used because it can be molded to insure a proper fit, keeping the injured area protected until it is healed. But because of the weight of plaster, fiberglass is a good alternative. It’s a lighter weight, has breatheability and durability. Fiberglass casts also require less maintenance than plaster casts.

Usually, for the first week after breaking a bone, a plaster cast is applied to the injured area. After one week, or at the next doctor visit, a fiberglass cast may then be applied and changed every three to six weeks, as needed, until the bone is healed and the cast is ready to be removed.

Taking Care of Your Cast

§         Elevating the cast
To prevent swelling, the injured area should be elevated. Especially, within the first 48 hours, after the injury occurred.

§         Exercise the fingers and toes that are exposed
Even if your leg or arm is in a cast; exercise the extremities (fingers and toes). But if exercise causes pain, call doctor immediately.

§         Applying an ice to the cast.
The injured area needs to be reduced from swelling. Applying ice, contained in an ice bag or a plastic bag wrapped in a towel, is very important. When icing the broken bone, do not place ice directly on skin or on the cast material. This can cause damage to both your skin and the cast. Make sure you keep both areas clean and dry.

§         The cast must be kept dry:
The cotton wrapped around the injured site must always be kept dry. When washing,, wrap the cast carefully in a plastic bag to insure that water will not penetrate the bag and run onto or into the cast

§         Don't put anything inside or under the cast.
The injured site may get very itchy. And you may find it tempting to stick objects under the cast to scratch the inside, but refrain from doing so. If you stick objects under the cast you may injure your skin or damage the cast as well.

§         How to relieve itching under the cast
Benadryl can be helpful. You may purchase this, over-the-counter, at your local pharmacy. Using a hair dryer, on a cool setting, is also helpful. Point the hairdryer downward to get air under the cast, until the itching subsides.

§         Trimming rough edges around the cast
Use an emery board to file away rough edges of the cast. Using scissors can be dangerous. Do not attempt to break away rough edges of the cast, by doing so, you may damage it.

§         Check the cast carefully.
Do regular inspections of your cast. If your cast cracks, breaks or starts to become too loose, call your doctor immediately. Also check the areas of skin around the cast. If the skin becomes red or irritated, padding can be added to these irritated areas to prevent any further problems.  

Copyright ©2006 by Joseph Kozielski with Dolores Kozielski

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Cortisone Injections

A gland in your body known as the adrenal gland naturally produces a type of steroid called Cortisone. Whenever your body is under stress, natural cortisone is released from the adrenal gland and flows directly into the blood steam, but this natural cortisone is very short-lived; it only lasts for a few minutes. Synthetically produced products of cortisone last much longer.

Depomedrol, Celestone and, Kenalog are three such synthetically produced products of injectable cortisone. They are a close derivative of your body's own natural cortisone. Synthetic cortisone is much more potent than natural cortisone and is injected into a specific area of body where inflammation is present. Since synthetic cortisone is not released by the adrenal gland, it does not go directly into the blood stream. This is why synthetic cortisone will stay in the body for days, a much longer period of time than natural cortisone. The most significant distinction with synthetic cortisone is that it’s put directly into a particular area of the body that is inflamed; it is not injected into the blood stream. Also, synthetic cortisone is designed to act more effectively and remains in the body for a much longer period of time, giving the patient sustained relief.

Because cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory and not a pain-relieving medication, it treats pain much more effectively; yet, it only relieves pain at the site of the inflammation. When the inflammation resolves, the pain is lessened. By injecting the cortisone directly into the site of inflammation, even giving high doses, there are usually, only minimal side-effects. A long-lasting effect can take place rapidly and give comfort to the patient, for many weeks.

When inflammation is a chronic problem many conditions, such as arthritis or bursitis resolve when cortisone shots are given. Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Ganglions are a few conditions that can be helped with cortisone injections.

In many cases, cortisone injections can be given with a very small needle, thus the patient will have very little discomfort. But, sometimes, a slightly larger needle must be used when extracting fluid through that needle, before the injection of cortisone is given. When injections are given directly into a joint, they can be slightly painful. But, pain can be alleviated with Lidocaine, a topical anesthetic that numbs the skin around the inflamed area that is ready to be injected. When Lidocaine is mixed with the cortisone, it provides temporary relief, a numbing effect around inflamed area, right before the shot is given.

There are rarely, allergic reactions to cortisone injections, since it is a naturally, occurring substance. However if you are allergic to Betadine or any other preparations used to treat or sterilize the skin, please tell your physician before receiving the injection. It is rare, but an infection can also be a serious side-effect with cortisone injections, especially when the shot is given directly into a joint. Yet, when the skin is properly sterilized, by using Betadine or iodine, along with alcohol, this usually prevents a serious infection. Sometimes there are other side-effects when cortisone shots are given. People with darker skin can experience “whitening” around the injected area. Even though it is cosmetically uninviting, it is not harmful. Also, there is a condition known as a “cortisone flare”. This condition can cause a period of brief pain, even worse pain, than before the cortisone shot was given. With “cortisone flare”, when the shot is administered, sometimes it crystallizes and causes pain that may last up to one or several days. Icing the affected area where the injection was given is the best way to treat “cortisone flare. Also, people with diabetes should be aware of a transient blood-sugar fluctuation. When injected with cortisone, they may have a brief increase in their blood-sugar level and should be closely monitored until their blood-sugar returns to a normal range.

Cortisone injections are safe, when given more than once. But, if the injections do not offer any relief, or wear off too quickly, you may want to seek an alternative method of care. Sometimes tendons can weaken and softening of cartilage may occur with repeated cortisone injections. Continuous injections may also increase the risk of a more serious problem; this is why many doctors do not give cortisone injections more than three times, consecutively. 

Copyright ©2006 by Joseph Kozielski, MD-- with Dolores Kozielski

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Gender Specific Knee

If the Knee fits—Wear it!—A Cinderella Story
The First Replacement Knee that’s shaped to Fit a Woman's Anatomy by Zimmer®Gender Solutions T High-Flex Knee

A man’s knee and a woman’s knee are different. But for many years, only one prosthesis was designed to fit them both. Formerly, companies that make knee prostheses made only an average fit for male and female patients, alike. Now, The Zimmer® Gender Solutions T High-Flex Knee is the first knee replacement designed specifically for a woman.

Drs. Joseph Kozielski, MD and Walter Poprycz, MD, board certified orthopedic surgeons, are now offering this innovative surgical solution for women who need a knee implant. It makes good sense to use Zimmer’s new gender-specific-knee implant. To do anything less would be like having a woman wear a man’s shoe when, logically, a woman’s shoe would be a much better fit; it is, also, with the gender-specific-knee implant. Remember, women have narrower and usually smaller feet than men, as well as differently shaped knees.  

Zimmer’s® Gender Solutions T High-Flex Knee is designed as a smaller, thinner knee prosthetic. This joint replacement is shaped and tailored, specifically, for a woman’s anatomy. Its function and mobility will offer a woman the flexibility that is geared to fit an average woman, taking the place of the former prosthesis that was designed to strike an average between a man and a woman.

Computer tomography, (CT) imaging, was used by Zimmer to layout a detailed map of a joint, in three-dimensional imagery, showing the differences in the shape of a woman’s knee by comparing it to a man’s. This scientific data was studied and documented; thus, the Gender Solutions T High-Flex Knee was created, based upon this scientific data. After receiving this implant, geared toward the correct fit for a woman, it is believed that knee pain will be alleviated and an enhanced mobility and optimization of the joint will be restored.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year, 311,000 women and 167,000 men had traditional, total knee replacements, an astonishing statistic, of which two-thirds of almost 500,000 patients are women. With each coming year the numbers continue to rise, specifically, due to the fact that women outlive men. Therefore, a gender- specific-knee prostheses is relevant, especially, since women from the baby-boomer population is emerging. 

According to Zimmer’s pioneering research there are three distinct differences between a man and a woman's knee:

1. A Narrower and more Contoured Shape:  

Gender Solutions T High-Flex Knee is proportionally contoured to the entire bone to provide a more precise fit for a woman. From side-to-side, a female knee is typically narrower and more of a trapezoidal-shape, whereas the male knee is more of a rectangular-shape. Zimmer designed the implant specifically to fit the shape of a woman's knee.

2. A Thinner Profile:

The Gender Solutions T High Flex Knee implant is designed to be thinner in shape, specifically, in the front of the prosthesis; so, the knee replacement is appropriately designed to fit the natural contour of the woman’s anatomical knee.

3. A More Natural movement for the female anatomy:              

In the anatomy of a male and female, between the pelvis and the knee, the kneecap tracks over the end of the femur, as the knee flexes through different ranges of motion. Women tend to have a different anatomical angle than men, due to their specific anatomical shape and contour. Knee implants, that have been widely used are usually designed, based upon an average range, between the size of a woman’s and man's knee. Because of this design, the traditional replacement knee may tend to track, at an angle, which may lead to a woman's knee feeling unnatural as it moves. With the gender-specific-knee a natural tracking is accomplished.   

To schedule an appointment with Joseph Kozielski, MD or Walter Poprycz, MD, call Professional Orthopedic Associates of Southern New Jersey at 856-547-2323, or e-mail your questions to POASNJ. The Gender Solutions T High-Flex Knee may be your Cinderella Story, the knee that you’ve been looking for that finally fits.  

By Joseph Kozielski, MD, with Dolores Kozielski

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Article by Dr. Kozielski on Gender Knee Replacement at Lourdes Health Net

Joseph Kozielski profile with Zimmer

Walter Poprycz's profile with Zimmer

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This site written & maintained by: Dolores Kozielski 

DolKoz@snip.net