Our orthopedic surgeons offer orthopedic services for hip pain, knee pain and shoulder pain due to injuries or arthritis including osteoarthritis.

When you’re dealing with knee pain, hip pain or shoulder pain because of an injury or arthritis, you know how it can affect your quality of life.

Hip, knee and shoulder pain can happen suddenly due to an injury, or get worse over time as the result of arthritis, or wear and tear due to repetitive motion or strain. Hip, knee or shoulder pain that starts out being mildly uncomfortable can become debilitating without the right care and treatment.

Why wait to start living with less hip, knee or shoulder pain?

Today’s treatment for joint pain includes options ranging from simple, at-home exercise or physical therapy to hip replacement, knee replacement, shoulder joint replacement or rotator cuff repair. Winona Health orthopedic specialists are here with options for pain relief and treatment to work with your preferences.

The first step? Schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic surgeons. They’ll listen, complete a comprehensive assessment of your hip, knee or shoulder pain and provide options. Whether you’re dealing with an injury or arthritis including osteoarthritis, we have solutions for you.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

with Doctor Randall Norgard
Orthopedic Specialist and Orthopedic Surgeon

My advice is to come in for an evaluation whenever your joint pain is keeping you from doing everything you want to do or limiting your daily activities. The sooner you come in for an evaluation, the sooner we can address your joint pain. If your pain has been getting progressively worse, waiting longer isn’t the answer. Let’s start taking care of it before it gets worse. There are many treatment options to decrease pain so you can increase your ability to do what you want to do.

You can expect me to listen. We sit down one-on-one and I’ll ask you questions about your pain–about how long ago it started, whether it began with an injury or if it started gradually. I’ll ask you what makes it hurt more and what makes it feel a little better. I’ll ask you about the lifestyle limitations it’s causing and what you’ve tried so far to treat the pain. We typically do X-rays right away so we can take a look at the bones in the painful area. Depending on what I learn in our conversation and what we see on your X-ray, we’ll determine if whether further testing is needed. I’ll share information about the treatment options available and offer a recommendation. Then, based on your decision, we take the next step. That may mean giving you a referral for physical therapy, offering an injection, or discussing a surgical option depending on your specific situation. We typically want to try nonoperative measures before considering surgery.

Depending on what an X-ray shows, the specific area and type of pain, I may request a CT or MRI to complete the evaluation. An X-ray allows us to look for osteoarthritis and assess bones and joints but doesn’t clearly show all parts of the joint. A CT scan or MRI will show more detail including bone, blood vessels and soft tissue like ligaments and cartilage around your joints. Once we have what we need to accurately evaluate the painful area, we’ll discuss our findings and share treatment options and what outcomes to expect. My goal is to give you the information you need – empowering you to make a decision based on your goals.

Before scheduling surgery, we have a detailed conversation about what the procedure entails including expected outcomes, recovery time and any specific requirements you need to be aware of. It might be necessary to have a conversation about the surgical options with your primary care provider, addressing any other health factors that should be considered before proceeding with orthopedic surgery. We work together to make sure you get the best care and achieve the best results.

In medical terms, a fracture and a break mean the same thing.

Maybe, but maybe not. Signs of a fracture (also called a break) include pain, swelling, redness, bruising or deformity. Fractures can be mild or severe. Some are easy to see – for example, a severe fracture may be obvious because of deformity – an exposed bone or a bend where there shouldn’t be a bend. However, with some fractures, the bone is slightly displaced or may have what is called a hairline fracture. Regarding your question: Would you be able to tell whether it’s broken? Unless it’s a severe fracture, you probably won’t know until we take an X-ray.

If you suspect a fracture (broken bone) or have any injury to your bones or joints, you can call Orthopedics directly at 507.474.3338. Tell our scheduler about the injury and when it happened, and we’ll get you an appointment as soon as possible. If we can’t get you in right away, Urgent Care is another option–or, if after hours, our Emergency Department is always open.

Consider your options

There are more conservative steps to take before jumping to joint replacement surgery. Non-operative options include physical therapy, cortisone and visco-supplementation injections. It is important to discuss all options with your provider. The goal is to find the best solution to manage pain and to maintain an active lifestyle.

Did you know? Aquatic Therapy can help patients recover after orthopedic surgery. Learn more about the Winona Health Physical Therapy team’s Aquatic Therapy pool.

Our Providers

Andrew Millis, MD, Orthopedic & Sports Medicine

Andrew Millis, MD

Randall Norgard, MD

Adam Fletcher, MD, Family Medicine, Sports and Orthopedics

Adam Fletcher, MD

Garrett Fooshee, PA-C

Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Services

  • Shoulder, hip and knee replacement surgery.

  • Diagnosis, treatment and management of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases
  • Arthroscopic shoulder, elbow, knee and hip surgery

  • Knee and shoulder ligament reconstruction and repair
    • ACL reconstruction
    • Minimally invasive rotator cuff repair
    • Hip arthroscopy with labral repair
  • Shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle ligament repair

  • Treatment of sports/fitness related injuries and bone fracture ligament injuries

For more information:

Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Winona Health, Clinic 3rd floor
855 Mankato Avenue
Winona, MN 55987
507.474.3338
Fax: 507.474.6603
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.