You don’t have to play hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins to receive excellent care! The Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, PA, is home to many different outpatient practices, now including orthopaedist Dr. Noelle DiGioia Guthrie. Dr. DiGioia Guthrie provides an excellent range of outpatient orthopaedic services. From x-rays to injections, Dr. DiGioia Guthrie is your go-to at Lemieux.
New Patient Appointments
During your first appointment, we will collect information, perform an interview and exam, obtain X-rays, and provide a diagnosis and treatment plan for your joint pain. Remember to bring your insurance information and any forms that we have asked you to fill out. This will help speed up your check-in process. The first step in developing an individualized treatment plan is a thorough evaluation. The evaluation includes an interview to determine your chief complaints, such as pain and other symptoms, followed by a physical examination and simple X-rays. All of this can be done without even leaving our Lemieux!
Followup Appointments
When you come in for your one month follow-up visit, you will have x-rays of your joint replacement(s). You will then be evaluated by your surgeon, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. Your surgeon will review all your x-rays as well. If special instructions are necessary, the instructions will be provided at this appointment. After your one year follow-up, we suggest seeing us in office every three years (year 4, year 7, year 13, etc.) If Lemieux Sports Complex is a convenient location for you to see Dr. DiGioia Guthrie, schedule your follow-ups there!
X-Rays
X-rays are available on-site at Lemieux Sports Complex. X-rays are a very important part of your initial evaluation and show us how much cartilage you have remaining. Knowing exactly where and how bad your joint wear is allows us to make the correct diagnosis and develop an individualized treatment plan just for you. If you have had a joint replacement, x-rays will be done of your replacement to make sure everything is working as it should.
Injections
Joint injections are powerful anti-inflammatories that stay within the knee or hip joint, providing pain relief for weeks or even months.Corticosteroid injections (aka cortisone shots) are a go-to for many for pain relief. They work by calming down inflammation in the joint, reducing swelling and pain. For some, these injections provide relief for several months, making it easier to move without discomfort.
If you have advanced arthritis where the joint is “bone on bone,” cortisone shots can still be effective, which is why they’re a common choice. Plus, most, if not all, insurance plans cover them, making cortisone shots an accessible option for many suffering from osteoarthritis. Dr. DiGioia Guthrie is able to perform corticosteroid injections for knees at the Lemieux Sports Complex.
Schedule with Dr. DiGioia Guthrie
Dr. DiGioia Guthrie is available for appointments at the Lemieux Sports Complex on the last Wednesday of every month.
