Paul Steinfield, MD
Chief, Division of Orthopedic Surgery
215-612-4110

Frankford Hospitals has an outstanding Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Active at all three of Frankford campuses these orthopedic surgeons deal with all aspects of musculoskeletal disorders. The orthopedic staff at Frankford Hospital is committed to the highest quality of both surgical and non-surgical care. They are skilled at dealing with the bone and joint disorders of the pediatric and adolescent population, the adult, and the geriatric population. The orthopedic staff at Frankford Hospital grows every year with the addition of highly specialized and well-trained physicians.

Nearly all of Frankford Hospitals' orthopedic surgeons are board certified. Most of these surgeons participate in the highly regarded trauma program at Frankford Hospital. The Frankford Hospital Trauma Program is accredited on a yearly basis by the Pennsylvania Trauma Foundation. As part of this sophisticated team, Frankford's orthopedic surgeons are involved in stabilizing patients who have been involved in high-energy injuries, car crashes, industrial accidents, and violent assaults. The orthopedic staff is responsible for the care of injuries to the upper and lower extremities as well as the spine. Treatment of these severe injuries includes the use of plates, screws, internal rods, and external fixation devices. The orthopedic staff is on-call 24 hours a day to Frankford Hospital's Level II Trauma facility at the Torresdale Campus. When severe injuries present to the Emergency Room, the orthopedic surgeon who is assigned to the Emergency Room will arrive at the resuscitation within minutes to assist with the critical care of the patient.

Frankford Hospital is beginning a sports medicine initiative. Sports medicine is largely the domain of the orthopedic surgeon. In conjunction with the technical staff of the Hospital, the orthopedic surgeons at Frankford Hospitals provide comprehensive care and screening to local athletic and scholastic teams. Collaboration with trainers and coaches is geared towards injury prevention. Physicians ensure basic fitness and health standards by providing pre-season examinations. Athletic injuries are dealt with immediately through highly trained sports specialists who are well versed at rehabilitating sports related injuries.

The most common sports related injuries seen are injuries of the knee and ankle. Through aggressive management utilizing the expertise of the sports medicine specialist in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, athletes and students are returned to competition in a safe and cautious manner. The goal of the orthopedic sports medicine surgeon is to return the athlete to competition in a rapid but prudent fashion.

The sports medicine physician is involved in the analysis and prevention of injuries commonly seen in all areas of sports and athletics. From advising the use of foot orthotics to carefully planning an exercise program, the orthopedic surgeon at Frankford Hospital understands the complexities of muscle, bone, and joint dysfunction that can occur in vigorous participation in sports.

Frankford Hospital has developed an outstanding joint replacement program. Many of the surgeons have been trained at some of the finest institutions from around the country. The orthopedic surgeons at Frankford Hospital are well versed in the latest technologies and biomaterials utilized in joint replacement surgery. The field of joint replacement surgery involves primarily knee and hip replacement. Patients who have suffered with severe arthritis involving these joints and who have not responded well to medication, activity modification, and physical therapy have had dramatic improvements in their lifestyles after undergoing joint replacement surgery. Frankford Hospital has invested millions of dollars in order to establish a state-of-the-art joint replacement center. The nursing staff and physical therapy staff have been carefully trained in order to promote rapid rehabilitation. With the addition of Moss Rehabilitation at the Frankford Division, patients are enjoying a speedier recovery. The team approach at Frankford Hospital between the orthopedic and rehabilitation departments is unique and allows Frankford Hospital to stand out as a center of excellence in joint replacement surgery.

The area of arthroscopy has expanded dramatically at Frankford Hospital over the last decade. All three campuses at Frankford Hospital have invested significantly to purchase the most up-to-date digital technology to facilitate surgeons in treating disorders of the joints. The most common arthroscopies performed at Frankford Hospital are of the knee, shoulder, and wrist. Other joints, which are arthroscoped by some of the specialty surgeons, include the ankle, hip and elbow. Arthroscopic surgery allows for evaluation and treatment of disorders of the joints utilizing small puncture holes and a lens that projects an image on a TV screen. By using tiny puncture holes, postoperative recovery is facilitated and return to activity is rapid. New techniques utilizing tissue-shrinking procedures has dramatically changed the way in which many joint disorders are treated.

Frankford Hospital has a staff of highly trained hand specialists. These are surgeons who deal with the disorders and dysfunction of the hand and wrist. Surgeons using microscopic applications treat injuries of tiny nerves of the hands and fingers. Arthritis and tendon problems are addressed with both surgical and non-surgical techniques. Utilizing splinting, hand therapy and localized injection, painful disorders of the hands are often treated without surgery. Complex dysfunction associated with stroke and neurologic disorders are the domain of the hand surgeon as well. The hand surgeons at Frankford Hospital come from a background of nationally regarded academic training centers.

The Frankford Hospital orthopedic surgeons work closely with Frankford Hospital's Work Health Department. Utilizing a multi-specialty approach, injuries of the workplace are rehabilitated in a quick and rapid fashion. The Frankford Hospital Physical Therapy department plays a vital role in getting injured workers healthy. Through work hardening and work simulating programs, the orthopedic surgeons at Frankford Hospital have been very successful at reducing the exploding health care costs associated with injuries of workers.

The Podiatric Department is a subdivision of the Orthopedic Department. Frankford Hospitals' staff of highly skilled podiatrists sees a wide array of foot problems. Utilizing strapping techniques, orthotics, and physical therapy most problems of the painful foot are dealt with non-surgically. For those disorders that are resistant to simple measures, the podiatric staff at Frankford Hospital has a fine reputation for highly skilled surgical techniques.