Posted on 07-10-2026 in Rebrand by Dr. Alex Coleman, Dr. Joshua Hackel, Dr. Steven Kronlage, Dr. Matthew Mai, Dr. Erik Nilssen, Dr. Chris O'Grady, Dr. Roger Ostrander, Dr. James Piorkowski
Over the last month, we’ve rolled out communications and visuals under our new brand - North Florida Bone & Joint Specialists (NFBJS). As a collective, our practice is committed to providing comprehensive orthopaedic and musculoskeletal care to adult and pediatric patients through treatment options and services that are both accessible and innovative, all within a caring environment.
The new practice includes eight orthopaedic surgeons, Dr. Sonya Ahmed, Dr. Alex Coleman, Dr. Steven Kronlage, Dr. Matthew Mai, Dr. Erik Nilssen, Dr. Chris O’Grady, Dr. Roger Ostrander and Dr. James Piorkowski, and general sports medicine physician Dr. Josh Hackel. NFBJS also includes physician assistants Tony Alexander, Charles Barnes, Kerrie Begley and Chris Key.
Together our providers and staff serve patients at four clinical office locations, two within the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze and two in Pensacola on Ninth Avenue and Davis Highway. An array of on-site services, including state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostics and occupational and physical therapy, reduce travel time to other facilities, processing time, and patient costs.
The availability of equipment such as Musculoskeletal Ultrasound at our Gulf Breeze and Ninth Avenue locations allows for a quick, inexpensive alternative to MRIs, while our Davis Highway office features the region’s first weight-bearing CT scanner. Our entire treatment staff, including therapists and advanced practice providers, work closely with our physicians to develop comprehensive treatment plans that help patients regain or improve their quality of life.
The depth and breadth of our experience and nationally recognized research and teaching allow us to provide our patients with world-class care using the latest minimally invasive treatment options and surgical intervention techniques. To learn more about how NFBJS can help, visit our searchable online database of common conditions and procedures. Patients may also complete our online appointment request form, which includes options for same-day and telehealth visits.
For many patients living with chronic low back pain (LBP) and advanced knee arthritis, there comes a point when the treatments that once provided relief no longer seem to work as well. Medications may offer only temporary comfort, injections may become less effective over time, and everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or even getting out of a chair can become increasingly difficult. At that point, many patients ask the same question: "Am I ready for surgery, or are there other options I should consider first?" The answer is rarely as simple as "yes" or "no."
May is Arthritis Awareness Month, an opportunity to increase public understanding of arthritis and its impact on millions of lives. Established by the Arthritis Foundation, this national observance highlights the importance of early diagnosis, effective treatment, and ongoing research to improve the quality of life for those with arthritis.
December is National Safe Toys & Gifts Month, and as we go about our holiday shopping, it's important to remember the impact those presents can have on the well-being of the children in our lives. A recently released report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicated that nearly 210,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for a toy-related injury in 2022. The annual CPSC report also provided the following illuminating statistics: