Sustaining a compression fracture or break in one of the vertebrae of your spine can be quite painful. Not only that, but it can also make it difficult for you to move about freely since it could mean that there are bone fragments in your back rubbing against each other. The good news is that there are minimally invasive procedures that can treat such fractures, relieve your pain, and improve your mobility when other measures fail to do so. One of these is balloon kyphoplasty. Often [Read More]
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Common Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them
Young or old, we Americans love our sports – not just watching them, but also participating in them. However, some sports – whether football, golf, or any sport in between – are more physical than others, which means they pose a greater risk of injury. Here are some of the most common sports injuries, and ways you can avoid getting sidelined as a result: Sprains and Strains A sprain involves the stretching or tearing of a ligament – the fibrous tissue connecting bones and joints, while a [Read More]
Using Regenerative Medicine to Treat Joint Pain
For the 25 million Americans who suffer from chronic joint pain, finding adequate relief can be a long-term effort of trial and error. Physical therapy usually works to some degree, but only if the damage in the joint isn’t too severe. Losing weight, taking anti-inflammatory medications, and getting pain-relief injections are great temporary fixes – until that next tough workout or until the medications wear off. But what happens when the pain won’t go away, or the pain is so great that [Read More]
Why Would My Orthopedist Recommend Spinal Cord Stimulation?
Spinal cord stimulation is an interventional pain management method that utilizes electrical signals to interrupt the pain messages sent by nerves before they travel up the spine to the brain. It has been used by pain management physicians since the 1960s, but it is now becoming more mainstream. Many people have found spinal cord stimulation to be an effective way to decrease, minimize, or even eliminate chronic back pain. If your orthopedist specializes in treating spinal pain, spinal cord [Read More]
Preparing for Your Rotator Cuff Repair
That snapping sensation or “crackling” sound that occurs in your shoulder when taking in an extra game of tennis or swimming a hard set of laps. That limited motion and numbness when you spend the weekend painting your house or chopping wood, followed by the inability to raise your arm much higher than waist level. If any of this sounds familiar, chances are you have injured your rotator cuff – that group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint, thereby allowing you to move [Read More]
Stem Cell Myths and Facts
Stem cells are one of the most important medical discoveries in the past century. The potential for treatment or even cures for previously untreatable conditions may all be within reach, thanks to stem cells. As a research tool and medical treatment, stem cells have been controversial since they were first discovered in the 1980s. A “stem cell” is named for its ability to specialize into other types of cells. Once specialized, the stem cell can replicate to heal or develop into – [Read More]
The Difference Between a Herniated Disc and a Bulging Disc
Your spine is made up of bones called vertebrae, each of which is cushioned by soft discs composed of an outer layer of tough cartilage that surrounds softer, jellylike cartilage in the center. These discs are what enable you to move your spine around and bend over. If you’re feeling a sharp pain in the spine that radiates in your lower back, you may be suffering from either a herniated disc or a bulging disc. If you research your symptoms, you might be confused; that’s because people [Read More]
10 Questions to Ask Your New Orthopedist
If you are experiencing joint pain as the result of an accident or a chronic condition, your primary doctor may refer you to an orthopedist specially trained in diagnosing and treating conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. After careful examination of your particular disorder, your orthopedist will recommend a course of treatment that may include a corrective surgical procedure. If so, here are 10 questions you should ask your orthopedic surgeon upfront: Why is this [Read More]
What to Do If You Have Painful Joints After TKA
Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), also known as total knee replacement, is an orthopedic surgical procedure performed on the knee. TKA is a treatment option for those with a worn-out knee joint, one of the most common causes of which is the wear and tear associated with arthritis. When a TKA is performed, the defective cartilage is removed between the joint, the ends of the bones that meet at the joint are reshaped and fitted with metal implants, and a plastic piece called a spacer is put in [Read More]
PRP Therapy vs. Stem Cell
Many treatments can treat the same conditions and be completely different. It’s easy to get treatments confused. Two treatments that are often confused are Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and Stem Cell therapy. Both involve using the patient’s own bodily mechanisms to heal a condition or injury. Here is more information on these treatments to help you differentiate between the two. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy Blood is made up of plasma, red cells, white cells, and platelets. [Read More]
