Physical therapy has come a long way. What started as basic massage and exercise techniques has evolved into a specialized science, helping millions recover from injuries, surgeries, and chronic pain. Modern physical therapy combines traditional methods with cutting-edge technology to offer tailored solutions for each patient. For athletes and pre- and post-surgery patients, visits to the physical therapy clinic can make all the difference. Here’s more on this topic. Who Benefits from [Read More]
chronic pain
How Your Orthopedic Surgeon Identifies the Source of Shoulder Pain and How to Treat it
Shoulder pain can be dull or sharp, throbbing or stabbing, and intermittent or constant. It can have several possible causes. It could be a problem with your tendons, bones, bursae, rotator cuff, or joint that make it difficult to raise your arm and prevent you from sleeping soundly. The shoulder has a wide range of motion and is used in almost all activities, which makes it susceptible to injury. A primary care doctor can treat shoulder pain, but for an in-depth examination of your shoulder, [Read More]
What Is PRP Therapy Used For?
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a relatively new, cutting-edge treatment that is revolutionizing the field of orthopedic medicine. It is also becoming an increasingly popular treatment for many famous athletes at both the professional and collegiate levels. PRP therapy has the ability to repair injuries and relieve pain in the body, especially in the joints. It is associated with faster healing, a significant reduction in pain, and much lower risk than with other treatments. If [Read More]
Causes of Knee Arthritis
When people talk about “arthritis,” they usually mean osteoarthritis. This is a wear-and-tear condition that is characterized by inflamed joints. The primary symptoms of arthritis are pain, stiffness, and swelling around the affected joint. Arthritis can affect any joint in your body, but it most commonly (and most severely) affects the knees, hands, spine, and hips. If someone in your family suffers from this condition, you have an increased risk of developing it. Preserving the health of [Read More]
Knee Replacement Surgery
The knee is the largest joint in the body and as such, undergoes a lot of stress. Whether it’s from wear and tear, an injury, carrying too much weight or degenerative joint disease, there is a good chance you or someone you know will be one of the more than 500,000 people each year who undergo a knee replacement procedure. If your knees are starting to bear the brunt of the pain and aren’t what they used to be, your orthopedist may recommend knee replacement surgery. Not to worry, though, these [Read More]
Shoulder Arthroscopic Repairs
The shoulder is a very complex joint and is constantly in use during our lives, so it has the potential for many things to go wrong. When something does go wrong, it can lead to a need for shoulder surgery. In addition to shoulder arthroplasty (shoulder replacement surgery), there is shoulder arthroscopy (shoulder repair surgery) – which is used to make minor repairs to the shoulder, usually to alleviate pain or to regain proper rotation. Shoulder arthroscopy may be recommended in order to [Read More]
Kyphoplasty – ABCs of This Procedure and Its Benefits
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive, outpatient type of spine surgery that is designed to repair cracked or broken vertebrae. It is very similar to vertebroplasty – in which a special cement is injected to fill in the broken bone – except that a tiny balloon is first inserted into the injured spot. Once placed, the balloon is inflated to create extra space which will be filled with bone cement. The procedure is designed to help fractured and/or compressed vertebrae regain their original [Read More]
How to Deal With Persistent Sciatica Pain
If you have sharp or chronic pain, numbness, or tingling that radiates anywhere from your lower back to your feet, it's possible that you could be suffering from sciatica. Complaints about pain felt in the lower back are one of the most common reasons a patient visits a pain specialist. Up to 85 percent of Americans experience some back pain during their lives. If sciatica is the cause of your persistent pain, many treatments are available to help you cope. What Is Sciatica? Sciatica [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]
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]
