Key Takeaways: Even if arthritis looks bad on an x-ray, you don’t always need a total knee replacement surgery. Knee replacement should be a last resort after all conservative treatments fail to help manage pain. Common conservative treatments include hyaluronic acid and cortisone injections, physical therapy, and topical anti-inflammatory medications. When we see x-rays, it… Read more »
Meet this month’s patient in the spotlight, Michelle Durham! If there is one thing to know about our patient of the month, Michelle Durham, it is that she is the dictionary definition of resilient. Michelle has been playing sports since she was a child, including 6 during her years at Sacred Heart High School, and… Read more »
Key Takeaways: People who are active, or whose knee gives out on them as they perform regular activities like walking should consider an ACL reconstruction surgery. People who are not active and don’t experience any knee symptoms or people with advanced knee arthritis do not need to get an ACL reconstruction surgery. If your knee… Read more »
Key Takeaways: Osteoarthritis is an active, or progressive, disease that gets worse with time and cannot be cured. Osteoporosis is a curable disease. To treat osteoporosis, patients will use a combination of additional vitamins, weight-bearing exercises, and prescription medication in some cases. Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are two conditions that patients may get mixed-up about. Both… Read more »
Key Takeaways: Identifying both where pain originates from and where it is spreading to can help diagnose underlying conditions. If more than 50% of pain is felt going down the leg, disc herniation may be the cause. If more than 50% of pain is felt in the lower back, lumbar stenosis may be the cause…. Read more »
Key Takeaways: Traditional shoulder replacement surgery is done for patients with shoulder arthritis who have an intact rotator cuff. Reverse shoulder replacement surgery is done for patients with shoulder arthritis who do not have an intact rotator cuff. In a shoulder replacement surgery, the glenoid sphere is connected directly to the humeral shaft whereas in… Read more »
Swelling on the body is a common symptom to experience. Normally, it is the result of inflammation as the body rushes blood and extra fluid to the site of an injury to help it heal. When your leg swells, it could be due to this response. However, there are other reasons for leg swelling that… Read more »
The ACL (anterior collateral ligament) and the MCL (medial collateral ligament) are ligaments of the knee that are very close together. These two ligaments experience tears more commonly than the other two ligaments of the knee, which include the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) and LCL (lateral collateral ligament. The reason for this is because of… Read more »
Many patients are told they have “bone-on-bone” arthritis, or end-stage osteoarthritis, on their x-ray and immediately worry that knee replacement surgery is their only option. The truth is, imaging alone should never determine whether you need surgery or not. The real indication for a knee replacement is pain that limits your daily activities. In addition,… Read more »
Compression wraps are often used to help prevent sprained ankles from swelling too much. These wraps are not casts, so they are not so rigid that the ankle cannot move at all. It can limit movement, but the wrap should never be so tight that your ankle is immobile. That will cut off circulation to… Read more »
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