Month: December 2015

Is More Motion Better for Shoulder Injuries?

Orthopedic surgeons have long debated how much is too much when it comes to pitching in baseball. Although some voices have called for limiting pitches for younger players, some specialists insist that proper form and care can prevent injuries at any age.

Now new data has come to light in support of the “proper form” argument: researchers found that increased rotation in the shoulder during a pitching motion can actually help to prevent injury:

“What we found was … [that] external rotation was actually protective to the shoulder and we were surprised that we did not find association with the loss of internal rotation or the loss of cross-body motion,” Wilk said.

Tightening up and aiming for a more compact form may actually be stressing the ligaments of the shoulder, creating greater tension that leads to an increase in injuries.

Research such as this is unlikely to stop the debate, of course, but it’s an interesting that may open the door toward greater insight into form and technique among baseball players of every age nationwide.

If you have experienced shoulder pain from pitching or any other athletic activity, contact the expert orthopedic surgery staff at my office today.

A Good Primer on Biceps Tendon Pain

The humble biceps tendon is generally only discussed when something goes wrong. Although this tendon is an essential anchor in the musculature of the arm, it can experience strain and injury when biceps and shoulders are pushed past their comfortable range of motion.

This article explains exactly what is happening when biceps tendon injuries occur, and what’s coming up as medical professionals develop better ways to treat these injuries without the use of anti-inflammatories or steroids:

These advances are on the way. They include the integration of new matrices, such as collagen sheets, pre-loaded with the patient’s stem cells and growth factors and surgically wrapped around the injured tendons or injected into their sheaths. Another novel approach is to provide a self-assembling, injectable collagen material, which is then melded with UV light stimulation. A third approach will use a resorbable artificial material that will stimulate tendon regeneration.

Until we can accelerate the body’s natural healing processes through such minimally invasive techniques, rest and therapy remain the most effective stand-by’s for biceps and arm pain. And if those measures don’t work, it may be time to speak with a San Diego orthopedic surgeon about a more permanent repair.

Tennis Elbow, Explained

Tennis elbow is a common diagnosis, especially for people whose lingering pain is associated with vigorous activity. But not every kind of elbow pain is tennis elbow, and not every case of tennis elbow arises from a rigorous day of athletics.

As this article lucidly explains, tennis elbow can result from a number of kinds of motion and impact. What they have in common is a specific etiology and location, namely the tendons of the elbow:

When forces are applied that exceed the limits of the stretch, a tear occurs. The tear may be a minor one; a Grade 1 strain where little collagen is torn and the body’s repair process rebuilds the damage without scarring. Or it could be a more major tear, where the healing process requires laying down new collagen fibers, building new bridges and forming new matrix molecules.

Whatever the severity of the injury, it’s essential to seek medical care from an orthopedic specialist.

Tennis elbow is one of the many elbow issues that I treat in my San Diego medical practice, along with painful conditions such as ulnar nerve impaction, cellulitis and infections. If you want the best approach for any type of elbow pain in San Diego, call my office today.

Treating Elbow Pain in San Diego

Treating elbow pain begins with a proper diagnosis.

Elbow pain can take many forms, and arise from a wide array of causes. Issues such as bursitis, sprain and arthritis may be difficult to distinguish from one another, and even harder to resolve. When you visit an experienced orthopedic specialist, you’ll receive a full workup, and your doctor will take a personal health history to provide definitive answers.

Treating elbow pain can be as simple as ice and rest, or as involved as a surgical procedure. The surest way to move toward a successful outcome is to discuss your options with your specialist, and to ask as many questions as you can about the pros, cons, and lasting effects of each choice. When it’s time to relieve that elbow pain for good, you should be in secure in the knowledge that you understand your options and have designed a realistic plan for recovery.

I can help. Contact the San Diego orthopedic surgery offices to schedule your consultation today.

Knee Surgery and the NFL

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is a superstar whose inconsistent performance has bedeviled Ravens fans for many years. Often compared to Eli Manning, Flacco has a tendency to show flashes of brilliance – he has the Super Bowl ring to prove it – punctuated by entire seasons of struggle.

Recently, a new obstacle reared its head: knee injury. Flacco suffered a torn ACL and MCL after a recent hit, and is out for the season. The good news is that orthopedic surgery outcomes for ACL and MCL tears have improved greatly over the last few decades, and today the prognosis for a full recovery is stronger than ever. Flacco is currently expected back by training camp next season.

You don’t need to be a star athlete to recover quickly from knee surgery. If you’re searching for a holistic and effective approach to knee repair and recovery, please don’t hesitate to contact the offices of Dr. William Holland right here in San Diego.

The Quickest Fix for Knee Pain

A lot has been written about the things active people can do to prevent and mitigate knee pain, from rest and physical therapy to arthroscopic knee surgery. But the simplest solution involves no medical interventions whatsoever: studies show that weight loss can have a profound effect on chronic knee pain.

Researchers recently discovered that one of the particular pathways for arthritis knee pain – degeneration of the knee cartilage – can be slowed significantly by a reduction in body weight:

“This research is helpful by showing that weight loss is associated with less arthritis, but more importantly that weight loss can slow the rate of cartilage degeneration once arthritis has already developed,” says Dr. Steven Gross, an orthopedic surgeon at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Ill. “Patients who struggle with arthritis can potentially delay its progression by optimizing their weight as there is no turning back once the cartilage is lost to osteoarthritis.”

It is a disarmingly simple step, but of course weight loss remains a struggle for many people. And – alas – if the process of degeneration has advanced too far, or you have difficulty keeping the weight off, then knee surgery is the next step.

Want to learn more how to treat knee pain with orthopedic surgery in San Diego? Contact the AOSM offices today.