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Has this happened to you? You began a new exercise regimen or joined a weekend sports league with the best intentions of becoming more physically active. But instead of getting fit, you got hurt. Maybe you twisted a joint suddenly, over-exerted yourself or fell wrong – but now you’re in pain and there’s a lot of swelling to go along with it. What do you do? We interviewed Dr. Scott Wenger, an orthopedic surgeon here at North Hills Hospital, and asked him when it’s time to seek out an orthopedic specialist after a patient experiences a sports-related injury.
Know Your Body
Stresses and strains are par for the course during physical activity and dependent on each individual’s fitness and flexibility. You know the difference between normal body aches and a potential injury better than anyone. If you do experience an injury, Dr. Wenger suggests that you do the following:
- Stop all activity immediately and do not “play through” any pain.
- Follow the “R.I.C.E.” method: rest the injury, ice it, use compression with an elastic or ACE bandage and then elevate it.
- If the injury does not improve in a day or two, see a physician.
The Warning Signs
Once you meet with a physician, you may discover that a specialist is recommended. Dr. Wenger explained that there are some specific warning signs that may indicate the need for immediate specialized care. These include:
- Persistent joint swelling
- A decreased range of motion
- An obvious deformity
- Joint instability
- Failed improvement
Your primary care physician will likely order an x-ray to determine the extent of the damage. If your injury does need the attention of a specialist, you will receive a referral.
Avoiding Injury
Dr. Wenger offered some important suggestions to avoid serious injury in the future. Be sure to:
- Warm up and stretch before all physical activity, and then cool down and stretch again afterward.
- When beginning a new workout routine, start slowly and acclimate your body to increased activity over time.
- Engage in cross conditioning and core stability workouts to build muscle strength in joints and increase stability. Total body conditioning will allow for more mobility and flexibility during strenuous activity, which may lessen the possibility of injury.
- Remember that age and physical fitness do affect your risk of injury. Weekend warriors who suddenly exert themselves like they did 20 years prior could put themselves at great risk for injury.
Do you have questions about how to prevent sports injuries? Would you like to schedule an appointment with a physician who specializes in orthopedics or sports medicine? Please contact North Hills Hospital at (817) 255-1000. To request an appointment with Dr. Wenger, please call (817) 616-0700 or visit his website.
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Larry Weiss, a retired postmaster, knew something had to be done when the pain in his first knee got as bad as it did.
“The pain was severe; I knew it was bone on bone.”
Larry found Dr. Thomas Carrell through friend recommendations, and his fears were confirmed. An x-ray and consultation verified that he needed a knee joint replacement and he scheduled his first procedure with Dr. Carrell in Killeen, Texas.
When Larry’s second knee started to show the familiar and painful signs of joint deterioration just like his first, he didn’t want to put it off any longer than necessary and knew Dr. Carrell was the answer. This time, Larry followed him up to North Hills Hospital for his procedure, where he now works as an orthopedic surgeon.
We asked Larry about his second knee replacement and his experience at North Hills.
How did you feel before the surgery? Did you have any concerns about the procedure?
I really had a great experience. I knew Dr. Carrell from my first procedure and I consider him a friend now, so I trusted him and knew how it would go. But the folks at North Hills still explained everything and told me what to expect from my surgery. They assigned me a very nice person who took me through the entire experience. They answered all of my questions and I really felt very comfortable going into surgery.
How did the procedure go?
My procedure wasn’t very long, about 3 hours or so. By that evening, I was eating and drinking and really didn’t need much pain medication at all. They also set me up with a machine that slowly flexed and moved my knee. I had great results and I think it helped my recovery a lot. I’ve had friends who didn’t get to use one after surgery and they didn’t recover as quickly as I did. The day after surgery, they had me up and walking with a walker. They let me go as far as I could walk and let me do as much as I was comfortable doing.
How was your recovery from surgery?
After two days in the hospital, I went home and then used a walker for about another week. But Dr. Carrell set me up with a therapist who could either come to my home or see me at the hospital. So, for three weeks, a therapist came to my home and helped me recover use in my knee. But once those three weeks were over, I was all set to do anything I wanted to do.
How do you stay active?
I’m a retired postmaster and now live on a 150-acre ranch where I restore antique cars and keep them in barns that I maintain. I also have an insurance agency that I run with my son. I’ve got plenty to do, but my knees don’t slow me down anymore.
We are so glad to hear that Larry is back up to speed and staying busy on what seems like a small slice of heaven in his part of Texas. If you have any questions about knee joint replacement, our Orthopedic Surgery Center, or our dedicated staff of physicians, surgeons, nurses and therapists, please call (817) 255-1000 or visit our website here.
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Donna has always been active, and it takes a lot to slow her down. Running was her exercise of choice for a long while, and she taught aerobics classes for 13 years. But about three years ago, she began to experience incredible pain.
When she was in her teens, Donna was in a car accident that dislocated her left hip. Back then, rehab was not a common option, so she healed just by using crutches. As time went by, this injury continued to haunt her, causing her hip to periodically lock up.
Her hip pain grew worse, and she began to lose her range of motion. She could barely get dressed, and she couldn’t put on her shoes or lean down. She found herself walking with a limp and soon she was hunched over. Being in this condition was frustrating for her. “I couldn’t do things with my kids and grandkids. Even going to the mall was impossible,” Donna explains. “I hurt so much that it affected my relationship with my husband, too.”
One day, Donna’s husband saw an ad for a joint pain seminar at North Hills Hospital, and she decided to attend. There she met Dr. Thomas Carrell, an orthopedic surgeon, and she began to learn about joint replacement surgery.
Next, she made an appointment with Dr. Carrell, and after he took x-rays, he explained how her hip had been damaged. There was little cartilage left at all, so her joint was basically bone on bone, which accounted for the pain she was experiencing. “I can’t live like this anymore,” Donna said to herself. She agreed to have hip replacement surgery in April 2010.
Right after having the surgery, Donna remembers that her left leg felt so heavy, “like it weighed two hundred pounds.” But she was determined to follow the recovery instructions to the letter. She even stood and shuffled a few steps the evening after the surgery. From there, she used a walker for two weeks, and then transitioned to a cane. She faithfully performed all the exercises she had been taught, so she could build up her strength and regain her range of motion.
She had been advised that her recovery would take about six weeks, but she returned to work after three. And after four weeks, she was feeling much better.
These days, Donna is back to working out four times a week. She doesn’t run anymore, but she uses the elliptical machine and the treadmill, and she cycles. She also enjoys “water walking” in the pool and lifting weights.
As for other people considering joint replacement, Donna advises that they learn as much as they can before the procedure. She attended a “joint camp,” where Dr. Carrell and his staff walked patients through the process and helped them understand what to expect. “Learning everything that you can beforehand is key,” she says. “And write down your questions so you don’t forget.”
Now more than a year after the surgery, Donna says, “The doctors, nurses, and other staff at North Hills were just terrific. If I could give them a score above 100, I would! Without this surgery, I think I’d have been in a wheelchair by now. But I know that I if I take care of myself, this new hip will outlast me. I’m so glad I had it done. I feel wonderful.”
Source:
Interview with patient
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Your rotator cuff helps move your shoulder, which is the joint with the greatest range of motion in the body. It is made of tendons and muscles that connect your upper arm bone to your shoulder blade and keeps that arm bone securely centered in your shoulder socket.
If you injure your rotator cuff, you may experience pain and weakness. These symptoms often make many everyday activities hard to manage.
Risk Factors
There are many causes of rotator cuff injury, and they include:
- Repetitive motion: If you use your shoulder over and over, this can put stress on your muscles and lead to tears. Examples of repet
itive motion include playing certain sports such as golf, tennis, and baseball, and performing specific job duties, especially for construction workers and painters. - Wear and tear: As we get older, everyday use can cause muscles and tendons to break down and be more prone to injury. You can also develop bone spurs near the rotator cuff, as well as calcium deposits, which can irritate the joint.
- Accidents: Your rotator cuff can be injured if you fall on your arm and tear a tendon or muscle.
- Moving heavy objects: You can cause injury to your rotator cuff by pulling a heavy object or trying to lift it overhead. When you must move something heavy, be sure to use your leg muscles and take the pressure off your arms and back.
- Having bad posture: If you slouch or have your shoulders too far forward, your muscles can become inflamed, leading to injury when you throw or lift something. It is important to sit and walk with your shoulders back and relaxed. Shoulder-strengthening exercises are also beneficial.
Treatment
If you have persistent pain in your shoulder, it is critical that you be evaluated by a physician. An orthopedist can perform a physical examination and review your shoulder joint through X-rays, an MRI, or an ultrasound.
Once the severity of your injury is determined, there are a number of treatments available:
- Physical therapy: By working with a physical therapist, you can learn a series of exercises that will help strengthen your muscles, increase flexibility, and improve your range of motion.
- Medication: Your physician may recommend either prescription or over-the-counter medications to ease the pain you are experiencing. You may also benefit from steroid injections at the site of the injury.
- Surgery: In some cases, your doctor may recommend surgery. Procedures are available to repair the tear or to remove a bone spur or calcium deposits. If your joint issue is compounded by arthritis, you may require partial or total joint replacement. Another possibility is reverse shoulder replacement, a surgery that involves replacing your shoulder joint with a reverse ball-and-socket prosthesis. Your orthopedist can discuss the options and help you determine what is right for you.
Dr. Thomas Hansen, an orthopedic surgeon at North Hills Hospital, explains, “Rotator cuff problems are extremely common and painful, comprising a large portion of my practice. Fortunately, most of these patients respond well to treatment. Many can be successfully treated without surgery, but for those who need an operation, the outcome is generally quite good. The surgery can usually be performed as an outpatient, through a few small, half-inch incisions with an arthroscope, which minimizes scarring and pain after surgery. The pain relief and increase in function are often dramatic and typically last over time.”
To learn more about shoulder pain and treatment, visit the North Hills Orthopedic Surgery Center online.
Sources:
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
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If you suffer from a bunion, you know how painful and restrictive one can be. Bunions can make everyday activities, such as walking and running, hard to manage, and they may prevent your shoes from fitting properly. So it’s important to learn how to prevent bunions and what treatments are available.
A bunion is a bony growth and deformity that forms at the joint of your big toe. It usually forms when the big toe pushes against your other toes, forcing the joint in the opposite direction. Eventually, the bunion can enlarge your joint, which results in pain.
What causes a bunion? The most common cause is usually inheritance from your parents, but wearing high-heeled shoes or shoes that are too tight will help speed up the formation. Other causes include foot injuries and congenital foot defects. Bunions may also be associated with various forms of arthritis, since this disease may lead you to walk in a way that distributes weight unevenly on your feet.
In most cases, a doctor can diagnose a bunion just by examining your feet. Your physician will likely suggest one or more of these treatments:
- Different shoes: You may find pain relief just by changing the kinds of shoes you wear. Roomy comfortable shoes will give your toes more space.
- Medication: In many cases, over-the-counter medications will help alleviate the discomfort you are feeling. You may also benefit from cortisone shots.
- Padding: Your achy toe may appreciate padded shoe inserts that reduce the impact on the joint.
- Surgery: If conservative strategies don’t help, in some more severe cases, surgery may be the best option. A bunionectomy will remove the swollen bump and straighten out your big toe. Just remember that you may need a few weeks to fully recover from this procedure. And a bunion can recur if you don’t wear the proper shoes after the surgery.
To prevent bunions from forming, be sure to treat your feet right. Choose shoes that fit well and offer support. And if you suffer from arthritis, talk to your doctor about ways to maintain your weight distribution and keep your feet comfortable.
“Suffering from pain and ill-fitting shoes is not necessary,” explains Dr. Steven G. Lund, a doctor of podiatric medicine, who is associated with North Hills Hospital. “If you are not happy with your foot, you need to get x-rays and discuss the options with your podiatrist.”
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