Arthritic Backs
"The most common injury is caused by osteoarthritis of the spine.
Pain is often related to bending, lifting or standing," explains
orthopedic surgeon Randolph O'Hara, MD. "Rest and ice are appropriate
for the first couple days along with ibuprofen or Naprosyn. As symptoms
improve, physical therapy becomes the mainstay treatment. A daily stretching
program is crucial."
If patients continue to have significant symptoms, they might undergo epidural
steroid injections or microsurgery.
“Microsurgery is where we make a small incision and we clean out
bone spurs and arthritic tissue around the nerves in the back. In some
cases we put bracing on the inside to provide joints with extra support.
The results are phenomenal,” says orthopedic surgeon and spine expert
Tiffany Rogers, MD. “Patients can finally stand up, walk and get
their life back because their nerves are no longer being pinched.”
Disc Injuries and Compression Fractures
“Most disc injuries respond to the right type of physical therapy
and injections,” says orthopedic surgeon and spine expert Tiffany
Rogers, MD. “Compression fractures usually heal in eight to twelve
weeks. Patients often wear braces and need some pain medication. Sometimes
we inflate balloons inside the bone and put in bone cement to stabilize
the bone. It’s a relatively new, same-day surgical procedure.”
Ankle Arthritis and Ankle Injuries
“Non-surgical treatments are the first line of treatment,”
says orthopedic surgeon and foot specialist Keri Zickuhr, MD. “That
often includes some kind of support, like a brace or a walker boot.”
Ankle fractures often require surgery. “If fractures are not corrected
initially it can actually lead to worse problems later,” explains
Dr. Zickuhr. “I do a lot of ankle replacements and deformity reconstruction
so people can have their lives back.”
Foot Injuries
Common foot injuries include toe abnormalities such as hammer toes or clawed
toes as well as footpad atrophy, arthritis, plantar fasciitis and tendon
degeneration.
“If you can lower the inflammation with an anti-inflammatory, then
the pain goes down,” explains Keri Zickuhr, MD. “I also recommend
physical therapy to work on balance to make sure people are using the
muscles and tendons in the most appropriate manner. This helps to strengthen
the tendons that are weak and stretch the tendons that are tight. Physical
therapy can also decrease inflammation.”
Shoulder Problems
Anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections and physical therapy may
all relieve pain and restore shoulder strength. In some cases, surgery
is recommended.
“Rotator cuff surgeries can be done arthroscopically with minimal
invasion to the tissue for less tissue trauma and less recovery time,”
says orthopedic surgeon and shoulder specialist Stephen Nuccion, MD. “If
a shoulder injury is severe, a shoulder replacement using new biomaterials
with great longevity allows patients to get their range of motion and
strength back. It also allows them to be active in a way that they don’t
have to worry about wearing out their prosthesis. In the past, the materials
have not had the longevity that they have today.”
Tennis Elbow or Tendonitis
Rest, anti-inflammatories and physical therapy can help ease elbow pain
and swelling. New biological treatments also work well. “I often
use a biologic treatment called platelet rich plasma (PRP). We remove
platelets from a patient’s blood and inject them into the area of
injury,” says Stephen Nuccion, MD. “The platelets have growth
factors that can decrease pain and inflammation and also help stimulate
a healing response. It’s very effective for chronic tendonitis like
tennis elbow.”
Hip Problems
Exercise is one of the best things for maintaining range of motion and
strengthening the muscles that support the hip to help relieve arthritis
pain. Anti-inflammatory medication as well as medications to slow bone
loss are also an important part of treatment. When pain persists, hip
surgery is necessary. “In 2004, orthopedic surgeon Don Sanders,
MD, brought us a new method of hip replacement using an incision in the
front of the hip called the anterior approach. There is less tissue disruption
so patients have a more rapid recovery,” explains John McNamara,
MD, chief medical officer at Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
Knee Problems
Anti-inflammatories, injections and physical therapy are first line treatments
for knee problems. When surgery is necessary, advances in biomaterials
and minimally invasive treatments have improved recovery time. “We
get patients up and walking the day of surgery,” says orthopedic
surgeon and knee specialist Stephen Nuccion, MD. “This improves
range of motion and restores independence more quickly.”
Advances in Non-Surgical Treatments for Restoring Pain-Free Mobility
Torrance Memorial Medical Center is on the cutting edge of treatment to
relieve pain, inflammation and restore your active lifestyle. Our doctors
are leaders in their orthopedic specialties and use a variety of new,
non-invasive treatments to help their patients heal including:
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
Doctors remove platelets from a person’s blood and inject them into
the area of injury. The platelets have growth factors and stimulate a
biologic chain of events that can decrease pain and inflammation and also
help stimulate a healing response. It’s very effective for muscle
injuries as well as chronic tendonitis like tennis elbow or patella (knee)
tendonitis. It’s also effective in the treatment of early to moderate
arthritis as well as some types of rotator cuff tears and knee meniscus
(cartilage) tears.
Growth Factor Injections
Doctors harvest immature cells from the patient or a donated source and
inject them into the area of injury to stimulate a healing response in
the body. They can work well for small rotator cuff tears or for early
arthritis in the shoulder and knee.
Physical Therapy
A customized physical therapy program is clinically proven to strengthen
muscles and tendons that support joints. As a result, there is less inflammation,
stiffness and pain as well as increased range of motion and flexibility.
Harvard Medical School reports that in some cases, such as torn knee cartilage,
physical therapy works just as well as surgery.
To contact Torrance Memorial Physician Network orthopedic surgeons Stephen
Nuccion, MD; Tiffany Rogers, MD and Keri Zickuhr, MD, call 310-517-1216.
To contact orthopedic surgeons Don Sanders, MD and Randolph O'Hara,
MD call 310-784-2355.