Not all people who suffer from Tennis Elbow have swung their racquets, and those who have never been affected by the problem will not be able to understand how severe the pain and discomfort can be. It is a debilitating condition that affects one s normal lifestyle in both minor and major ways.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is nowadays considered a promising treatment for consistent and chronic tendon problems including Tennis Elbow and Golfer s Elbow. It is often conjugated with autologous blood injection which is a quick and minimally invasive process using the cells of the patients without any use of any drugs.

What is Tennis Elbow?
The human elbow is a joint comprising of three bones: humerus in the upper arm, ulna, and radius in the lower arm. Each part of the bone is covered with cartilage that facilitates free movements of the bones. Tennis elbow occurs at times when the epicondyle layer on the elbow joint become inflamed or torn.

Understanding platelet-rich plasma therapy
PRP is a non-surgical, in-office treatment which starts withdrawing a little amount of blood. The blood is then spun in a centrifuge for concentrating the platelets in the place. This process also segregates the red and white blood cells. Then the platelets together with some amount of plasma are injected into the body in the affected region which has some injury and is not able to heal properly.

When a person is affected with Tennis Elbow, the platelet-rich plasma is injected into the Flexor Origin present on the medial side of the wrist extensor tendon origin at the lateral epicondyle. The doctor may need to jab the needle in different places.

Why is PRP suitable for Tennis Elbow?
The primary objective of using platelet-rich plasma therapy is utilizing the cells and protein of the body along with specific healing factors that can stimulate and jumpstart the process of healing in the tendons. To begin the healing process that has either stalled or could not be completed or has never started, the PRP is the best means. The first step of beginning the healing process is dealing with the inflammation. Experts are fascinated at the way in which the platelet rich plasma can replace the conventional anti-inflammatory medical treatments of Tennis Elbow.

The arrival of platelet-rich plasma has caused the corticosteroid shots to lose their popularity. Because, though they can relieve acute pain for a short span of time, they do not promote healing and may also cause further breakdown of the affected area.

PRP therapy is known for improving the natural healing process of the body. It has ignorable side effects, and the best part is that it is minimally invasive. Since Tennis Elbow is becoming more common these days, it needs to be treated in ways that would be able to complement one's situation and restore normal functionality. 

Consider Platelet- Rich Plasma Treatment For Effective Treatment Of Tennis Elbow

A sprained thumb is a painful condition caused due to an injury on the ligament of a thumb. A ligament is a soft tissue, which connects bones to each other at a joint. The ligament might get partially or fully torn due to extreme backward bending of thumb causing the ligament connecting the thumb and index finger to suffer injury.

The problem is quite common among basketball, rugby and football players. For this reason, it is known as a sports injury. Skiing may also cause extreme pressure to the thumb, causing a ligament tear. Injury due to skiing is called skier s thumb.

The injury causes pain, bruising and tenderness. It can cause swelling on just the thumb or sometimes on the entire hand. In severe cases, weakness and instability in the region can be seen. A sprained thumb weakens the ability to pinch and grasp things. The patient will have trouble holding a glass, turning a knob or writing. An untreated injury may lead to joint stiffness, muscle weakness, scar tissue formation, instability of the thumb or even arthritis. It is strongly advised to visit a professional therapist for an early diagnosis and treatment.

Usually, an X-ray leads to an apt diagnosis of the injury. The doctor also ascertains damage to the bone and ligament and develops a treatment plan. Some ligament tears can be treated using a splint or cast. A chronic ligament tear might not heal and would require surgical intervention.

A partial or mild ligament tear can be managed through useful home remedies like putting an ice pack, bandage or splint. It is also advised to keep the thumb elevated and restrict its movement. A heat pack is beneficial as it can ease pain and relax the muscles. However, heat pack must be avoided during the first 48 hours of injury as it can lead to bleeding.

If there is a chronic injury and the ligament is completely torn, a surgery is needed. A surgery helps join a new ligament to the bone in case the torn ligament fails to heal. It also helps reconnect the injured ligament to the bone. Sometimes, there might be bone damage as bone fragments might get pulled away with the ligament. In such cases, bone fragments need to be put back in their position through surgery. After the surgery, a cast or splint is put till it heals completely.

An early visit to a physiotherapist has potential advantages. A therapist can fasten the healing process, help relieve pain and improve a person s ability to resume daily tasks. Massages and strengthening exercises are initiated to avoid re-injury and instill strength in the injured region. Physiotherapy also helps immensely after surgery through planned mobility exercises that regain movement and strength.  

Sprained Thumb- Causes and Treatment

Fractures are simply a break in a bone. They can be caused due to injury, (traumatic fractures) or a pre-existing condition like osteoporosis that causes weakening of bones (pathologic fractures). There are many ways to classify fractures. All fractures fall into the major categories of simple and compound fractures. Simple fractures are fractures where bones remain inside the skin and don t jut out. They are also called closed fractures.

Compound fractures, also called open fractures, are broken bones that penetrate through the skin. These types expose the bone and deep tissues to the environment. Compound fractures are more serious of the two. The healing here may be affected due to deep infections for which antibiotics need to be used. There are many different sub types of fractures and we re only going to skim through them here.

Comminuted fractures: Severe fractures in which a bone breaks into several smaller pieces.
Avulsion fractures: A small piece of bone is completely torn off from the main bone due to fierce pulling off a part of the body.
Other types of fractures are characterised by the many different angles the bone breaks into like transverse, oblique and spiral fractures.

Diagnosis
When a bone is broken there are symptoms like swelling that doesn t subside on its own and pain. In such a case it s imperative that one goes to a doctor for a diagnosis. Doctors can usually recognise most fractures by examining the injury and taking an X-ray. The X-ray also provides a clear idea about the type of fracture and the degree of displacement of the bone. And, it s important that the patient doesn t wait too long before approaching a doctor. This is because bones begin to heal very quickly after a fracture and the bone tissue will heal using any tissue available. This can lead to a misalignment of broken pieces of bone and cause disability and loss of function.

There are cases when X-ray may not show a fracture. This is especially common in fractures in the hip and wrist in older people. For diagnosing these, doctors will get some other tests done such as a computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or a bone scan.

Treatments
Fractures have to be treated by doctors. The doctors set the fractured bones in their proper place and hold them there so that they can heal. Setting a bone is called "reduction." Reduction without surgery is called "closed reduction." But if the fracture is serious, it s going to require surgery with bone repositioning, called open reduction.

In extreme cases, pins, plates, screws, rods, or glue are used to hold the fractured bones in place, inside the body. Once the bone abutment has been treated, the bone is immobilised to allow the broken pieces to heal. In most cases, the fractured part is set in a rigid cast. The fractured ends of the bone can be fixed into place using metal pins connected to an external frame. This is removed after the bone has healed.

Fractures - How To Diagnose Them?

Most of us suffer from lower back pain at some point in our lives; be it from a sedentary lifestyle, spending hours at the office desk or from strenuous physical exercises. In most cases, a little bit of rest does the trick. However, if the lower back pain persists for 3-6 weeks, physiotherapy is recommended.

How does physiotherapy help?

The main purpose behind physiotherapy is reducing lower back pain and increasing muscle and bone function, so that such instances are avoided in the future. Physiotherapy is the first line of defence against lower back pain. More drastic measures such as surgery are undertaken once physiotherapy fails to do is job.

Physiotherapy is often recommended when the back pain is caused due to lifestyle factors, a minor injury like a fall or other moderate factors. For more severe back injuries, doctors recommend surgery straight away when there is no scope of performing physiotherapy.

Low-intensity back pain can be cured using a combination of heat packs, ultrasound wave therapy and Iontophoresis (using a localized current source to introduce medical ionic compounds to the body).

A physical therapy program for back pain usually has two components:

Passive physical therapy to help reduce the patient's pain to a more manageable level

Active exercises

Passive Physical Therapy - Modalities

The physical therapist may focus on decreasing pain with passive physical therapy (modalities). These therapies are considered passive because they are done to the patient. Examples include:

Heat/ice packs

TENS units

Iontophoresis

Ultrasound

Active Physical Therapy - Back Pain Exercises

In addition to passive therapies, active physical therapy (exercise) is also necessary to rehabilitate the spine. Here are some of the common exercises for back pain:

Back Stretch: Put your hands underneath your head while lying back. Bend your knees but put your feet on the ground. Roll your legs to one side and hold them there for 10 seconds. Repeat three times for each side.

Deep Lunge: For this, you need to kneel on one knee with the other foot pointed towards the front. Lift the back knee up and hold it there for five seconds and then bring it down. Repeat this exercise three times for each side.

One Leg Stand: This is the simplest of exercises. Hold on to a wall for support while standing and face towards it. Then slowly hold one leg and bend it behind you. Hold in the same position for five seconds before bringing it down. Repeat the process three times for each leg in five second gaps.

Physiotherapy for Back Pain

Spinal fusion is a surgery in which two or more vertebrae in the vertebral column or back are fused or joined to treat a slew of spinal problems and diseases, which cause debilitating back pain. This surgery helps to remove bone and tissue that are narrowing the spinal canal, squeezing the spinal cord and nerves, reducing pain and improving function.

There are many different causes of back pain like injury, poor posture, age, osteoarthritis, herniation of disc between two vertebrae, degenerative disc disease, narrowing of spine called stenosis, and spondylosis or lessening of space between the vertebrae- most of these can be treated using spinal fusion.

All of these causes put tremendous pressure on the vertebrae and pinch spinal nerves that pass through the back and radiate out into the arms, legs and torso. Apart from the pain, patients experience nerve and muscle weakness and irreversible damage affecting normal life.

Spinal fusion started off as just a treatment for fractures but now it has become the surgery of choice for a number of spine problems. Though it can be done anywhere in the spine, it is very effective when done in the lower part of the spine called lumbar spinal fusion or arthrodesis.

Spinal fusion is done by forming a direct bony connection between the vertebrae surrounding the painful discs, the cushioning between the vertebrae. Pain is stopped by stopping the motion of the painful discs.

There are different methods of spinal fusion each with its own advantages and limitations.

Techniques include fusion approached from the front, the back, or both of the vertebral column. Sometimes surgeons decide to use intervertebral cages or metal screws to provide internal structural support while the bone fuses. These cages may be placed between the vertebrae and packed with bone graft material taken from the patient or constructed out of synthetic materials.

What to expect?
Spinal fusion is not a risk-free procedure. It is a major surgery lasting several hours and carrying a number of risks like-

Failure of the vertebral fusion and breaking of metal implants
The vertebrae above and below the fusion can wear away aggravating problems
Blood clots may be formed that can travel to lungs causing embolism
Injury to spinal nerves causing permanent weakness in legs and problem with bladder and bowel function
Infections and blood loss
Heart attack or stroke during surgery
The patient has to be kept in hospital for a couple of days for post-operative care after which he will have to undergo rehabilitation for months. Hence, one should really think before going for spinal fusion. And when it is recommended, seek a second opinion before making a decision. 

Spinal Fusion Surgery - What To Expect?

A slipped disc is a condition which is characterized by a damaged disc in your spinal cord. The disc is a soft substance present in the spinal cord that cushions the vertebra in the spine. A slipped disc occurs when the soft substance in the disk pops out causing pain in the area. 

There are various preventive measures that you can adopt to prevent a slipped disc from occurring; they are

Keep a check on weight: Being overweight increases the risk of a slipped disc as the pressure on the lower back will be immense. In order to reduce the pressure, maintain optimal levels of bodyweight.
Exercise regularly: Do strength training exercises such as the plank and squats to strengthen the core muscles. This helps in strengthening your lower back strong and prevents slipped disc from occurring.
Maintain a good form while exercising or lifting anything heavy: If you are exercising or simply lifting something heavy, make sure to keep your lower back straight. Lifting heavy weights without proper form may lead to slipped disc as the spine may not be able to bear the stress.
Quit smoking: It is advised to quit smoking as smoking impairs the ability of the disc to absorb nutrients and thus, prevents it from remaining healthy. It may also cause the discs to become brittle and dry.
Maintain a good posture: Remember to keep an uptight posture while walking; keep the spine straight to prevent slouching. Maintain a proper neutral posture while sitting as well. Hunching over your desk while working with your computer may also cause problems in your spine.
Do not sit for prolonged periods: Sitting for extended periods of time may cause problems in your lower back and posture. It may weaken the lower back muscles and lead to complications such as a slipped disc.

Slipped Disc - Things You Must Do To Prevent It!

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