Author Archives: Peter Sweeney

Ankle Fractures – Affect Up to 3 Bones at The Joint

A broken ankle may refer to either a single fracture or many simultaneous fractures. A fracture could affect up to 3 bones at the joint, which are the tibia, talus, and fibula. The Tibia is the shinbone. The Fibula is the bone that is located on the outer part of the ankle. The Talus is the name of the bone that joins your foot to the leg.

Ligaments link the bones so that your joints remain stable. If you twist your ankle, it is the ligaments that suffer the damage. They can also be injured when your ankle is fractured.

Why does your ankle break?

Broken or fractured ankles normally occur due to rotational injuries. These are injuries where your ankle gets twisted, rolled, or turned. Walking, running or sporting activities are common causes. More serious causes include car accidents.

Causes that are sudden are often known as Traumatic Ankle Fractures.

What causes ankle stress fractures?

Stress fractures normally result from high pressure activities, such as hiking, field sports, and running. In such cases, the injuries do not occur straightaway.

Stress fractures can also occur if you rapidly increase your activities. For example, if you often jog 1km per day, but then decide to jog 20km as a one off, this can give rise to stress fractures.

The different types of ankle fractures

Different types of ankle fractures are normally differentiated by which bones are affected.

What are the most common ankle fractures?

The 4 commonest kinds of ankle fractures are termed as 1. lateral malleolus fracture, 2. trimalleolar ankle fracture, 3. bimalleolar ankle fracture, and the fourth one is pilon fracture, also known as plafond fracture. The lateral malleolus fracture happens to be the commonest kind of ankle fracture. The next on this list is that of bimalleolar ankle fracture. In trimalleolar ankle fracture, you have broken on 3 sides of the ankle. In the pilon fracture, the roof – which bears the weight – suffers the fracture. The hazard of long-term damage that you have in these cases is directly proportional to the number of fracture lines you have.

Things You Must Know about Hyprocure Stabilization Procedure

The HyProCure or HyProCure-Stabilization procedure is used to treat misalignment of bones in the feet that results from flat feet. It is a powerful yet minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be performed within a span of 20 minutes. Through the use of HyProCure, the misalignment between ankle and the heel can be corrected and can resolve flat feet easily. This is recommend when a Doctor considers it important to reposition the ankle bone over the heel via the insertion of a titanium stent. This small stent is designed in such a way that it enhances the movement of the hind foot and effectively brings stability to the ankle bone.

One of the main reasons as to why HyProCure has become a popular mode of treatment for flat feet is that it can resolve numerous types of chronic condition that result from misalignment and unstable arrangement of the bones that lie between the heel and ankle. Such a misalignment leads to flat feet or lowered arches, which are sometimes referred to as hyperpronation and overpronation. If the bones are always aligned in the right manner, the body is propelled easily when a person is walking. The weight of the body is properly supported by the heel, the toe, and the arch and this facilitates walking and movement at every step of the way. On the other hand, when the bones are not aligned properly, it leads to abnormalities in the gait. The main reason for this is that the bone arrangement results in an inward rotation which puts a lot of strain and pressure on the foot.

When a person has a flat foot and it causes a lot of pressure on the foot structure, it can lead to dysfunction of the area, damage of the soft tissue and chronic pains. The level of overpronation determines the extent of problems that can be faced by the patient for his or her flat feet. In many cases, overpronation may also result in pain around the neck, shoulders, back and head along with critical posture issues. Even though traditional methods of treatment like customized orthotics are often recommended for the treatment of flat feet, it has been noted time and again that HyProCure provides better results. The podiatrist that you get in touch with for the treatment of your flat feet can have a look at the extent of your problem and recommend the HyProCure, as it can provide permanent resolve.

Why You Should Consider Going for A PRP Therapy

PRP therapy or platelet-rich plasma therapy is a highly innovative form of treatment that can help in the healing of various parts of the body. Scientists have been trying to come up with ways to use the natural ways that the body heals itself for quite some time. PRP therapy is a major step in that direction. It works as a regenerative therapy that can use the inherent growth and healing factors of the human body to initiate healing and recuperation of the tissues. The plasma is an essential component of the blood which serves as a base for all proteins and water. It serves as an essential medium for all the red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells that move through the body. Platelets handle most of the crucial growth, healing and regenerative functions of the human body. Hence doctors always try to work with platelet activation methods to ensure a fast healing of all the affected areas.

During PRP therapy, doctors collect the platelets from the healthy tissues and then a concentrated solution of those platelets is injected into the affected body parts. This can lead to healing of the negatively affected and injured muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. Therefore PRP injections are effectively designed to work with the healing system of a patient so that different kinds of musculoskeletal problems can be treated. It has also delivered excellent results against the issue of hair loss. Usually PRP injections are made by using a single or multiple tubes of blood collected from the body of a person who is to be treated. These blood samples are then run through a centrifugal machine for boosting the functionality of the platelets. Such activated platelets can then be directly injected into a person’s injured body tissues. In this way, the cells can be encouraged to undergo a reparative process once again. In many cases, ultrasound imaging is utilized for helping with the injection process.

One of the reasons as to why doctors these days strongly recommend using PRP therapy is that it can improve the results of the healing mechanism in a major way. Therefore it is no wonder that PRP therapy is often used for the treatment of numerous types of injuries and conditions like arthritis, as well as other kinds of degenerative disorders and structural damages that can happen due to increased age. This method of therapy is also preferred for reducing the symptoms of pain and enhancing the operational efficiency of the joints and ligaments caused by chronic tendinosis and tennis elbow. Another advantage of PRP therapy injections is that they can minimize the necessity of using opioids and anti-inflammatory injections/medications.

With the advancement of medical science, it has now become possible for medical clinics to ensure faster recovery for patients who have been dealing with a lot of pain for some time. Since the platelets used in the PRP therapy are always collected from a patient’s body, there is no chance that the body is going to reject them once they are injected. This has made PRP therapy evolve into a major form of therapy in the last few years.

Prolotherapy: Effectiveness in Treatment of Painful Conditions

Prolotherapy is a type of alternative therapy that can assist in the repairing of body tissues. Some medical experts believe that the basic concept of proliferation therapy or prolotherapy is several thousands of years old. Over the years, numerous types of prolotherapy have been developed, although the basic function of Prolotherapy is to stimulate one’s body in effective ways so that it repairs itself. By injecting salt/sugar solution inside a joint, a wide range of conditions like fibromyalgia, degenerative disc diseases, sprains and strains, joint issues and arthritis can be treated. Prolotherapy also works for certain types of headaches. The efficiency of prolotherapy has led doctors to opt for it when they need to cure issues that affect the tendons and musculature of the body. Injured ligaments can also be effectively repaired through this method.

The interesting thing about prolotherapy is that it is known to resolve pain even though scientists are not really sure as to how this process works. The goal of prolotherapy is to impact the underlying factors that are responsible for the pain. Compared to some of the other types of treatments that lead to only temporary results, prolotherapy can and usually does ensure lasting benefits. If a patient has been suffering from facet syndrome, degenerative disc disease, joint sprains, osteoarthritis, whiplash, tennis elbow, chronic tendonitis or sprains, then they can benefit immensely through the application of prolotherapy. The doctors normally perform a thorough check up of the body and the nature of the case to determine whether a person is a good candidate for this kind of treatment.

During prolotherapy, doctors inject a local anesthetic by combining it with concentrated dextrose into the painful tendons, the ligaments, and joint capsules. Instead of working like a nutrient, this solution can function to enhance the natural ability of the body to heal itself so that new tendons, ligaments and muscles are produced. In cases where advanced level regeneration is required, the doctor may recommend multiple treatments with prolotherapy which can guarantee additional growth of tissues that can improve the strength and functioning of the affected areas. Based on the nature and severity of the condition that has affected a particular patient, the doctors can come up with a unique treatment plan that makes use of prolotherapy. Normally patients are required to go through a session of prolotherapy once in every 2 to 6 weeks till the area has healed completely. Once the damaged areas have healed, a patient can get back to normal activities without any pain.

When prolotherapy is performed in the right manner, it can effectively reduce pain and all signs of stiffness. The strength of tissues and other ligaments can be substantially boosted through the application of prolotherapy. The clinics that offer prolotherapy treatment make use of cutting edge medical technology to provide this procedure so that patients can experience fast recovery. Prolotherapy has a very high rate of success among diverse patients. For this reason, more and more doctors and patients these days opt for this procedure.

All You Need to Know about COVID Toe Symptoms & Treatment

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely turned the healthcare facilities of the world upside down as doctors and medical health experts are toiling endlessly to treat and take care of patients who have been affected by this deadly virus. Among the various symptoms that have been noted so far in relation to this virus, one that gave rise to a lot of serious discussions and debate is COVID Toe. COVID Toe is one of the most bizarre symptoms that have been associated with corona virus and it has been observed mostly in younger people, though not exclusively. People with COVID Toe often do not exhibit other symptoms or even if they do, their intensity is much less.

While most doctors are still dealing with this health crisis, they are trying to understand the nature of corona virus symptoms. Doctors have found that COVID Toe usually heals without many long-term health complications. In certain cases where a patient does not have any other visible symptoms, the presence of COVID Toe indicates that the person has COVID-19. COVID Toe is associated with the ischemia of toes and fingers wherein there is reduced flow of blood in these areas. This leads to the development of purplish or reddish lesions on the toes and fingers. This can lead to a lot of pain and even cause tissue death unless it is treated at the earliest possible instance. The symptoms of COVID Toe are often linked with chilblains which are similar lesions that commonly appear during the month of winter.  

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, doctors often found chilblains in patients during the colder months. However, in the last few months and weeks, numerous patients have been found to be affected by COVID Toe. Many of these patients have never had chilblains before. In many countries, COVID Toe has not yet been officially declared as a symptom of coronavirus infection. Even though it is way too early to deduce any official conclusions, doctors believe that patients who have COVID Toe normally have a better functioning immune system and as a result they would probably be fine in the long run. The lesions that develop due to COVID Toe are typically painful with an itchy or burning sensation. They can also involve the presence of bumps.   

It is still too early to develop a detailed medical protocol for the treatment of COVID Toe. Many doctors have likened the condition with perniosis which involves an abnormal and critical reaction to cold weather wherein inflammations impact the body’s small blood cells. Many doctors now treat COVID Toe by warming the affected areas and applying medications like oral calcium channel blockers and topical steroids. In many cases, the symptoms of COVID Toe get resolved on their own without further treatments. It is important to mention that the doctors are still trying to understand this condition as well as other symptoms associated with COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are experiencing symptoms, our Podiatric Consultants can help you to manage Covid Toe.

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Treating Foot Injuries

The treatment for your foot injury would depend on the type and cause of your injury. For some treatment is straightforward and simple. Shoe inserts are a great option in these cases as they provide you a lot of relief from the pain that may happen because of foot injuries. You can get them on prescription as well as on an over-the-counter basis. Others might require casts, surgery and physical therapy.

Apart from these, there are some home remedies that can work rather well in these situations. At the very least, they would help you deal with pain.

Soaking it away

If your feet are sore, you can stimulate and refresh it with a soak. For this, you would have to fill up two basins with cold and hot water. The degree of coldness and warmth in both depends on your level of tolerance. Start by soaking your feet in the basin, which contains cold water. Do this for 5 minutes. After that, put your feet in the basin that has the warm water. Keep repeating this. This process is also known as hydromassage. It constricts and dilates the blood vessels in your feet alternately, and this boosts blood circulation in the affected area.

You can also use essential oils such as peppermint oil, rosemary oil, and eucalyptus oil with hot water to reduce pain in your feet.

Massage

You can get rollers that are built specifically to massage the soles of your feet. You should find them at your nearby health store. If you want you can also use a tennis ball, rolling pin, or golf ball, and roll your bare feet on the same. You can also use oil to massage your feet. This would make the process a lot more stimulating. For this you can use a combination of sesame oil and clove oil. Mix them well and then massage them on your feet.

Wearing shoe inserts

As has been said already, shoe inserts – also referred to as orthotics – are a great way to deal with pain in your feet. Apart from the medical supply stores, you can obtain orthotics from a podiatrist.         

Exercises

There are some simple exercises that might help. It is advisable to have a specialist recommend an exercise regime, as, depending on the foot injury, some may cause more harm than good.

Pain after A Hip Replacement

When it comes to pain management after a hip replacement surgery, the first question that comes to your mind is how much post-operative pain is normal. During this surgery, the surgeon would remove the damaged parts of your hip joint. They would be replaced using artificial parts that could be made from raw materials, such as metal, plastic, or ceramic. You can expect that these parts would improve the range of motion you can perform with your hip in the long run. However, since this is a surgical procedure you should expect to experience some pain in the short term directly after the operation.

Difficult to determine how much pain you would feel at this stage

It is really hard to predict how much pain or discomfort you would experience immediately or for a few days following the surgery. Individuals have different pain thresholds and tolerances. You should always tell your doctor the kind of pain you are feeling at any stage – you should inform them how severe the pain is. They would provide you some directions for managing the pain.

It is your duty to follow them as well as you can.

Over-the-counter medicines

Over-the-counter medicines can provide effective pain relief. The most prominent example of such a medicine is Tylenol, which is acetaminophen. You should not have more than 2000 to 3000 mg of these per day, as anything over this level is unsafe. Your doctor will advise on this.

What happens when these medicines do not work?

Sometimes over-the-counter medicines do not work. In such situations, you should get a prescription for stronger medicine. It is for your doctor to determine if that particular prescription painkiller is the right option for you.

She or he would create a schedule for you with clear instructions on dosage and frequency of use.

Conclusion: Living with pain in your hip can be a debilitating and frustrating experience. This is especially with regard to the way in which it can affect your normal daily routine. In some cases, you may have difficulty in merely getting enough sleep or walking upstairs. Over the counter hip treatments and or prescription painkillers are often the answer for dealing with postoperative hip pain and it is highly recommended that you discuss your pain relief with your doctor.

Exercises for Staying Fit at Home

These are times when you have to isolate yourself as much as you can. This means that you cannot go to the gym as much as you used to, but there are a few simple exercises that you can keep doing at home to make sure that you remain fit and healthy.

Stretching

The first among these easy and simple workouts is stretching. You can always start the process by touching your toes. As this gets easier, start to add more touches to either side – right and left. At the advanced level, your torso needs to stay straight when you are bending down.

Sit ups

In the initial stages of this particular exercise, you start off by just raising your shoulders and head off the floor. Once you have built up strength you can do full sit-ups.

You need to keep a few things in mind for this particular exercise. Always have a straight back while doing them. If the need be, hook your feet under a chair so that you can do the exercise properly.

Back extensions

This is an important exercise especially targeted for the middle-aged people. A lot of people in their mid-30s and 40s suffer from back issues such as tightness and this is a great exercise to deal with the condition. You start by laying on your front. After that you raise your legs and head off the floor. It is always better to vacuum your carpet before you do the exercise!

Push-ups 

Push-ups help you build strength in shoulder and arms. You can start the exercise in a simple form by pushing up from your knees. When you get better at the exercise you can start doing the full push-ups. After that, you can try touching your forehead on the floor. This would make the exercise a bit more challenging.

Running in place

This is a high-intensity exercise. You should start this off with around 100 steps and do it for 6 minutes. After that, you can start doing more steps.

At that stage add a new exercise for every 75 steps. The best exercises include scissor jumps, star jumps, and knee bends. 

Conclusion: The great thing about these exercises is that they do not take a lot of your time. You also do not need any equipment to do them. These exercises also happen to be time tested and have helped plenty of people stay fit at home. As and when the Coronavirus lockdown ends, you would obviously be keen to get back to the gym. But these simple and effective exercises can tide you over while gyms are out of bounds.

Dislocated Knee: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Your knee is a rather complex joint and is located between your lower and upper leg. It is also the meeting point of three bones – the femur or thighbone, tibia or shinbone, and patella or kneecap. The knee also contains different kinds of cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. All of these, are important as they help it work the way that it is supposed to. Your knee gets dislocated when there is a disruption in the position of your thighbone with respect to the shinbone in the knee joint. There are many reasons why this might occur, for example, because of trauma due to a fall, car accident, or sports injury.

Dislocated Knee Symptoms

The main symptoms which may indicate that your knee has been dislocated include:

• hearing a popping sound when the injury happens
• limitations in the different kinds of ways you can move your knee
• severe pain in the dislocated area
• swelling
• a deformity in the knee joint that can be seen rather clearly
• inability to keep doing even the most regular activities
• knee joint becoming unstable – it feels like as if it cannot bear any weight

These symptoms manifest at the time of injury.

Dislocated Knee Diagnosis

Your specialist can perform examinations to check if your knee has been dislocated. As part of this they would check the following:

• pulse in various parts of your leg and knees
• nerve conduction
• blood pressure in the affected leg
• temperature and colour of your skin
• sense of feeling and touch in the affected leg

Whenever your knee is dislocated the first – and the most important – thing that a healthcare provider wants to do is to stabilize the limb that has been injured.

Treatment of Dislocated Knee

Treatment often starts with making sure that there is nothing wrong with the position of the kneecap. The process by which the kneecap is moved back to its proper location is also referred to as reduction. During a reduction, you would be under sedation or be given medicine to make sure that you do not experience any pain. Your leg would be moved to allow your kneecap to get back to its proper place. After this, a brace will be put on your leg. In long-term rehab is the most important aspect of a treatment plan.

Outlook

The outlook for your knee dislocation depends on various factors. How did the injury happen? What is the extent of the damage? Were the nerves damaged? Did the damage happen to your blood vessels? What was the method of treatment used in your case? How well did you adhere to the rehab plan that was set up for you? It is very important that you recognize how serious a problem this is and get proper treatment from a knee doctor. Apart from the nerve and blood vessel-related complications, you may face issues such as deep vein thrombosis and compartment syndrome in these cases.

Treating Frozen Shoulder

Treatment of a frozen shoulder focuses on pain control and attempts to make sure that you can have the maximum amount of motion in your shoulders.

The medicines that you can use

You can use over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and aspirin in order to bring down the inflammation and aching. In some situations, your doctor may advise on the use of anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs that are stronger than the usual medicines.

How can physical therapy be useful in these cases?

A physiotherapist can assist with a variety of range-motion workouts and movements. These would help you get back a significant amount of mobility in your shoulders. However, you have to remain committed to these exercises and do them on a regular basis so that you can make the most of whatever mobility you still have in the affected area.

What surgical procedures are available in this regard?

In most cases, frozen shoulder resolved in a year at the most. However, if your problem persists, you should talk to your shoulder doctor, who may suggest a few procedures.

The most prominent among them are steroid injections, shoulder manipulation, joint distension, and surgery, to name a few. When it comes to steroid injections, doctors could administer corticosteroids to your shoulder. This would help in decreasing the pain and improving the mobility in your shoulder. It is helpful in the earlier stages of this condition. With regard to joint distention, the doctor may inject sterile water in your joint capsule. This could help with stretching your tissues and makes it easier for you to move the joint.

In the process of shoulder manipulation, you would be given an anaesthetic. This will make sure that you are unconscious and feel no pain. After this, the doctor will move your joint around in different directions. This is done to make sure that all the tight tissues in the area are properly loosened. It is very rare for surgery to be performed to treat a frozen shoulder. Your doctor would prescribe this only when nothing else has worked. The main aim of the process is to do away with adhesions and scarred tissues from within your shoulder joint.

For surgery doctors normally use tubular and lighted instruments that are inserted in your body through small incisions. These incisions are made in your joint. This particular process is also referred to as an Arthroscopy.        

Conclusion

Apart from the above, you might also try some home remedies and making changes to your lifestyle. For instance, you need to keep on using your shoulder as much as you can while keeping in mind the thresholds for a range of motion and pain. You can also apply a cold and heat press on your shoulder to bring down the pain. Alternative medicines such as acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation could also be attempted.