It wasn't that long ago in history that an arthritic hip or a severe knee injury meant spending the rest of one's life permanently disabled and/or in a wheelchair. Thankfully, with modern medical techniques and the availability of highly trained orthopaedic specialists at Hampton Roads Orthopaedics Spine & Sports Medicine, the average healthy person has [...]
A human's skin is an amazing organ. Among other tasks, it provides protection from external threats such as harmful bacteria and other organisms, along with mechanical threats such as a cut. Although skin has many self-healing properties including combating bacteria and containing blood loss, there are certain situations where a skin wound can overwhelm the [...]
One of the most common forms of arthritis occurs in the knees. It is called osteoarthritis, and it happens when the cartilage between the joints wears away, causing the bones to rub against each other. The rubbing results in swelling, pain, and stiffness of the joints, making walking movements more difficult. Because this is wear-and-tear [...]
Perhaps some of the most common tools used in orthopaedic medicine and physical therapy are orthopaedic braces. Orthopaedic braces are prescribed to correct and prevent bone, tendon, and muscular injuries. There are many different types of braces depending on which part of the body it will be used, and for what kind of injury. Choosing [...]
ACL injuries are most common amongst athletes, especially basketball and soccer players and ice skaters. ACL is short for anterior cruciate ligament. It is one of four ligaments that attach the femur (the bone above your knee) to the tibia (the bone below your knee). Its main job is to stabilize the movement of your [...]
Cortisone (corticosteroid) injections are anti-inflammatory medicine. They are not a pain reliever, but the injections have been known to relieve pain caused by inflammation. In the orthopaedic world, cortisone injections are commonly given in an inflamed joint, such as a knee, elbow, or hip. Cortisone can also be injected into smaller joints, such as the [...]
What is Cortisone? Cortisone is a steroid produced naturally by your adrenal gland. When your body is under stress, your adrenal gland releases cortisone into your bloodstream to help reduce inflammation. The cortisone that doctors inject into a painful joint is a synthetic version of natural cortisone. It's longer-lasting and is not injected into your [...]
Hip pain is a common complaint that affects millions of Americans - most often the elderly - and can be caused by a variety of problems from bone trouble to muscle and ligament tension. The hip is a ball and socket joint which connects to a number of soft tissues, tendons, and muscles, giving it [...]
If you are experiencing joint pain but are not quite ready for surgery, cortisone injections may be a good option for you. Injection therapy is usually used for two reasons, to treat a condition or to help address the correct diagnosis. For most patients, cortisone injections are part of a larger treatment plan. For example, [...]
In the last decade, we have made great strides in the understanding of pain and its treatment. Pain that was once considered hopeless is now manageable. However, there are still common misconceptions about pain, which prevent people from seeking the help they need and deserve. We hope that by dispelling these myths, it will help to raise [...]
