Health News
No one is eager to have knee surgery. Luckily, there are options that can relieve pain.
Recently three orthopedic doctors from the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics (RIAO) gave a free lecture at LifeBridge Health & Fitness on the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Drs. Michael A. Mont, Ronald E. Delanois, and Harpal (Paul) S. Khanuja all informed their listeners about safe options to surgery. Thanks to the interactive nature of the lecture, the audience was able to address any concerns they had about their own hip and knee pains.
Dr. Mont began the lecture with an informal question and answer period. He started off by asking the audience ?how would you treat joint pain?? The crowd reacted by shouting answers like ?Aleve!? ?Tylenol!?
?How many people think narcotics are appropriate for pain?? Few people raised their hands. ?Many doctors are anti-narcotic? continued Dr. Mont, ?but I have patients that think that narcotics are their best option. They take their prescribed dosages and it works great, but when the patient starts to increase their dosage, they may begin to get addicted.?
Tylenol and Aspirin can work just as well as any other medication, says Dr. Mont, but it is important that if you are taking those medications frequently, you get checked regularly because of the possible side effects on the kidney and liver. It is also important to note that when your pain level decreases, you should get off the meds!
Another alternative to surgery is a shot of cortisone. Dr. Mont says that he has given around 100,000 shots, and he notes few disadvantages.
He also recommends mild exercise, with concentration on exercises such as cycling, swimming, or using an elliptical machine. Patients should stay away from anything like a step machine or treadmill. He explained that ?a typical step is 2-3 times body weight, and running puts 7-10 times body weight on your knees, which could create major pain for someone who has knee or hip osteoarthritis.?
Suggestions also included exercises to strengthen frontal muscles, hamstrings and side muscles . The RIAO also offers a detailed exercise sheet. Dr. Mont advises that 20 minutes of exercise every-other-day produces excellent results.
When people are in pain, surgery should not be their immediate thought. The physicians at the RIAO offer a variety of different treatments for pain including non-surgical methods. Over time, if the non-surgical methods don?t work, the physician will discuss the possibility of knee surgery.
To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 410-601-WELL (9355).
-Jessica Oring
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- Mayo Clinic Experts Offer Advice On Preventing And Coping With Osteoarthritis, Especially In The Knees
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- New Type Of Artificial Knee, Designed For Individual Patients, Is Being Implanted At St. Joseph East In Lexington
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- Dr. Barry Waldman Featured In The Baltimore Sun Today
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- Hip Resurfacing At The Rubin Institute For Advanced Orthopedics At Sinai Hospital
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Health News
Alternatives to Knee Surgery
No one is eager to have knee surgery. Luckily, there are options that can relieve pain.
Recently three orthopedic doctors from the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics (RIAO) gave a free lecture at LifeBridge Health & Fitness on the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Drs. Michael A. Mont, Ronald E. Delanois, and Harpal (Paul) S. Khanuja all informed their listeners about safe options to surgery. Thanks to the interactive nature of the lecture, the audience was able to address any concerns they had about their own hip and knee pains.
Dr. Mont began the lecture with an informal question and answer period. He started off by asking the audience ?how would you treat joint pain?? The crowd reacted by shouting answers like ?Aleve!? ?Tylenol!?
?How many people think narcotics are appropriate for pain?? Few people raised their hands. ?Many doctors are anti-narcotic? continued Dr. Mont, ?but I have patients that think that narcotics are their best option. They take their prescribed dosages and it works great, but when the patient starts to increase their dosage, they may begin to get addicted.?
Tylenol and Aspirin can work just as well as any other medication, says Dr. Mont, but it is important that if you are taking those medications frequently, you get checked regularly because of the possible side effects on the kidney and liver. It is also important to note that when your pain level decreases, you should get off the meds!
Another alternative to surgery is a shot of cortisone. Dr. Mont says that he has given around 100,000 shots, and he notes few disadvantages.
He also recommends mild exercise, with concentration on exercises such as cycling, swimming, or using an elliptical machine. Patients should stay away from anything like a step machine or treadmill. He explained that ?a typical step is 2-3 times body weight, and running puts 7-10 times body weight on your knees, which could create major pain for someone who has knee or hip osteoarthritis.?
Suggestions also included exercises to strengthen frontal muscles, hamstrings and side muscles . The RIAO also offers a detailed exercise sheet. Dr. Mont advises that 20 minutes of exercise every-other-day produces excellent results.
When people are in pain, surgery should not be their immediate thought. The physicians at the RIAO offer a variety of different treatments for pain including non-surgical methods. Over time, if the non-surgical methods don?t work, the physician will discuss the possibility of knee surgery.
To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 410-601-WELL (9355).
-Jessica Oring
- Partial Knee Replacement Using A Robotic Arm Used In Ky. For First Time; Offers Hope Of Longer Lasting Knees That Feel More Natural
A partial knee replacement surgery that utilizes a robotic arm was performed for the first time in Kentucky in May, Mark Hansel reports for the Northern Kentucky Tribune. RIO, Robotic Arm System (Photo from NKYTribune) Dr. Matthew Hummel...
- Mayo Clinic Experts Offer Advice On Preventing And Coping With Osteoarthritis, Especially In The Knees
Experts from the Mayo Clinic offer tips for both those trying to prevent and those suffering from a painful condition that affects at least 27 million Americans: osteoarthritis. It is the most common form of arthritis, which most almost everyone...
- New Type Of Artificial Knee, Designed For Individual Patients, Is Being Implanted At St. Joseph East In Lexington
Saint Joseph East hospital in Lexington is Kentucky's first hospital to offer a customized total knee replacement system in which each the knee implant is made to match the individual patient?s anatomy, says a news release from ConforMIS, manufacturer...
- Dr. Barry Waldman Featured In The Baltimore Sun Today
The Baltimore Sun this week featured a question-and-answer column on arthritis with Barry Waldman, M.D., co-director of the Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement at the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. The...
- Hip Resurfacing At The Rubin Institute For Advanced Orthopedics At Sinai Hospital
An exciting alternative to standard total hip replacement surgery is now available at the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics (RIAO) at Sinai Hospital. Hip resurfacing has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the...