Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008 - (Page 14)

Orthopedic advancements are helping patients return to activity faster. silently, over time, as the stress from repetitive motion wears down the body’s structures. For example, Woods’ knee reportedly has given him trouble since his childhood days of skateboard and dirt-bike crashes. And the golf swing— requiring an extreme twisting of the body—hasn’t helped. The statistics show just how pervasive these injuries are. There were almost 14 million doctor visits due to shoulder problems in 2003, and more than 19 million knee-related checkups, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. More than 10 million middle-aged and older Americans have osteoarthritis of the knee, which involves a gradual loss of joint cartilage. Thankfully, medical science is catching up to the damage. The arthroscopic surgery performed on Woods typically involves using small incisions and a tiny camera that allows the surgeon to examine the inside of the knee and repair damaged tissues. Improvements in the instruments and higherresolution cameras have made arthroscopy highly effective. says Janice Loudon, Ph.D., a licensed physical therapist and coauthor of The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide (Human Kinetics, 1998). “Recent technology allows for only a portion of the joint to be replaced instead of the whole joint, resulting in less pain and faster recovery.” With cartilage implantation, a patient’s own healthy cartilage is surgically removed and reinserted into an area where there is a cartilage defect. During microfracture surgery— which professional basketball player Greg Oden underwent in 2007—a surgeon drills tiny holes into the bone near damaged cartilage. In response to the injury, bone marrow leaks out and blood clots, which encourages new cartilage growth. For patients with rotator cuff tears and significant shoulder arthritis, a preventing injuries in every season less pain, faster recovery But the innovations in the orthopedic expert’s arsenal don’t end there. Partial knee replacement is an innovation that preserves greater knee motion and reduces blood loss during surgery. “Most individuals have only a portion of their knee that is defective due to osteoarthritis,” Whether you prefer the fairways in the summer or the slopes in winter, experts urge you to make conditioning a fourseason commitment. “This is one time when an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure,” says James T. Johnson, M.D., MPH, board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Panorama Orthopedics and Spine Center’s St. Anthony North Hospital office and staff physician for the U.S. Ski Team. “If you keep your legs in good condition at all times, you’re far less likely to be injured whether golfing or skiing,” he says. “There’s a fine balance between the muscles that keep legs and knees functioning smoothly and painlessly. Once that balance is thrown off, problems arise. So if you’re not going to the gym on a regular basis, take a simple walk to fire up the muscles and keep them active.” Johnson also encourages his patients to stay in tune with their bodies. “There’s no such thing as ‘no pain, no gain,’” he says. “If it hurts, stop and process what’s going on. You may be doing too much or with bad form—or your body may not be ready for the activity. But stop until you figure it out.” 14 vim & vigor • winte r 2 008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008 Contents Friendly Faces For Your Health 'Tis the Season to be Safe Eat Your Veggies Joint Effort Fresh Beginnings Decades of Opportunity Keeping Score Your Big Give Roll Up Your Sleeve Tidings of Comfort and Health Blueprint for Safety The Smoke-Free Mom-to-Be Childbirth Trends Moms Choosing Midwives Community Sections Dollars & Sense Ask the Experts

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.