Proactive Versus Reactive: Which One Are You Choosing?

We strongly encourage our patients to be proactive with their musculoskeletal health over just being reactive.

Let’s list some examples of the two different approaches:

Proactive

1. You’re trying to remain in great shape, yet your knee is starting to ache due to mild osteoarthritis. No surgery is necessary, but you want to do something that not only reduces symptoms, but also protects the knee in the long term that is likely disease-modifying. Thus, a series of platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections will meet those goals. PRP injections are one of the best treatment options for the management of osteoarthritis.

2. You’re starting to have heel pain when you first get out of bed. You suspect plantar fasciitis. Instead of ignoring the symptoms or simply relying on Dr. Google, you decide to consult with a sports medicine physician, so a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment plan can be constructed and customize for you. You realize an inexpensive ultrasound in the office can confirm this diagnosis, determine severity and help with prognosis. At that visit, you’ll be given numerous treatment options and successfully guided on your ability to continue exercising to maintain good health.

3. You have daily aches and pains, early arthritis and stiffness, but really don’t want to go on daily medications to manage the symptoms. However, you need some help making lifestyle choices as a pertains to diet, supplements and exercise choices. You understand that friends, family, and the Internet are not the optimal resources. Therefore, you decide to move forward with a physician consult so you may receive advice in great detail regarding the best supplements to choose for your particular situation, how to approach exercise and dietary choices. You understand that it is your physician’s to help you decide between what is fact and what is myth.

Reactive

1. Your heel starts to hurt after some longer walks, especially when you first get out of bed. You talk to friends who recommend rolling the heel, stretching the toes and obtaining non-customized orthotics. You continue to walk, but three months later your heel pain is worse and you limp into the doctor’s office wondering what happened. Bottom line, you now have advanced plantar fasciitis. Unfortunately, the advice you’ve received from well-intentioned others has not been the best for you. Presenting to the doctor when the symptoms first developed would’ve given you a much better outcome, as an entirely different set of treatment options would have been suggested.

2. Your arthritic knee starts to hurt and you see a bit of swelling, but you decide to keep going to the gym, rubbing Biofreeze on it and you add in some heavy yardwork over several weekends, Ultimately, you can barely bend your very swollen knee, and you’re thinking about canceling that trip to see grandkids. Of course, we are here to help you, but we could’ve avoided this major flare if we would have proactively started some treatment as soon as your knee started to ache.

So we ask the question: are you going to be proactive or reactive? Not every little ache or pain that last hours to a few days should prompt a visit to the doctor. However, do not ignore symptoms and instead, do realize that early treatment usually provides better outcomes than waiting until symptoms rise to a moderate or severe level.

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

I Have Knee Arthritis. Can I Still Run?

The answer is, “yes,” “maybe” or “no.” Thus, it really depends on your situation, and fortunately, a period of relative rest may only need to be temporary.

Here’s the really good news: several recent studies have indicated that running a reasonable number of miles does not cause knee osteoarthritis and may actually have a protective effect.

If you are a runner and your knee is symptomatic, then our role is to help you reduce or eliminate your symptoms and safely return to running. We know that running has numerous health benefits, not only including protection of the joints, but also calorie burning, weight control, improvement of cardiovascular health and many mental health benefits.

As a patient though, it’s sometimes difficult to know when you need to stop running for a while, what’s a reasonable amount of running for your body and what treatment options may be available to not only reduce your symptoms, but also to protect your knees on a long-term basis.

That’s where we come in! We love treating runners and understand how you think. We typically focus on a nonsurgical and minimally-invasive approach to your care.

Physical therapy, bracing, footwear changes, custom orthotics, medications, supplements, and various injections can all play a role in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. One of the best long-term treatment options, especially for those with mild to moderate osteoarthritis, would be platelet plasma (PRP) injections. These can have a very protective effect for the knee, and not only by reducing symptoms, but also by slowing or stopping the deterioration of the cartilage within the joint. Only a couple weeks of rest are typically required after these PRP injections.

Check out a few blogs on PRP as well as running as it relates to knee osteoarthritis:

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/8/5/our-top-5-treatments-for-knee-oa

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/5/12/five-keys-to-successful-outcomes-with-prp-injections

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36875337/

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

I Don't Want Surgery But What Else Can I Do?

Fortunately, 90% of problems that come into an orthopedic clinic do not require surgery.

Approximately 80% of those conditions treated nonsurgically can be treated with traditional treatment measures: rest, activity modification, physical therapy, medications, supplements, lifestyle changes, brace, splint, a boot walker, steroid injection, etc. This is “bread and butter“ treatment administered by an orthopedic/sports medicine physician.

Now, what about that last 20% of non-surgical treatment? That’s often where we have to think “outside the box.” Let’s say in the case of osteoarthritis and tendon problems, that’s where treatment like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can be very helpful. For example, in the case of knee osteoarthritis, how would you like to have less pain, less stiffness, less swelling and better function? What if we could accomplish that with a treatment that is minimally-invasive, safe, proven and natural? As a bonus, this treatment has preventative benefits, meaning we likely are slowing down the cartilage breakdown in your knee. These are the benefits seen with PRP injections.

In the case of tendon or fascia problem like a rotator cuff partial tear, tennis or golfer’s elbow or plantar fasciitis, PRP is designed to be a healing agent. We are using these growth-factor rich injections to accomplish healing, not just make you feel better like a steroid injection might.

Check out a few of our previous blogs, and let us know if we can help you!

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/12/8/prp-the-gift-of-health

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/9/23/5-things-you-have-to-know-if-you-have-knee-pain

https://www.impactsportsnashville.com/blog/2023/8/5/our-top-5-treatments-for-knee-oa

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

PRP: The Gift of Health

As we near the major holiday gift-giving season of the year, consider one the best gifts you can give to yourself: the gift of health! Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are a great option for you in 2024 if you are looking to boost your orthopedic health and longevity. Here are 5 great adjectives that apply to PRP injections:

1) Safe: adverse effects and complications associated with PRP injections are exceedingly rare.

2) Effective: 80-90% of our patients that receive PRP injections have very good outcomes and are satisfied with their results.

3) Natural: these injections use your blood, specifically your platelets and your growth factors to exert their positive effects.

4) Proven: once considered experimental, there are now hundreds of studies that demonstrate clinical benefit with PRP injections.

5) Preventative: PRP injections are touted in their ability to prevent many degenerative joint and soft conditions from further deterioration.

Want to know more? Check out some of our blogs:

Insurance Companies Say PRP Is Experimental…We Sigh — Impact Sports Medicine & Orthopedics (impactsportsnashville.com)

Five Keys to Successful Outcomes with PRP Injections — Impact Sports Medicine & Orthopedics (impactsportsnashville.com)

PRP And The Three "Es" — Impact Sports Medicine & Orthopedics (impactsportsnashville.com)

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

5 Things You Have to Know If You Have Knee Pain

1. Three factors play a role in knee pain: structural, biomechanical and environmental. Structural means damage, biomechanical means abnormal tracking or loading within a joint or tendon because of misalignment, weakness, and/or inflexibility. Environmental typically means inflammation within the joint or tendon. When formulating a treatment plan for you, we typically want to address one or two of these factors initially. Unless you have major damage, we’re normally not treating structure initially, as that results in a surgery.

2. Age often plays a role in these different factors: in the absence of injury, in patients under 20 years of age, the problem tends to be biomechanical. In patients ages 20 to 40, the problem tends to be biomechanical and inflammatory. In patients older than 40, structural, biomechanical and inflammatory are typically all playing a role.

3. Being proactive in the care of your knee problem usually produces better outcomes than being reactive. This means integrating treatments early on and not waiting until you have major pain or disability to see a physician. We term this “PIO,” Proactive Interventional Orthopedics.

4. Meniscus tears are commonly found on MRIs and may or may not be a source of pain. For decades, the trend was to treat these surgically, typically arthroscopically, removing the torn piece of meniscus. There’s now a trend towards repairing the meniscus tear when possible, but only about 10% can be successfully repaired. Thus, surgery for meniscus tears, especially those age 40 and above, is falling out of favor. On occasion, surgery is the better choice, but treating these initially nonsurgically is usually the best way to start. We often tell patients “a little torn meniscus is better than less meniscus,” especially long term. Less meniscus often equals greater arthritis.

5. Three types of injections can be used for most knee problems: steroid, hyaluronic acid, and orthobiologics. Orthobiologics include platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections. Each of these injections can be reasonably good choices, but for long-term success, PRP is likely your best option in terms of producing favorable outcomes, modifying the disease process, and these are often the most cost-effective option. Stay away from “stem cell” injections that are ordered by physician’s or chiropractic offices and do not come from you own bone marrow or fat. These are often being used inappropriately, and patients are charged exorbitant amounts of money to have these injections.

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

Our Top 5 Treatments for Knee OA

Whether it be mild, moderate or severe knee osteoarthritis, here are our top 5 treatments. If you can incorporate these into your regimen, then you undoubtedly will see the benefits of less pain, better function and greater longevity for your knees.

1) Weight Loss: for every 1 pound a person is overweight, an extra 4 pounds of force are going through the knees. So, lose 10 pounds, and you have 40 pounds of less force on those knees. Lose 25 lbs, and 100 fewer lbs. of force! A recent study indicated that when those with knee OA lost 10% of their weight, their pain decreased by 50%

2) Healthy Eating with an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: healthy eating doesn’t always result in weight loss, but choosing the right foods often results in less inflammation in our body. This means less pain and a better environment for the joints. Choose fresh foods over processed ones. Reach for the fresh foods in the refrigerator more than packaged food in the pantry. Eat at home more and go out to restaurants infrequently. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats should be the staples of your diet. Alcohol in moderation. Red meat, fried foods and processed food only on occasion and when necessary. Sodas rarely and watch out for artificial sweeteners.

3) Injections: these are often a faster path to relief for most patients. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections utilizing your own blood and concentrated growth factors are the star of this category. Long-term benefits are most common with PRP. Hyaluronic acid injections (brand names: Orthovisc, Trivisc, Gelsyn, Euflexxa, etc.) are good options for many. At times, we combine the PRP and hyaluronic acid injections to boost the benefits. Steroid injections are the final option and can have great utility when a patient needs to feel better quickly such as during a flare or before a big trip.

4) Exercise/Physical Therapy: choose exercise you like, you will stick to, a variety and types that do not cause pain in your knee, both during and afterwards. Sometimes, it’s not just the type of exercise, but the intensity and duration. Find your “sweet spot,” meaning your knee might feel great if you walk a one mile but hurts if you go further. You can bike for 30 minutes, but beyond that causes swelling. So, stay below your pain threshold. Lower-impact options like biking, elliptical, rowing and swimming/aquatic exercises are often the best choices for most with knee OA. Physical therapy is often a good starting point to strengthen the muscles around the joints and to improve biomechanics, functional movement patterns and flexibility.

5) Supplements: our favorites are collagen, curcumin (the active ingredient of turmeric) and for more advanced knee OA, glucosamine and chondroitin. Others like fish oil may have benefits for the joints as well. The key here is choosing a high-quality brand and taking these on daily basis. Admittedly, they don’t help everyone, and you need to make sure that your physician knows you are taking these, especially if you are taking other medications and/or will soon have a medical procedure.

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

Knee Replacement Soon? Hit the Pause Button...

So many patients with knee osteoarthritis ask me the question “well, if I’m eventually going to require knee replacement, shouldn’t I go ahead and have it done now?”

Well, there’s not just one answer to that question, but here are some of my replies:

-Most knee replacements only last 15 to 25 years. After that, the implants start to loosen, creating pain, swelling or a sense of instability.

-Most patients are at higher risk for surgical complications at the time of a second surgery, known as a “revision,” simply due to their age and likelihood of having more significant medical conditions.

-Surgical techniques are improving with breakthroughs every two or three years. Robotically-assisted replacements and having replacements as an outpatient surgery are two recent examples. More advancements are sure to come.

-One should never base the need to have knee replacement on the appearance of the x-rays. Some patients with “bone-on-bone” arthritis have minimal pain and excellent function. These patients don’t need a replacement.

-What often produces the most pain is an unhealthy environment within the knee joint, some of which may be controlled with injections like platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

-We also believe that PRP may put a stop sign or at least a yellow light on cartilage deterioration. We do not make guarantees about cartilage regrowth, but if we can stabilize a patient’s current cartilage and slow or stop the deterioration, then we are slowing the process of osteoarthritis and perhaps delaying the need for knee replacement.

-For a joint condition like arthritis, we often think of PRP as a maintenance treatment, not just a one-time application. Much like the maintenance for your car, you don’t just take it to the mechanic once or twice and then get a new car. This is an ongoing process.

-Assuming a patient is in that 80% success group with PRP treatments, one should plan on likely having repeat PRP injections every 1 to 2 years. This is a great long-term investment in the health of your knee.

-Want to know more about PRP? Check out this blog:

Five Simple Reasons You Should Consider Platelet-Rich Plasma — Impact Sports Medicine & Orthopedics (impactsportsnashville.com)

In summary, for some individuals, knee replacement is inevitable, but there can be great value in delaying this surgery to increase the odds that it is required just once in a patient’s lifetime. For others, treatments like PRP can eliminate the need to have a replacement.

As always, let us know if we can be of assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

Five Keys to Successful Outcomes with PRP Injections

1. Quality Equipment- we’ve chosen a PRP system created by one of the industry’s leaders in orthobiologic injections.. This is our 5th PRP system to use over the past 12 years. Thus, we are always searching for the best option to produce a high-quality PRP solution.

2. Appropriate Selection of Patients- we attempt to choose patients and conditions that are excellent candidates for PRP injections. Admittedly, not every patient is an ideal candidate, yet their options may be limited in terms of other forms of treatment, or they are willing to have PRP due to its excellent risk-benefit and cost-benefit ratio compared to more invasive treatments. Partial tendon tears, plantar fasciitis and osteoarthritis of the knee, hip and shoulder comprise 95% of our PRP injections.

3. Appropriate Pre-Procedure and Post-Procedure Instructions and Compliance-little things can be the difference between PRP succeeding or not succeeding or between a good outcome and a great outcome. For example, it’s important for a patient to be off any anti-inflammatories at least a week before and 2 weeks after a PRP injection. It’s also important to rest the treatment area, and this form of rest really varies depending on the patient and their area treated. A patient’s timetable for return to exercise and/or rehabilitation must be carefully outlined.

4. Quality Preparation of the PRP solution- not all PRP is the same. The platelet concentration and number of platelets can vary and are important aspects of the potential success of PRP. How much blood we take from the patient and the PRP system dictate these numbers. Also, we typically create a leukocyte-poor (low numbers of white blood cells) for joint injections and leukocyte-rich (higher white blood cells and the highest number of platelets) solution for tendon injections.

5. Accuracy of the Injection, Preferably with Ultrasound Guidance- using ultrasound for the injection often results in less pain, lower risk, and greater accuracy. We place the PRP exactly where it needs to be and avoid hitting other structures like bone, cartilage, nerves and blood vessels. We often say, “if you’re going to invest your time and money in this procedure, don’t you want it done as precisely as possible?”

More medical professionals are performing platelet-rich plasma injections than ever. This innovative treatment is not going away and will only evolve in the years to come. If you think you are a first-time or repeat candidate for a PRP injections, then come see us!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

PRP And The Three "Es"

This sounds like the name of a band, right? Well, we’re referring to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and three important words that start with an “E” when discussing these procedures.

First, a quick reminder that we use your own blood obtained from an arm vein, a special kit, a centrifuge and a precise separation process to create the PRP. PRP is then a great treatment choice for osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder and other joints. It’s also an effective treatment for tennis and golfer’s elbow, plantar fasciitis, Achilles and rotator cuff tendon problems, just to name a few. When considering who will perform your PRP injection, you absolutely need to consider the three Es:

Experience: At Impact, Dr. Holmes has been performing PRP injections since 2009. Very few physicians in the Nashville area can claim that level of experience. In addition, we are giving more PRP injections than ever as more and more patients are realizing the benefits of this procedure. Thus, in 2009, we may have given 1-2 PRP injections a month, and now, we give 12-15 a month on average.

Expertise: With experience comes expertise, yet expertise also comes with putting in the work. This means attending conferences, reading and interpreting studies, participating in webinars and interacting with peers who are also experts in the field. Hardly a week goes by that we don’t spend some time fine tuning our expertise in this field. Next, we’ve been pioneers in the sports medicine industry through our ultrasound-guided injections. 14 years of experience with ultrasound and over 10,000 injections later, we consider this to be an area of expertise.

Equipment: PRP is not just PRP, meaning some kits, equipment and the preparation process are better than others. Novices in the field tend to choose lower cost and lower quality PRP systems which often produce fewer numbers and a lower concentration of platelets. At Impact, we are on our 5th PRP system over the past decade. These systems continue to improve, and you deserve a high-quality option. Finally, ultrasound-guidance is paramount when having a PRP injection. Don’t you want this high-powered solution to be injected into the precise location? Without ultrasound guidance, you are proceeding “blindly” and can only hope the injection makes it to the intended location.

Considering a PRP injection for your orthopedic condition? Remember the 3 Es and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

What Does "Being Proactive Over Reactive" Mean?

Proactive Interventional Orthopedics (PIO)…a concept we will continue to promote. What does it mean in orthopedics to be proactive over reactive? Here are some examples and brief explanations:

Choose maintenance and more long-term injections over short-term steroid/cortisone injections: platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid injections often produce a more clinically significant and longer duration of benefit than steroid injections. For your knee and hip arthritis, tennis and golfer’s elbow and plantar fasciitis, just to name a few, choose these injections.

A course of physical therapy over exercises you simply found online: patient outcomes are generally better when you work with a physical therapist over Dr. Google or YouTube. We have fantastic relationships with physical therapists across Middle Tennessee and can work with you to find the best fit.

Regular use of supplements over prescription or over-the-counter medications: there’s a time and place for prescription meds when managing orthopedic conditions. However, for long-term management, we prefer options like curcumin/turmeric, collagen, and glucosamine/chondroitin. That being said, it’s always wise to consult with a physician before starting new supplements.

Don’t wait for your pain or disability to reach high levels before you seek treatment: orthopedic conditions treated early after the onset of symptoms and when pain and dysfunction are at a low level typically respond better to less-invasive treatments, and this early treatment can lower the risk of further damage to the joint or tissue.

Choose a specialist over a primary care physician for your orthopedics needs: PCPs work really hard and a do a great job to care for your overall health, but they do not necessarily have the expertise, the tools such as on-site imaging and advanced equipment or the time to dedicate to your orthopedic conditions.

Healthy eating patterns over a fad diet: weight loss is a vital part of the treatment plan when it comes to weight-bearing joint problems like hip and knee osteoarthritis. Through a variety of options, we can help you a structure a plan to gradually lose weight in a manner that the weight will stay off and through means that can be maintained for the long-term.

As always, let us know if we can help you overcome an injury, treat an orthopedic condition or find the pathway to greater wellness with an improved quality of life!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

BEING PROACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE, WHEN IT COMES TO PLATELET RICH PLASMA (PRP) INJECTIONS

I am a 28 year-old nurse practitioner and former competitive athlete, and I am strongly considering getting platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for my knees. Why? For one, as a provider, I have witnessed many improved patient outcomes. Two, this procedure is safe, has relatively no side effects, and is minimally-invasive. Lastly, we are seeing that by being proactive with PRP versus reactive when symptoms are present shows even further benefit.

After many years of intense volleyball training, games, and working out without any downtime throughout the year, I developed bilateral knee pain. Although I have no x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis at this time, based on my symptoms, there is no doubt I have cartilage damage. Because of this, I feel that PRP injections, in addition to other conservative treatments I’ve used, will boost the longevity of my knees. 

PRP helps soft tissue, joint, and cartilage pathology. It is a great way to use your own body’s healing system to improve musculoskeletal problems, and there is minimal risk because it uses your own blood. 

What’s our process?

1. Obtain blood from a vein.

2. Spin it in a centrifugation system in our office. This separates the components of the blood and concentrates the platelets.

3. We take the plasma that has platelets that are rich in growth factors to create the PRP injectable solution.

4. The PRP is then injected under ultrasound guidance in the targeted area.

When injecting the PRP solution to the targeted area, it creates an espresso shot-like effect for your body’s growth factors and repair cells to travel to this area. The main goal is to help repair the damaged area, decrease pain, and improve function. Keep in mind that this is a slow and methodical approach that can take up to 6 months to see maximum benefits. Sometimes more than one PRP injection is needed. How long does PRP last? It varies based on the severity of the patient’s condition, a patient’s activity level, and incorporation of other conservative treatments. Cost can vary per practice. We typical charge $800-$950 (*subject to change) depending on how many locations we are injecting and which centrifugation system we use. Keep in mind that PRP injections are NOT stem cell injections. 

My goal with this blog is to change the thought process that PRP injections should only be used reactively to treat orthopedic conditions and their accompanying symptoms to one instead that utilizes PRP in a proactive approach to slowly repair and stabilize conditions. 

So, why haven’t I had PRP injections in my knees already? Honestly, the only thing holding me back is my nervousness when it comes to needles. 

Interested to see if PRP injections would be helpful for you? We would love to have a consult with you to discuss these in detail! 

Taylor Moore, FNP

Impact Sports Medicine and Orthopedics

It’s Time To Start Treating Your Arthritic Knee Like Your Car

“Orthopedic Maintenance”…that’s a term you may start to hear, especially in our practice. For years, patients have been led to believe that in the case of their arthritis, there’s “nothing you can do about it” until you want or choose to have a replacement. Also, our medical system has been developed to be reactive instead of proactive, especially again in the setting of arthritis. So, let me ask you this, do you only take your car to the mechanic when you have a problem? If the answer is yes, then you are on the fast track to either a needing a new car or paying your mechanic a pretty penny for all the repairs your car will need! If you are a wise car owner, then you take your car in at regular intervals for the oil change, fluid additions, tire rotation, alignment, brake maintenance and various inspections. So I then ask, should you be doing the same for your arthritic knee? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

So, what does orthopedic maintenance look like? In very general terms, it means that if your body has aches, pains or dysfunction, then it’s wise to jump on these earlier than later, avoiding the temptation to ignore symptoms, and think, “I’m just getting old.” This translates to seeing your orthopedic/sports medicine physician to confirm a diagnosis and discuss treatment and prevention strategies. Let’s focus on one of the most effective forms of non-operative treatment for knee osteoarthritis: injections

1)     Steroid (cortisone) injections are great for acute pain, when it’s important to reduce symptoms and swelling quickly. Steroids are really a more “reactive” treatment, such as when a patient needs to feel better quickly for a major life event (a trip, visit with the grandkids, have to feel better for work, etc.) but can be proactive for a patient trying to stave off a knee replacement or is not a good candidate for knee replacement. For example, the elderly patient whose risk of knee replacement outweighs the benefit, planning two steroid injections a year for his/her symptomatic knee arthritis may allow the patient to feel less pain, move better, be at lower risk for a fall and have a greater quality of life.

2)     Hyaluronic Acid/Viscosupplement injections (brand names include Orthovisc, Gelsyn, Euflexxa, etc.) have a long track record of excellent safety and provide symptomatic relief in approximately 75% of patients for 4-12 months. They probably work as anti-inflammatories and lubricants for the knee, replenishing the hyaluronic acid in the arthritic knee that is depleted or less effective. These are probably more beneficial for those with mild to moderate arthritis as opposed to more severe cases. There are essentially no side effects except for mild injection-site soreness in some. Most insurance companies will authorize this 3-4 injection series every 6 months, so planning on about two series a year is a very proactive strategy. These are what we often term as the “oil change” injections.

3)     Orthobiologic injections are really your “game-changer” injections. These have been used in orthopedics for 15 years and in our practice for over 10 years. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is the most commonly used orthobiologic injection. Insurance companies and even some medical providers still like to consider these as “experimental” or unproven treatments for osteoarthritis, yet there are now 39 randomized, controlled trials (studies) that demonstrate that PRP is effective in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. PRP is derived from your own blood, as we obtain blood from an arm vein, spin this in a centrifuge, remove the majority of red and white blood cells, and concentrate the platelets which are rich in your own growth factors. These growth factors module inflammation, reduce pain, improve function, and most likely have a beneficial effect on the cartilage within the joint. This is how they are “game-changers.” They very likely stop or slow the progression of arthritis by stabilizing the cartilage and potentially improving the quality of the cartilage.

We typically start with two PRP injections 2-6 weeks apart and expect, on the average, 6-12 months of symptomatic benefit. Repeating these at regular intervals is likely the best plan of action in order to see continued, long-term benefits. PRP injections are here to stay, and how we continue to apply them in the treatment of osteoarthritis will continue to evolve.

Primary care providers and dentists have done a great job integrating maintenance evaluations and treatments into a patient’s health regimen. Now, we should likely be doing the same in orthopedics, and the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is a great place to start, as this is the most common medical condition seen in our office today. It is a tremendous source of pain and disability for millions of Americans and contributes to the spending of billions of health care dollars. It’s time for orthopedic physicians and patients to join together to be proactive over reactive and realize that less-invasive preventative strategies are preferred over more-invasive and costly interventions.

As always, we here to help and strive to be your resource for these innovative maintenance strategies!

F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

Impact Sports Medicine and Orthopedics

5 Reasons to Either Have or Avoid a Steroid/Cortisone Injection

Steroid, often called “cortisone,” injections have been used in orthopedics and other specialties for several decades as potent anti-inflammatories. In recent years, they’ve become more controversial, as medical studies have validated that they likely have negative effects on our bodies and actually worsen certain conditions in the long-term. However, steroid injections still have some positive utility, and careful discussion with each patient must be undertaken to determine whether a steroid injection may be more beneficial or more harmful in each unique situation. Let’s explore those situations:

A Steroid Injection Can Be Particularly Beneficial in These Situations:

1)      Adhesive Capsulitis- most commonly seen in middle-age women, this highly-inflammatory condition causing shoulder pain and stiffness often responds beautifully to an ultrasound-guided injection into the glenohumeral joint.

2)      Early Phase of Tendonitis- if we catch tendonitis very early and when it’s primarily in the inflammatory stage (like tennis elbow or calcific rotator cuff tendonitis), a steroid injection can be very helpful in reducing pain and restoring function.

3)      Diagnostic and Therapeutic- many times, we see a patient that has pain in an area, yet we can’t determine the exact source. Thus, we use a precisely-placed injection with ultrasound to see if the pain is relieved. If so, then we feel that we’ve located the source and can then customize a more effective treatment plan. We use this strategy often for hip pain.

4)      A Patient Needs Rapid Relief- your knee is swollen and that bucket-list vacation that will require a lot of walking is fast-approaching. Your arthritic knee is in a flare, and we need to reduce pain and swelling within days, so that you can better enjoy that trip or upcoming event.

5)      Gout and Pseudogout- these are highly-inflammatory conditions due to excessive urate or calcium deposits in a joint, respectively. A steroid injection can provide rapid relief from these conditions.

A Steroid Injection Should be Avoided in These Situations:

1)      Chronic Tendonitis and Partial Tears- if you’ve had tennis or golfer’s elbow, rotator cuff issues or gluteal tendonitis for 3 months or greater, then your tendon likely has more degeneration and tearing than just inflammation. Steroid injections are far less likely to provide a long-term benefit in these situations.

2)      Repetitively- unfortunately, many patients make it to our office after having had 3-5 steroid injections over the past 1-2 years for their chronic condition such as tennis elbow or plantar fasciitis. We know that steroid injections have a catabolic (causing further deterioration) effect on joints and soft tissues if used excessively.

3)      Around Tendons at Risk for Rupture- the patellar tendon and Achilles tendon are two areas where we always avoid steroid injections. These tendons are prone to major tears, especially if exposed to injectable steroids.

4)      Risk of Infection- if there is any suspicion for an infection in a joint or bursa, then steroid injections are a “no-go.” It’s better to aspirate the fluid and send for analysis first before considering a steroid.

5)      Surgery in the Near Future- if a patient is considering having a joint replacement in the next 3 months, then steroid injections should be avoided due to the risk of infection during and shortly after the surgery.

We hope you find this information helpful when it comes to one of the most commonly proposed non-surgical treatment in orthopedics. As always, let us know if we can be of help to you!

-F. Clarke Holmes, M.D.

Impact Sports Medicine and Orthopedics