There are no live seminars scheduled for the summer months, but we want to remind you that the entire educational seminar "Joint Arthritis - What's New, What Works" is available for viewing online, either in its entirety or in segments.   

The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics is pleased to return as a sponsor for the 2nd Annual Galloway Captiva Triathlon! Think a hip or knee replacement keeps you out of the running? Think again! And see what Sue Ann Miller has to say about competing.

If you have attended one of my educational seminars in the past, you may recall one of my opening remarks - that my goal is to keep you out of my office for as long as possible! That means we investigate several options to get you relief from your joint pain before considering surgery. You want to keep your own joints as long as possible.

One of the treatment options is injections of corticosteroids (also commonly known as cortisone). Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory medication that can reduce joint inflammation. Because the medication is injected directly into the joint, the effects of the medication are concentrated on the painful joint. The injected cortisone can bring the inflammation in the joint under better control and decrease the swelling and pain.

These injections involve putting a needle directly into the joint. Through the needle, I can remove excess synovial fluid (the lubricating fluid found in joints) and inject corticosteroid medication to help reduce the inflammation, pain, and swelling.

This process may sound risky. It is actually safe and fast. It involves little or no pain. And therapeutic injections have important benefits. They deliver the medicine to the exact spot that needs it. They also allow you to use lower and fewer doses of oral steroids, which are highly toxic.  

The most common side effect from injections is a temporary increase in pain and swelling. Rest, cold packs, and anti-inflammatory drugs help this pain go away within four to twenty-four hours. Studies have shown that about 6 percent of arthritis patients who receive injections in their joints experience this passing pain. It is probably caused by the body's reaction to the corticosteroid crystals in the medicine. If you have problems with pain and swelling after injections, we may want to change the type of corticosteroid in your next injection.

Another fairly common complication is mild, temporary flushing (sudden redness of the skin) and agitation. Injections can also make diabetic symptoms worse.

There is a chance that the injection can introduce an infection into the joint. However, the odds of this are very slight. Studies show infections following injections happen from 1 in 1000 to 1 in 1600 times. Still, infections in the joint can be very serious.

You have over 600 muscles in your body. These muscles control everything you do, from breathing to putting food in your mouth to swallowing. To move your muscles, your brain sends signals to the voluntary muscles and coordinates the movements that you want. The voluntary muscles contract as they're being used and they become tighter. The muscles then relax when the movement is complete. When the contraction/relaxation cycles are done repeatedly, as in exercising, the fibers become stronger and the muscles get larger and stronger. However, sometimes the muscles, or just a few fibers within the muscle, contract on their own, causing a muscle spasm or cramp. 

The difference between a spasm and a cramp is the force of the contraction. If it's a quick contraction and release of muscle, without pain, it's a spasm. If the contraction is prolonged and painful, it's a cramp. Occasionally, cramps are so intense that you can't use your muscle because it's so tight and painful. Cramps can be short-lived, a minute or less, or as long as a couple of days.  

Because heat, dehydration, and/or lack of salt and minerals (electrolytes) are possible causes of muscle cramps, it's important to stay hydrated, especially during these hot summer months. You can learn more about what causes muscle cramps and how to treat them in this article on our website.