Hospitalization can be a pretty bad experience. Almost everyone needs a guardian to protect them while there. Here are some observations that may help you.
Stem cells are both in and out. It was once thought that if these cells were injected into joints, they would turn into cartilage. Two problems arose. First, patients (unless they are infants) have very few stem cells left. Second, the injected cells died after releasing their instructional growth factors, never turning into cartilage. But what we have learned is that an increasing number of concentrated growth factors, immune stimulants, and even some drugs can induce the migration of the body’s own progenitor cells—some of them stem cells—cells that direct healing—to the injured area.
The science of cartilage repair for joints is in full swing. There is a frenzy of activity around stem cells, growth factors, exosomes (small packets of growth factors), and all forms of stimulation therapies. And the matrices or patches that those factors are placed on vary widely. The bottom line is that no one factor does it all. Here is the latest update on what needs to go into the chicken soup of tissue repair to make you well.
Achilles tendon ruptures are in the news. Season-ending, will take a year to come back, terrible injury…such verdicts fill the headlines. Why?
Low back pain connects with a special region in the brain and produces the fear that you will never be the same again. Here are some guidelines that may help you.
The PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) can be ruptured in car accidents when the knee hits the dashboard and in ski accidents when knees get impacted in wild falls. If left alone, the injured knee degrades over time. Understanding the injury and novel ways to treat it has changed its natural history.
The lack of gravitational force is deadly to humans. The list of bodily systems that don’t work properly grows with every examination of astronauts who spend prolonged time in space.
1. Gravity
Winter sports are often enjoyed at altitude. Going to high elevations pushes all your cardiovascular systems to respond. Are you ready?
“Doc, my knee popped, it now catches and gives way.” Whether it is the knee, the ankle, the hip, or the shoulder, catching and giving way—especially after hearing a pop—is bad news.
Surely you have heard the usual advice: Get strong, stay flexible, don’t take the last run, and ski with a helmet. All fine and good—until you notice that the top skiers on ski teams, along with super fit backcountry skiers, all get hurt too. So let’s think about some of the less common ski tips and see if they keep you safe next year.
