It goes ‘crack’ and ‘pop’ in the night. Spooky noises that sound like bone-on-bone as you walk. These are the most frightening sounds of the season: not ghosts or ghouls, but those orthopedic injuries you haven’t dealt with yet. Here are some bone-chilling facts about some of the most common orthopedic injuries and how they can come back to haunt you if you don’t finally put them to rest. Quit hiding that skeleton in the closet and get a proper diagnosis!
Your joints can make a lot of noises: popping, cracking, and snapping. It could be the casual knuckle crack that you do while thinking or the pop in your knees or ankles when you stand up suddenly. If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think much about the chorus of noises that your joints make while moving through your day. But what are these noises? As surprising as it sounds,
Among road races it’s legendary, attracting about 50,000 people from all over the world to participate in the world’s largest 10k. Bloomsday is Spokane’s crowning jewel of sporting events and it’s hard to imagine springtime in Spokane without it. With registration open, now is the perfect time to start your training programs and get ready for Race Day on May 3rd. Before you get started though, here are a few of the most common running injuries and how how to avoid them during your training this year.
It’s that time of year. The weather is getting colder and the mountains are calling. Ski season is just around the corner and you can’t wait to get in that first run of the year. Skiing is something we look forward to and love doing, but in all the excitement, it’s easy to forget about preparing your knees and hips for the twists and turns of the slopes. Each year, there are plenty of people who start their first trip without the right physical preparation and end up injured early in the season.
Recent studies have shown that prolonged instances of sitting raises the risk of many diseases and ailments. Sitting has been compared to smoking due to emerging research indicating “that sitting increases your risk of death and disease, even if you are getting plenty of physical activity. It’s a bit like smoking. Smoking is bad for you even if you get lots of exercise. So is sitting too much.” says Travis Saunders,
Does it hurt when you walk or run? Do you get repetitive injuries when you exercise? That might be your body telling you that your mechanics are wrong. The human body is an amazingly complex instrument and sometimes the way we use it needs some fine-tuning. If you experience pain when walking or running or are looking to get into walking or running again, it might be time for you to consider a gait analysis.
Did you know OSC has the only Eccentron in the Pacific Northwest? It’s true. The Eccentron is a remarkable piece of rehabilitation equipment that utilizes eccentric resistance strength training along with advanced measures and tracking. Most commonly used for total knee replacement, ACL, and hip rehabilitation, the Eccentron can help make a noticeable difference in a patient’s recovery.
Being the only orthopedic clinic in Spokane to offer in-house physical therapy,
Did you know that our very own David F. Scott MD has one of the lowest infection rates for knee replacements in Washington State? It’s true. Dr. Scott’s infection rate is just 0.07%. That’s over 6 times better than the Washington State average.
We spent some time with Dr. Scott chatting about what makes this possible and here’s what he said it boils down to:
“I just really like being a surgeon.
We are very happy to announce that we were recently selected as a Phase Two site for an osteoarthritis study. We are one of only 25 sites in the world selected and one of only 9 sites in the United States to qualify (the rest are in Europe). We can’t share too many details, aside from the fact that this is for a new class of drug unlike anything on the market currently,
There are many aspects of knee research that can impact the overall effectiveness and quality of life for patients. Did you know OSC in Spokane is the only clinic active in all major aspects of knee replacement research? Learn about these areas and how they can impact your overall care.
Pre-Surgical Options
Before surgery is even considered, the efficacy and merit of all non-surgical options should be weighed very heavily. OSC has performed in-depth studies related to industry leading joint lubricants that could be a large part of your effective care.
OSC has participated in several research projects that deal with bone density and the longevity of knee and hip implants. Previously knee and hip replacements were only considered for much older patients. Now however, many little breakthroughs in medical science have added up to implants that last longer and longer, providing more robust solutions for younger and younger patients.
Eventually a patient who has a knee or hip replacement will eventually begin to lose calcium content near the implant site though.
Many patients wonder how treatment at a clinical research facility like OSC may differ from going to a standard orthopaedic specialist. The simple version is: Performing clinical research demands a highly regulated environment with numerous levels of protocols and standards to ensure the patient’s rights and safety. These regulations translate to a higher degree of attention paid to each patient and better overall care.
A subject participating in a clinical research project may be required to get very specific x-rays,
OSC is excited to announce that we now offer an innovative new treatment option for those suffering with osteoarthritis of the knee. MAKOplasty is a minimally invasive surgery performed using robotic arm technology. The robotic arm system, called the RIO®, is a surgeon-controlled device that brings a new level of precision to knee surgery.
MAKOplasty provides a less invasive, more precise way to treat patients suffering from osteoarthritis of just one or two compartments of the knee.
Did you know Dr. David F. Scott, here at OSC, is the region’s foremost orthopaedic researcher? Dr. Scott has worked with top orthopaedic manufacturers to help engineer the implant parts of the future like the Stryker Triathlon Total Knee Replacement System. He is sought after by leading pharmaceutical companies for his clinical research expertise and is on the academic staff at both the University of Utah and the University of Washington.
Dr. Scott was recently selected to present to a huge audience at the annual November meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. This presentation marks a significant milestone in two on-going studies regarding the efficacy of total knee replacements.
Read the full abstract of his mid-term presentation here. Or check out the his PowerPoint.
The most significant preliminary finding in this research has been a four-minute tourniquet time difference between the implant surgeries.
