CONDITIONS

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Do you have a spinal condition that’s causing you chronic pain intense enough to interfere with your life or day-to-day activities? Are you afraid you’ll never be able to get your pain under control or that it might continue to worsen as you age? 

WELL, YOU’RE NOT ALONE. 

Many people with spinal disorders feel frustrated, confused, and helpless about their conditions. As many as 500,000 people suffer from some form of spinal injury each year. The good news is that you can ease your concerns and fears by gaining a better understanding of your condition. 

 

At NJ Spine and Orthopedic, we work to help you understand your symptoms, diagnose your condition and inform you of the various treatments. Below is an overview of the most common types of spine conditions, as well as other orthopedic conditions.

orthopedic conditions that require elbow surgery - man playing tennis

5 Orthopedic Conditions That Require Elbow Surgery

The elbow is a complicated joint. In fact, it is one of the most complicated joints in the entire body. The elbow also plays an extremely important role in our day-to-day activities; so, as you can expect, problems with this joint can greatly disrupt our functioning. Naturally, elbow problems tend to underscore just how important the elbow can be. Tasks that were easy before, such as working or driving, become nearly impossible to those with elbow irritation. Aside from being one of the most complicated joints in the body, the elbow is also one of the largest joints as well. Specifically, the elbow connects the radius and ulna to the humerus, which are fairly large bones on their own. Furthermore, the elbow connects these parts through a system of ligaments and muscles. Precisely because of the elbow’s size, complexity, and location, it can alter our range of motion immensely. Not only is the elbow very large and complicated, but it is also one of the most frequently used and abused joints in the human body. Inherently, this means that the elbow is prone to injuries, such as fractures and hyperextension. For example, there are many orthopedic conditions associated with the elbow, such as bursitis and osteoarthritis. NJ Spine and Ortho can help you understand your symptoms and seek treatment. Arthroscopic Surgery For Elbow Bursitis Elbow bursitis is a painful condition that involves inflammation of the bursae. Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles near the body’s joints. When these sacs become inflamed, doctors call the condition bursitis. Bursitis is not necessarily exclusive to the elbow joint. It may also occur in the knee, shoulder, hip, heel, or base of the big toe. Usually, bursitis predominantly affects the elbow, shoulder, and hip, as these are the joints that undergo the greatest strain. Not all cases of elbow bursitis require surgery. In fact, most of the time, these inflamed sacs will get better on their own. That being said, there are more severe instances in which a doctor must surgically drain the inflamed sac. In the most severe cases, it may even be necessary to remove the affected bursa altogether. This, however, is exceptionally rare. If conservative treatments have not alleviated the patient’s symptoms, your doctor will perform surgery. Usually, bursitis surgery is performed using a small incision with a minimally invasive probe known as an arthroscope. An arthroscope is a pencil-sized device with a small lens that the surgeon inserts through an incision to receive 3D guidance. This allows the surgeon to make repairs and corrections to the joint as necessary. Another hidden benefit of elbow arthroscopy is that this surgery is minimally invasive. This means that the procedure boasts a faster recovery time than traditional open surgeries. Minimally Invasive Surgery For Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) RA is one of the most common types of elbow arthritis, but it is fundamentally different than most types of arthritis. Conventionally, arthritis affects the joints over time through age-related wear

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patient who is candidate for intrathecal pain pump

Pain Management Spotlight: Intrathecal Pain Pumps

As the name somewhat suggests, intrathecal pain pumps deliver medication directly into the spinal cord. Doctors accomplish this via a small pump that they place underneath the skin of the abdomen via minimally invasive spine surgery. This pump interacts with a catheter to deliver the medication to the area surrounding the patient’s spinal cord. The main advantage of this treatment is the simple fact that the medication is delivered directly to the affected area. Because of this, intrathecal pain pumps use less medication than other methods. By contrast, oral medications (specifically morphine and baclofen) require larger doses to effectively treat the patient’s condition. What Is An Intrathecal Pain Pump? The word “intrathecal” describes the space that surrounds the spinal cord. This is one part of the body where you can find cerebrospinal fluid. This is relevant because intrathecal pumps deliver medication directly into this fluid. Again, the main advantage of this over oral medication is the difference in necessary dosage. More specifically, oral medications take around 300 times longer for the body to process. The pump itself is roughly the size of a hockey puck and is made of metal. The doctor places the device underneath the skin of the abdomen via a short surgical procedure. Next, the doctor connects the pump to a catheter (aka a tiny plastic tube). The medication travels from the pump through the catheter and into the intrathecal space. Inside of the pump itself, a reservoir holds the medication. Programmers design intrathecal drug delivery systems to slowly release medication as time goes by. In fact, the nature of this feature allows the programmer to modify the device to suit the needs of the individual. In other words, you can adjust the settings on the pump. You can choose to release certain amounts of medication at various intervals throughout the day. Not only that, but the pump also stores your prescription data in its memory. This is very useful in certain situations, as it allows your doctor to review case-specific information with the device’s programmer. In the event that the pump reservoir approaches empty, a medical professional will need to refill the pump. To do this, they use a small needle that they inject through the skin and into an opening on top of the reservoir. Who Qualifies For An Intrathecal Pain Pump? The answer to this will depend on the individual. To find out more information, make sure to communicate with your medical provider. Given your background and pre-existing conditions, he or she will be able to tell if pain pumps are right for alleviating your chronic back pain symptoms. Doctors may consider Intrathecal pain pumps in patients when: Non-surgical treatment options have been exhausted Follow-up surgery does not provide the patient with any benefit There is a pain medication dependency in the patient No pre-existing psychological conditions have been detected The patient does not have a pre-existing medical condition that would otherwise compromise the procedure The patient has taken a trial medication that provided

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woman enjoying beach after artificial disc replacement

Artificial Disc Replacement: A Minimally Invasive Answer to Back Pain

People often refer to spinal discs as the “shock absorbers” of the spine. This makes a lot of sense because these discs are essentially sponge-like partitions that are wedged between each vertebra of the spine. As we all know, mechanical systems with a lot of moving parts tend to wear down over time. Not only does the spine move often, but our vertebrae are also not very good at handling how we use and abuse them. So, for a variety of reasons, our spinal discs may develop problems. They may wobble left, pop out right, slip here, bulge there… In short, there is a lot of potential for things to go wrong. Luckily, there are almost as many solutions as there are problems in regards to spinal conditions. To specify a bit, discs are the most common culprits of grating back pain and stagnant neck misery. One common treatment that doctors use to treat worn-out or slipped discs is an artificial disc replacement. The main goals of this surgery are to relieve negative symptoms and achieve greater mobility in the affected area. Additionally, this procedure is minimally invasive, so there is much less collateral damage than we would see with traditional or open surgeries. Types of Artificial Discs Fundamentally, an artificial disc is a prosthetic device that doctors implant into the spine in order to replace an existing disc. The goal of this procedure is the elimination of symptoms and a return to normal functionality. There are many different types of artificial discs, but medical experts generally classify them into two groups: total disc replacements & nucleus disc replacements. The names here pretty much give away everything you need to know about these surgeries, but the breakdown is as follows: Total Disc Replacement: The artificial disc used in this procedure replaces most or all of the affected disc tissue. Nucleus Disc Replacement: These type of devices only replace the center of the affected disc (known as the disc nucleus or nucleus pulposus). Your doctor will leave the outer ring (or annulus) intact. Generally, metals and/or plastic biopolymer materials compose the makeup of these devices. Most commonly, total disc replacement devices have a two-plate design. In this design, one plate attaches to the vertebrae above the affected disc. The second plate attaches to the vertebrae below, effectively creating a plate-disc sandwich. Additionally, many of these devices are somewhat compressible, allowing for greater mobility. The biggest distinction from disc replacement and spinal fusion (another common procedure) is their intention. The former allows for greater mobility, while the latter eliminates it. Nucleus replacement discs are usually made of the biopolymer material mentioned earlier. This includes materials such as hydrogel, which expands via osmosis. As previously stated, the nucleus disc replaces only the center (nucleus pulposus) of the disc. Surgeons use such expandable materials to fill the central cavity created during the procedure. Like total replacement devices, nucleus replacements are often compressible. Again, this allows for greater mobility. Don’t worry too much though, your

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