When patients go to their rheumatologist or orthopedist with aches or pains, they are often told they have tendonitis The term “tendonitis” means inflammation of a tendon

There has been much debate about the beneficial effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) While a Dutch study stated that PRP was no better than” “placebo” for the treatment of chronic Achilles tendonitis, the “placebo” was a standard tenotomy protocol which is an effective therapy

Platelet-rich plasma (or PRP as it is called) is the “treatment du jour” for many soft tissue injuries since being mentioned as the technique that allowed Hines Ward to play in the Super Bowl Before stating specifically what PRP is, I will discuss the rationale behind its use

The treatment of osteoarthritis, to date, is essentially palliative Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease where the articular cartilage- the gristle that caps the ends of long bones wears away

One of the most common forms of arthritis is gout The most recent drug approved for use in gout is Krystexxa

It is projected that the number of primary total knee replacements will increase from 450,400 to 348 million by 2030, compared with a growth in the number of primary total hip replacements from 208,600 to 572,100 during the same interval (www

The first treatments for osteoarthritis, better known as “rheumatism” in the old days were balms which consisted of menthol and other herbal concoctions These were applied topically and helped soothe some of the aches and pains

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, systemic, autoimmune disease that affects more than 2 million Americans Patients with RA can develop debility and limited functional ability as a result of persistent pain, swelling, and stiffness

One of the most interesting articles I’ve read in quite a while is a piece by Dr Konrad Hochedlinger, associate professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard Medical School

A study from the University of Kentucky Equine Center presents some disturbing data on the effectiveness of microfracture When a horse gets an injury to articular cartilage (the cartilage that caps the ends of long bones) in one of its joints, the horse's owner hopes that there is sufficient healing so that normal joint function is restored

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common, painful foot problems It is a syndrome where degeneration of the band of tissue that runs from the heel along the arch of the foot develops

The success of tissue engineering for cartilage for conditions like osteoarthritis will be dependent on the interactions between the cells, the matrix, and mechanical forces directed against the joint The extracellular matrix- the framework and the material inside the framework the stem cells cling to- plays a crucial role in tissue function, dictating its physical and mechanical properties, maintaining the spatial arrangement of the cells that live within it and controlling the complex crosstalk that exists between the cells, the matrix and external forces

It’s only recently that we’ve discovered that the same inflammatory processes that drive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) also are responsible for complications that affect other internal organs For example, heart disease, which is a common complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is caused by inflammation