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An overview of knee osteoarthritis treatments.

Marc Darrow, MD. JD. There are many ways to treat knee osteoarthritis. Some successful, other not. As each person represents a unique case, it is difficult top determine which treatment would be best for an individual. When I started this work in regenerative medicine more than 25 years ago, the options were mainly surgery or painkiller. But that was then, with the advent of “biomedicine” (blood and stem cell therapies), the choices have changed dramatically. From this point of view, arthroscopic surgery is now seen as the least desirable option, and knee replacement something that should be delayed as long

Pain after spinal fusion may be from post-surgical muscle damage

Many people have successful spinal surgery. Some do not. There are many reasons why someone will have a failed spinal surgery. One reason among the many causes can be the muscle damage caused by the fusion surgery itself. Back muscle degeneration in lumbar fusion patients A team of surgeons published a paper (1) examining the post-surgical phenomena of back muscle degeneration in lumbar fusion patients. The goal was to find answers for failed back surgery syndrome. What the surgeons found was Up to 25% of patients report unimproved or worse pain and up to 40% are not happy with the

Painful thumb osteoarthritis: Surgery or injections?

Marc Darrow, MD Most of the people that contact our office looking for treatment for their thumb pain have already had a long history of treatments with limited success. In fact, many will confess that their doctors are now recommending pain management (anti-inflammatories and painkillers) as their primary treatments now that splints, physical therapy, and a generous amount of ice are no longer helping. These people will receive pain management until the decision is made to go to surgery or “live with it.” For many, the benchmark of when to proceed to surgery is when cortisone injections fail to offer

Rotator cuff tear conservative treatments and injections

We often receive emails from people looking at their rotator cuff pain and tear treatment options. The emails we get center around the possible avoidance of rotator cuff surgery with regenerative medicine injection options. These options can include bone marrow aspirate injections or Platelet Rich Plasma therapy or PRP. There is some new research I will explore with you here on these rotator cuff treatment options. Hopefully this information will help you make an informed decision to have or not have these treatments. We know that some people, like someone with a physically demanding job or an athlete, will make

TMJ and Neck Pain

Over the years we have received our fair share of emails from patients seeking treatment for their TMJ. In many of these emails, the sender will describe to us osteoarthritis of the jaw that came as a result of a traumatic injury such as a jaw dislocation during a hockey game or a dislocation or a fractured jaw from an accident. Some will write that their TMJ problems developed when they had some wisdom teeth removed. Others will suggest that TMJ came upon them slowly as a degenerative joint disease. This article will focus on the later, the connection of

Do statins for cholesterol problems accelerate or worsen osteoarthritis?

Marc Darrow, MD, JD. There is a lot of controversy as to whether statin use for high cholesterol and metabolic disorders may cause accelerated or worsening osteoarthritis or protects against worsening osteoarthritis. We do see many patients who have weight challenges and cholesterol problems, among many. They have osteoarthritis and they have cholesterol problems being managed by statin use. They often ask if there is a connection between high cholesterol, weight, and the joint pain they suffer from. Certainly not being in the best shape can worsen joint pain. That is generally understood. For those seeking answers to whether the

An overview of knee osteoarthritis treatments.

Pain after spinal fusion may be from post-surgical muscle damage

Painful thumb osteoarthritis: Surgery or injections?

Rotator cuff tear conservative treatments and injections

TMJ and Neck Pain

Do statins for cholesterol problems accelerate or worsen osteoarthritis?

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MARC DARROW, M.D., J.D

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