Now, less invasive surgical and non-surgical options to a total knee are available. The UNI preserves the “good” cartilage only addressing “bad” areas. Topical anti-inflammatory medicines and injections also decrease pain associated with arthritis.

For the rookie with mild pain from arthritis viscosupplementation “lubricating” injections may be a starting point. As we age, fluid within the knee breaks down, thus predisposing the joint to early damage causing pain. The injections replenish the natural shock absorbing fluid. The injections can provide from 6 months to a years’ worth of relief, and can be repeated. Topical anti-inflammatory creams are available and have also shown to decrease pain associated with arthritis.

For the veteran athlete microfracture surgery may be more appropriate. Microfracture is a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure that addresses each cartilage defect individually, and arises from a bone marrow stimulating phenomenon, where small holes are created in the defect stimulating blood and bone marrow to fill the defect. This provides a quicker recovery time when compared to a total knee, however is intended for individuals under age 45 who want to return quickly. For veterans over 45, a UNI may be the answer to resolve chronic pain, which may avoid a total knee replacement and return the athlete back to the field of play.

Complete Hand Rejuvenation is a combination process which includes at its core injectable, Radiesse as well as creams and Lazer to remove those brown spots in the hand.

Radiesse

Radiesse injections immediately replenish volume to the back of the hands to provide a supple and youthful appearance instantly. Placed beneath the skin, Radiesse raises the skin level so that tendons, joints and veins get cover proving instantaneously a younger, healthier look to your hands.

Because Radiesse provides a base for collagen-building, the body’s own collagen interweaving into this structure keeps the skin feeling softly natural and smooth.

How is Radiesse injected?

A simple out-patient procedure; it is performed under local anesthesia in the physician’s office and takes about 15 minutes.
Injection pain is minimized or eliminated by mixing Radiesse with local anesthesia. Following the procedure, patients may immediately return back to daily activities, however, treatment sights may be swollen for 1-2 days. There is also potential for bruising at the injection sight, which may be covered with other products.

How long will the results last?
Depending on the areas treated, most of the correction may last for many months, or even years. Re-touching session may be necessary to obtain optimal results.

On Tuesday, May 18th NYC Dalton High School students will have the unique opportunity to play sports doctor for a day at a special program at the Greenwich based Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles (OFALS) Lab.  The students will spend the day learning how to repair broken arm bones.

The Sports Doctor for a Day Lab at OFALS (www.ofals.org) provides a unique forum for student education about current surgical techniques for the repair of broken bones. The Lab features actual surgical equipment including drills, plates and screws which the students will use to screw, pin together and insert supportive plates into realistic synthetic broken forearms.  

Dalton High School Students Play Doctor

Top science students selected to learn how to set broken bones at Orthopaedic Foundation Lab

On Wednesday, April 21, 24 Darien High School students will have the unique opportunity to play sports doctor for a day at a special program at the Greenwich based Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles (OFALS) Lab.  The students will spend the day learning how to repair broken arm bones. They are juniors and seniors in the school’s Post 53 program, one of the only student-run EMS programs in the country.

The Sports Doctor for a Day Lab at OFALS (www.ofals.org) provides a unique forum for student education about current surgical techniques for the repair of broken bones. The Lab features actual surgical equipment including drills, plates and screws which the students will use to screw, pin together and insert supportive plates into realistic synthetic broken forearms.  

Provided by Lab sponsors Synthes Corporation and the Pacific Research Corporation, the bones used are known as ‘sawbones’ or models. Doctors use these same synthetic bones to practice the same kinds of surgical skills the Darien students will be learning.

Jen Braswell, 20, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a game against Trinity College in Hartford, CT during the fall of 2006. As Jen was up by the net and jumping for the ball, her body curved on her way down to avoid the net and she landed on her right leg. Her knee gave out and almost instantaneously she was in excruciating pain.

The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments of the knee. Most injuries occur in the young, athletic population. The ACL is injured when it sustains a force that exceeds the strength of the ligament. This may result from non-contact injury (landing awkwardly, cutting or changing direction). The risk of ACL injury is highest in sports that require pivoting, jumping, cutting or a rapid change of direction.

Women suffer ACL injuries at a significantly higher rate than men, said Kevin Plancher, M.D., a renowned Connecticut orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist and head of Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Cos Cob. The ACL connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). Athletes are particularly susceptible to ACL injuries because this ligament can be torn when a person changes direction rapidly, slows down from running or lands from a jump. These tears prevent the knee from being able to support the body, and often require surgical repair.

Why are women winding up with more knee injuries? Researchers suspect one of the most likely causes is the way women are built. Women tend to have wider hips and are slightly knock-kneed (their thighbones tend to curve inward from the hip to the knee) and this alignment can create added stress on the joints. Another cause could be traced to a female’s muscles. More often, women tend to use their leg muscles differently than men.

Individuals who experience ACL tears usually describe a feeling of the joint “giving out” or buckling. Many patients also often hear or feel a “pop” at the time the knee is injured. Other signs and symptoms may include an inability to continue to play after the injury, a large amount of knee swelling noted 2-12 hours after the injury, an inability to fully straighten or bend the knee and repeated “giving way” episodes of the knee with sports activities, stated Kevin Plancher, M.D.

Dr. Plancher performed an ACL surgical repair on Jen Braswell on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT. By using very small incisions he was able to take the new graft (bone with a piece of patellar tendon) and place it inside her knee. Rehabilitation began the same day in an accelerated fashion. All of the surgery was minimally invasive so her recovery could be as rapid as possible. Three months after surgery, Jen is showing great range of motion without discomfort. According to Dr. Plancher she can expect to be back on the volleyball court in time for next season. Jen is extremely optimistic about returning and being ready for the Eastern Connecticut College volleyball team, whose season starts in August 2007.

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New Jersey ice dancer Chris Reed hasn’t let a torn meniscus derail his dreams of reaching the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. He is part of an ice performance team dedicated to sharing their passion and commitment with audiences all over the world. Still in high school, he spends numerous hours daily practicing to master many complex routines.

In April, 2007, his right knee experienced a serious injury. I was doing a maneuver with my coach that involved going really low on my right leg, with my left extended in the air, Reed explained. Half way through, I tore my meniscus. Initially not feeling discomfort, by the next day he was unable to bend his leg ninety degrees.

Meniscus tears are a common injury to the knee, often due to traumatic injury (athletes) and also degenerative processes (older patients). It most commonly occurs when the knee joint is bent and the knee is twisted. It is not uncommon to occur in tandem with injuries sustained to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the medial collateral ligament (MCL).

An examination by Kevin Plancher, M.D. a renowned orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist and head of Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine with offices in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut confirmed the tear and the need for surgery. One of my skating coaches highly recommended him, Reed explained.

Patients who tear their meniscus routinely experience pain and swelling, said Kevin Plancher M.D. The more common symptoms also include tenderness when the meniscus is pressed, popping or clicking within the knee, or in the case of Chris Reed, limited motion of the knee joint.

Dr. Plancher who is also an attending physician for the United States Ski and Snowboarding Association performed the arthroscopic meniscus repair. Chris Reed began his rehabilitation immediately. Working with his strengthening and conditioning coaches and personal trainers, Reed was back on his ice training and performing; never looking back. Dr. Plancher’s individualized program and attention led to my quick recovery, said Reed.

Following the surgery, the post-recovery and physical therapy went very well. Reed returned to the ice, only to injure a different part of the meniscus three months later. That was quite a shock for me, Reed said. Fortunately, Dr. Plancher removed the torn part of the meniscus and left the ligament to heal itself.

Three weeks later, Reed’s knee had healed, while not 100%, enough that he could compete successfully in his first grand prix.

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