Orthopedics Medicine & Health Pages
Pennsaid, A New Local Treatment For Osteoarthritis
By Dr. Gifford Jones
Elephants normally win when fighting a mouse. But for once the mouse has won. A Canadian company has beaten the U.S. and achieved an historic first. Dimethaid Research has developed a non-oral NSAID” (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to treat osteoarthritis. And since it’s locally applied it dramatically reduces the risk of stomach complications associated with oral NSAIDs.
Five Days Later My Father Was DeadBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Some moments in your life you never, never forget. The Sunday morning that my father didn’t answer the telephone, for instance. And later findings him lying on the floor with a fractured hip. The gradual down-hill course followed surgery with long hours at his beside, and finally death five days later. Suddenly, all I had left of the father I had loved so much was a box of cinders after cremation. The disaster of a fractured hip became imbedded in my mind.
Demolition Drivers Could Save Us Billions of DollarsBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How much whiplash pain is in the mind and how much in the neck? It’s an important question because a huge amount of money is involved. And it comes out of everyone’s pocket. This year the diagnosis, treatment, litigation and insurance payments of whiplash complaints will cost North Americans 29 billion dollars. Now, a fascinating report about demolition drivers separates fact from fiction. It could be of use to defense lawyers.
Eating Your Way Out of ArthritisBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Could the thousands of recent knee and hip replacements have been prevented by the right diet? And could millions of people suffer less arthritic pain by following more nutritious food consumption?
Arthritis has been called the “chronic-care challenge of the 21 century century.” It’s estimated that 30 million North Americans suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). And that 70 percent of hip replacements are due to this disease.
Low Testosterone and Fractured BonesBy Dr. Gifford Jones
“What makes men act the way they do?” one annoyed woman asked her friend. She replied, “It’s testosterone, stupid.” One of the reasons men differ from women is that they produce 10 times more testosterone. But like most things in life “10 times” doesn’t last forever. There’s mounting evidence that males experience their own menopause (andropause). And that the dwindling of the male hormone has far reaching consequences for males, particularly on bones and sexual drive.
New treatment For Tennis Elbow and Painful HeelBy Dr. Gifford Jones
“Why has God done this to me?” a patient asked several months ago. She had developed tennis elbow and had been forced to stop playing her favourite sport. But to make matters worse she had also developed plantar fasciitis, commonly known as painful heel. And she having difficulty walking. But she learned that God hadn’t totally deserted her. Due to a new treatment she’s now back playing tennis and walking without pain.
New Information on Drugs to Treat ArthritisBy Dr. Gifford Jones
“Please write more about non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) in treating osteoarthritis.” This request follows a previous article about “Mobicox” which along with Celebrex and Vioxx have added a new “88 percent” dimension to the treatment of a common painful condition.
Since I’ve been suffering from the pain of an arthritic hip following a tennis injury I have more than a casual interest in this disease. So to get the latest information I attended the Annual European Congress on Rheumatology in Prague, Czech Republic.
What Is The Best Way to Manage OsteoporosisBy Dr. Gifford Jones
What a change a few weeks can make in the management of menopausal problems! For decades millions of women have been prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat osteoporosis (brittle bones). Recent studies indicate HRT can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular problems. Fortunately, there are other viable options for treating this common disease.
Osteoporosis is a disease of bones, which like other living tissues, are in constant change. Early in life more bone is formed than lost. Later the reverse is true making bones more fragile with increased risk of fracture.
The Gold Standard For treating Arthritic PainBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Is it possible that the sale of the new arthritic drugs could outnumber those of bestselling Viagra? I never thought it would happen. But there are new kids on the block called COX inhibitors. The newest one is “Mobicox”. This and the other COX drugs, Celebrex and Vioxx, are bringing relief to millions of arthritic sufferers.
An estimated 22 million North Americans suffer from osteoarthritis (OA), the most common wear©and©tear form of this disease. Others are afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis, the inflammatory type.
I’ll Never Know Why She Hit MeBy Dr. Gifford Jones
The time? 35 years ago at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. I was totally relaxed in the hotel spa as a Japanese girl massaged my back. But while working on my neck she suddenly struck the side of my head. I’ll never know why. I had not been indiscreet. But her sudden caused pain in the cervical spine. And years later I still suffer from intermittent neck pain. Sir William Osler, one of North America’s most famous physicians, was right. He said a doctor never truly knows a disease well until he experiences it. So let me pass along some tips on when neck pain is serious and when it isn’t. And the best treatment for it.
The Male Menopause and Broken BonesBy Dr. Gifford Jones
So you’re a man, and you believe only the weaker sex breaks bones. It’s due to osteoporosis (brittle bones) you say. Well, you had better think again. Studies show that 20 to 30 percent of osteoporosis fractures occur in men. And that low testosterone levels in aging males may be responsible for many crippling hip and spinal fractures.
Red Flags For Back PainBy Dr. Gifford Jones
What should your doctor do if you suffer from back pain? Equally important, what should you do if the doctor doesn’t do it? Thousands of North Americans succumb to back pain every year. But too often both patients and doctors push the panic button too soon. Errors can be avoided by three red flags.
A panel of U.S. experts reviewed over 3900 case studies of back pain. From it the U.S. Department of Health produced a guideline for treating this common malady.
What We Can Learn From Ballerinas and Hockey PlayersBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Which writing assignment would I prefer? To study injuries to hockey players or ballet dancers? It would take a mere second to select the Toronto Maple Leafs. But this week I got lucky and killed two birds with one stone. What did I learn, and how can we all benefit from this experience?
Dr. Darrell Ogilvie-Harris is Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Toronto. But he’s also physician to both the Toronto Maple Leafs and The National Ballet of Canada. It’s a rare morning that we don’t talk about hockey while scrubbing for surgery every week. My one claim to fame is that we work in adjoining operating rooms every Thursday!
A Great Birth day PresentBy Dr. Gifford Jones
“What do you want for your birthday?” Ask your children or friends this question and you’ll get a variety of answers. But recently one of my colleagues told me he gave himself a birthday present, a total hip replacement (THR).
He said, “I’m tired of being able to walk only short distances. I’m fed up with the pain. Now I’m ready to accept the risk of surgery.”
A Novel Way To Ease Knee PainBy Dr. Gifford Jones
What a pleasure in 1994 to find an internationally famous doctor who isn’t interested only in CAT scans and MRI’s that cost megadollars! One who believes “the art” of medicine shouldn’t be banished to the Smithsonian Institution. And who recently reported novel ways to ease knee pain while he was Visiting Professor at the Wellesley Hospital In Toronto.
Dr. Paul A Dieppe, Professor of Rheumatology, at Bristol University, Bristol, England is one of the world’s authorities on osteoarthritis, the most common type of.
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