Shoulder Pain: Most of the shoulder pain I see on a regular basis is tendon related wear and tear. With all of the sports baby boomers still like to do the shoulder takes a big part of the load. Since the arm is basically held to the rest of the spine by tendon and muscle attachments only, these tendons have a tremendous amount of weight bearing stress. The proper understanding of the most focal part of the injury is key to resolving the pain. One shot of cortisone will not cure a multi tendon injury and joint deterioration. I do a thorough ultrasound scan of all major tendon and ligament attachments to find and treat the full extent of the injury. With all fo the regenerative option we provide most shoulder injuries are on the way to recovery after the first treatment.

Knee Pain: The most common mistake people make with knee conditions is thinking that pain means the joint space is involved. Most of the common vague knee pain I see involves a really common knee imbalance. This occurs when the muscles of the upper leg (quadriceps) are over development of the lateral part of the quads. That cases the knee cap to track laterally and wear on the lateral part of the boney protuberance of the femur. This wear causes a thinning of the cartilage of the patella (knee cap). It can be very painful especially when squatting, climbing stairs, and walking down hills. Fortunately the correction of this is relatively simple with RIT and corrective strengthening of the medial part of the quad muscles.

Elbow Pain: The two most t common injuries that are amenable to RIT and remove nicely are the lateral and medial injury of the tendons ligaments of the elbow. The medial called golfers and the lateral is tennis elbow. This is not what generally causes these conditions but it does happen. Lateral epicondylitis is much more common and has several more structures involved. This part of the elbow joint has most of the moving parts and allows the forearm to rotate. All of the connective tissue is repairable and is not amenable to surgery. IF left alone, it may never repair to its normal state. The scar t issue that is created by the trauma to this area can last for years. Fortunately it is repaired by the application fo PRP or PTM ( placenta tissue matrix). It is one of the slower to respond compared to other connective tissue injuries. This is because it is very difficult to keep from using the action of this joint. Therefore the use of bracing for the first three weeks post treatment with PRP or other orthobiologics is very important for a full and relatively speedy recovery.

Ankle Pain: The most typical injury to the ankle involves the ATFL or anterior talofibular ligament. It’s the bone to bone connection of the outside of the ankle and is injured when we turn the ankle to the outside of the foot or roll the ankle. Who has not done that one? Minor tears can be painful and left alone it will scar and always are subject to repeated injury, mostly due to weakness of the scar tissue and the frequency of rolling it. Again this is an injury that can lead to instability and set up the rest of the ankle to wear prematurely especially in the joint of the lower talus space. Therefore to treat this even if it feels only weak and vulnerable will save the eventual arthritis of the joint space it is meant to protect. Again RIT is very effective for making the ankle stronger and not subject to further injury. A stitch in time…

Thumb Joint: The base of the thumb, CMC or basal joint, is frequently injured repeatedly by people who work with their hands. Massage therapists, carpenters , construction workers, waitresses, and even gardeners. It is the joint that separates us from those that can’t use tools. Well, we use this joint a lot and it can create problems. Cortisone shots into the joint will cause more degeneration even if it does feel good temporarily. There is no easy and effective surgical technique to address the issue and reliable replacement is not done at this point. Luckily RIT is effective if the whole joint is evaluated properly and treated before too much of the joint and capsule is degenerated. Even with an injury and resulting arthritic changes the biologics of stem cells from umbilical cord and the growth factors from the wharton’s jelly can make a very sore joint relatively functional and pain free again. Again proper diagnosis to understand the nature of the condition and a solid regenerative approach will improve this condition substantially.

Hip Pain: This can be mimicked by many conditions of the lower spine, pelvic tendons, gluteal attachments to the lateral hip or trochanter. Hip replacement has become way too frequently used and is not the first place to start your quest to end hip problems and hopefully not the last one either. A full hip and lumbar spine evaluation should precede any surgical treatment. Ultrasound scans can reveal the condition of the joint space, the labrum and tendon attachments. I have found cases when hip replacement was recommended and the problem was not the joint space at all. The other causal factors should be outlined and conservatively treated prior to any treatment using the operating room. RIT using PRP to address the trochanteric attachment tendonopathy can solve many of the problems that are not joint related. If the joint is involved (labral tears and joint degeneration) growth factors from placenta cord cells and tissue matrix have saved many of my patients creating long lasting resolution from this condition.