Dec 10, 2015 | arthritis, nerves, structural model of pain, surgery, Uncategorized |
Yet another study proves—yet again—that osteoarthritis pain is not related to structure. At issue here is the orthopedic paradigm that pain is related to structure; that MRI findings like meniscus tears and cartilage damage associated with osteoarthritis are the cause...
Dec 10, 2015 | hip, hip labrum, structural model of pain, surgery, Uncategorized |
The concept that hip labrum tears cause pain is relatively new in medicine. Despite that, the number of arthroscopic hip surgeries to treat hip labrum tears and impingement have exploded in the past five years. Have physicians become too zealous? A patient I evaluated...
Sep 25, 2015 | knee, meniscus, structural model of pain, surgery, Uncategorized |
Arthroscopic knee surgery is an odd hybrid of old-school “cut it out” thinking paired with new technology. It caught on like wildfire in the 1980s because doctors and patients alike were attracted to the idea of eliminating the need for large incisions required for...
Sep 25, 2015 | biomechanics, neck, structural model of pain, Uncategorized |
If you have chronic neck pain, you’ve likely heard many different reasons about why your neck hurts—from tight muscles, to bulging discs, to neck bones that aren’t aligned. What’s causing the pain is only half the battle. The other half is figuring out why it hurts....
Sep 2, 2015 | rotator cuff, shoulder, structural model of pain, surgery, Uncategorized |
Pain is the single biggest driver of elective modern orthopedic surgery. Despite this, research of the last decade or so has shown that surgery is really bad at treating pain. A recent study on shoulder surgery outcomes and rotator cuff tear biology illustrates this...
Jul 2, 2015 | rotator cuff, shoulder, structural model of pain, surgery, Uncategorized |
The concept that a structural change such as a rotator cuff tear seen on MRI is causing pain is ingrained in modern medical thought. Doctors and patients alike believe this, but the validity of the concept is questionable. A recent shoulder study that shows that pain...
