Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections have increased dramatically in recent years for the treatment of orthopedic conditions. PRP injections aim to improve the cellular and biochemical environment of the injected tissue. Current injection utilization has far out paced the research supporting their clinical use in patients. Current randomized, controlled data on the benefits of PRP...
Overuse injuries to the upper and lower extremity tendons remains a common source of pain and lost activity for patients at our Boulder Physical Therapy practice. Tendon injuries can be challenging to treat, but these injuries have been shown to respond to exercise interventions designed to appropriately load and promote healing (remodeling) of the...
The use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections continue to rise and outpace the medical research supporting their use. Often these expensive injections are not covered by medical insurance due in part to their unproven effectiveness in human trials against placebo or control/natural history groups. A recent review article in the...
Knee Osteoarthritis is a common condition affecting many middle aged adults which leads to pain, loss of range of motion, and decreased function. Physical Therapy remains the primary choice for conservative treatment, but often these treatments are combined with injections to the knee joint. Corticosteroids are an inexpensive injection designed to reduce pain and inflammation...
Knee osteoarthritis is a common condition in aging adults leading to pain and reduced performance of daily and recreational activities. Manual therapy and exercise remain a hallmark of conservative care for this condition and have been shown to delay or prevent the need for a total knee replacement. In addition to exercise, corticosteroid injections are often...
Lateral Elbow Pain and Lateral Epicondylalgia Lateral epicondylalgia, also known as tennis elbow, is an overuse injury involving the common origin tendon of the wrist and finger extensors. Patients with this condition often report pain in the lateral elbow exacerbated by gripping, lifting, or manipu- lating objects with their hands. Previously thought to be a...
The use of lumbar corticosteroid injections is often utilized for patients with back and leg pain (radicular pain) and/or leg numbness, pins and needles, or nerve root weakness (radiculopathy). In an older adult these symptoms may be due to a narrowing of the canals in which the lumbar nerve roots exit (lumbar stenosis). These injections...