Orthopedics » Sprains and strains Articles & Stories

    Contradicting long-standing traditional notions that sprained ankles can best be healed through tubular bandages and “walking it off,” a recent study showed that full-immobilization plaster casts work far better in recovery from sprains.
   
     The research, done in Britain on 600 patients and published in the journal The Lancet, found that treatment of sprains with a 10-day below-knee cast was superior to the standard tubular bandage remedy. About 23,000 people a day are treated for ankle sprains in U.S. emergency rooms. In Britain, the injury accounts for 3 percent to 5 percent of all emergency room cases.

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A pencil-thin, roughly 2-foot-long muscle running from the base to the top of the spine is composed of a novel "scaffolding" of fibers that strengthen and support the back, a recent research study has shown.

"The multifidus muscle was formerly thought to be relatively unimportant based on its fairly small size," said Richard L. Lieber, professor and vice chair of the University of California at San Diego's Department of Orthopedic Surgery and director of the National Center for Skeletal Muscle Rehabilitation Research. "Our research shows that it's actually the strongest muscle in the back because of its unique design. It's like a long, skinny pencil packed with millions of tiny fibers." ( Read more about Long, Skinny Muscle Found Crucial to Healthy Spine)

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With all the extraordinary array of muscles, bones, ligaments and nerves that cluster in the shoulder, it's sometimes called the "spaghetti junction" of our bodies.

And with this dizzying array of layered elements, it's not surprising that the shoulder is prone to many pains that may have causes as diverse as poor posture, stress, psychological problems, computer overuse, playing tennis and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Not to mention that this 10-pound thing called a head must be supported by the relatively slender neck, which may produce strains in the neck area that will in all likelihood spread to the shoulders. ( Read more about The Shoulder and Its Many Sources of Pain)

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Doctors are finally beginning to use cartilage transplants to fix damaged shoulder joints instead of relying on arthroscopic surgery or impermanent implants to do the job. But only a few hospitals nationwide have taken up the practice.

"For a long time, surgeons have been looking for an alternative to joint replacement that is more effective than simply cleaning out the joint arthroscopically," said Brian Cole, an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center, in Illinois, who specializes in cartilage restoration of the joints. "In cartilage restoration, we regrow fresh tissue or use donated tissue. It's an exciting and promising new treatment for damaged joints, now including the shoulder." ( Read more about Cartilage Transplants Help Repair Shoulder Joints)

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Jumping off rooftops, running through burning buildings, crashing cars, it's all in a day's work for Jeff Gibson. "I did Batman movies, Robocop, Conspiracy Theory, War of the Worlds." Some would call Hollywood stuntman, Jeff Gibson, a dare-devil adrenaline machine. In addition to performing life-threatening stunts as a livelihood, Jeff also skydives, races cars and scuba-dives. But, it wasn't on the movie set or on the race track that sparked Jeff's battle with excruciating back pain. It was a simple house chore.

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They’re the guys on the baseball diamond that get the brunt of the bangup: catcher’s get run over, they destroy their knees by crouching all day long. And now, there’s evidence that they suffer significant hand trauma, perhaps, because their gloves aren’t protecting them enough. It’s interesting in that modern catcher’s mitts have less padding than gloves used prior to the 1960’s. The glove is more flexible, allows a better handle on the ball, an easier release if the runner is going. But the downside is that perhaps, it’s putting the catchers at risk for short term and long term hand injury.

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What is a Sprain?

A sprain is an injury to a ligament. A ligament is a thick, tough fibrous tissue that connects bones together. Commonly injured ligaments are in the ankle, knee and wrist.

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