Regain Control: Knee, Shoulder and Spine

Are you experiencing pain or swelling on either side of your knee? Do your knees often give way during daily activities? Or did you fall and hear a ‘pop’ sound from your knee joint?

For active athletes, knee injuries are one of the most common orthopaedic problems and can be caused by sports, falls or wear and tear that comes with age.

Common knee injuries that can affect your lifestyle include:

• Meniscus tear – injury or tearing of your meniscus cartilage, which usually happens when you forcefully rotate the knee while your foot is firmly planted on the ground.
• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury – which typically happens during sports such as soccer, basketball, tennis or even dancing where sudden start-stop, jumping or abrupt directional changes are commonplace.

Treatments for Knee Injuries

Treatments for knee injuries range from medication and physical therapy to advanced surgical procedures such as minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery.

ACL reconstruction is one such surgery, which can be performed under general anaesthesia as arthroscopy (joint surgery). Patients typically experience less post-operative pain, shorter downtime and a faster return to an active lifestyle.

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Shoulder pain, stiffness and tenderness, or swelling aren’t just signs of normal ageing or exertion from sports. They may indicate an underlying shoulder problem.

A shoulder injury typically has symptoms such as pain, or weakness in the shoulder area.

Common shoulder injuries include:

• Dislocation
• Rotator cuff injury, which can be rotator cuff tendinitis (irritation and swelling of the tendons), rotator cuff impingement syndrome (also known as swimmer’s shoulder) or rotator cuff tear (partial swelling or tears in the tendon)
• Frozen shoulder (also known as adhesive capsulitis)

Treatments for Shoulder Injuries

Prompt treatment is necessary to prevent your shoulder injury from worsening.

Beyond medication and physical therapy, minimally invasive surgery such as arthroscopy may be recommended for symptoms do not improve or last longer than 6 months.

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that can be done as day surgery. Patients typically experience less post-surgical pain and a shorter downtime.

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Back pain and leg numbness may be a sign that something is wrong with your spine.

If you often feel muscle spasms with pain radiating down the legs or buttocks, do not ignore it and seek treatment from an orthopaedic specialist.

Common back and spine conditions responsible for these symptoms include:

• Degenerative spine conditions such as spondylosis, which may lead to a misaligned backbone (spondylolisthesis) over time
• Osteoarthritis
• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Scoliosis
• Slipped (herniated) disc

Treatments for Back & Spine Conditions

Besides medication and physiotherapy, the following minimally invasive surgical procedures can help patients repair spine damage and regain mobility.

• Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TILF)
  MIS TILF is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces damaged spinal discs with implants. Compared to traditional open spinal fusion surgery, patients can experience less post-operative pain and improved recovery outcomes.

• Decompression laminectomy
  This procedure relieves pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots caused by spinal stenosis. It is often performed together with MIS TILF.

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“While injury prevention is better than cure, don’t ignore any pain that persists. See a specialist early, because treatment can let you return to the lifestyle you enjoy!”

Dr Hitendra Doshi, orthopaedic specialist at Parkway East Hospital

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