Patient "Heal Thyself" -- Using Your Own Blood

Autologous blood injection (ABI) or Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injection is generally done for the treatment of tendinitis (e.g., "tennis or golfer's elbow"), though other applications also include injecting ligaments, muscles and joints. Any tendon in the body may be injected with a patient’s blood products, with the most frequent clinical uses of ABI or PRP injections used for the plantar fascia (heel), Achilles (ankle), patellar (knee), gluteal (hip), hamstring (buttock), common extensor origin, and common flexor origin. Reportedly, approximately 80% of patients obtain complete or significant pain relief following this procedure. A clinical trail comparing ABI and PRP treatments showed pain relief from both, but longer-term benefits from PRP.

PRP therapy has also recently found use in treating osteoarthritis. By injecting PRP into joints, it is felt that the healing factors may stimulate cartilage and surrounding soft tissue regeneration, as well as dampen the main symptoms associated with arthritis, that being pain and stiffness

Under appropriate circumstances, ABI and PRP treatment may be a better alternative than the injection of corticosteroids.

Tennis [elbow] Anyone?

My left elbow hurts like hell! It's not tennis elbow. I don't play tennis. It's not golf elbow. I haven't played golf for almost 2 years. I think it must be iPad elbow.

When I'd see kids playing games on their hand-held devices, thumbs flying across the tiny keyboards, I'd tell anyone who'd listen -- and that was usually no one -- that some time in the not-too-distant future, children would be born with over-sized thumbs and skinny little vestigial fingers. Sort of like the foreclaws on a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The advent of the cell phone, or 'mobile' and the felt need of the modern homo sapien to inform as many people as possible about what one is doing, thinking of doing, or watching someone do, in less than or equal to 40 characters, as further exacerbated the use of hands and thumbs, and the prevalence of bad posture, to say nothing of inattention to one's on-going actions and surroundings in real space and time. This has lead not only to accidents, but, according to ergonomics specialists and orthopedics surgeons, aliments.

The musculoskeletal and other problems our preoccupation with our smart phones, tablets, and laptops, can range from the uncomfortable (like carpal tunnel syndrome, which can make triceps dips and other wrist-bending activities very unpleasant), to the more serious, like weakened vision, or something called De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, which is apparently when your thumb joints become so worn out, it becomes difficult to make a fist or hold things.

If you are experiencing:

Pain or tenderness in the outer part of your elbow (lateral epicondyle)

Gripping something with your hand causes slight discomfort in your outer elbow

You have difficulty keeping your arm straight

Your outer elbow muscle twitches when you keep your arm still

Weak grip strength

Threatening stares and/or gestures from people around you

You might do well to give yourself a break from your digital devices and take a long walk in the woods, listen to the bird song, feel the warm breeze on your cheek, and let your mind wander along with your body. After all, you can always go back and tweet about this unusual experience to your 'followers.' They might even retweet or favorite your tweet. Then you can place a bar of frozen peas over your aching hand, and later have them for dinner with mashed potatoes and roast chicken.