This is a long and painful story that just refuses to go away. Tendinitis is the medical term used to describe this condition and I’ve had this condition for several years now. I’ve been playing tennis for a couple of decades now and have had this injury for about 10+ years.
Very simply, it’s an elbow pain at the origination of the forearm muscles which occurs due to a weakness in the muscles. You don’t need to be a tennis player to get this injury and it could be caused by several factors. In my case, it was probably a heavy tennis racket without enough shock absorbing gear on it, combined with a bad grip that resulted in the injury. It came and went once but has been around for a while now ever since it got aggravated again.
Strengthening and stretching exercises are recommended by one and all. Seen quite a few physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons, sports doctors in India and the US but there isn’t a cure out there. I’ve had physiotherapy, allopathic and homeopathic medicine for this and the pain persists. Ice packs are something I use regularly and it provides temporary relief. One suggestion was a cortisone injection, which is a steroid and an extreme version of a pain killer with negative side effects that kick-in in the long run. Don’t like medicine in general and definitely didn’t want to go in for a steroid so have refrained from taking such a shot. My orthopaedic surgeon advised me against undergoing surgery saying the results weren’t guaranteed.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Knee surgery
I had been carrying a knee injury for a while and it seems I may have caused it by some sudden movement on a tennis court. The MRI scan revealed a meniscus (cartilage) tear and apparently it’s a portion of the knee that doesn’t heal itself nor is there any miracle medicine that can cure it. I had distinct difficulty while walking and couldn’t bend my knee or do a complete squat. Climbing stairs, stepping out of a car, rotating on one knee were all avoidable and painful movements.
That’s when I was recommended arthroscopic surgery of the knee and it’s supposed to be the most basic form of surgery for an orthopaedic surgeon to perform. The procedure lasted only half an hour and the damaged portion of my cartilage, which was causing the pain, was ‘shaved’ off. It’s a procedure that was done with me under general anaesthesia and required me to take a blood test, a urine test, fast for 12 hours before the surgery and had me stay overnight at a hospital. The overnight stay had more to do with claiming insurance, but that’s for another post.
I’m not big on medicine, typically bear the pain instead of popping a pill and so going through this ‘basic’ surgery was quite an ordeal for me.
It’s been almost 2 months since the surgery but I’m still not a 100% fit. I’m told it should take 3 months post surgery to return to normalcy. While I can bend my knees a complete squat is still painful. I’m able to play tennis but can’t be out jogging or running which would mean a continuous pounding of the knee and that is something I still can't handle.
There were quite a few medicines I had to take too for this and I continue to take a vitamin tablet to ensure that the surrounding portion of the knee isn’t too damaged and that I keep strengthening it. Fortunately, my knee is strong enough for it not to require any physiotherapy. I do need to do some weight training to strengthen the hamstrings and quadriceps(thigh) muscles.
That’s when I was recommended arthroscopic surgery of the knee and it’s supposed to be the most basic form of surgery for an orthopaedic surgeon to perform. The procedure lasted only half an hour and the damaged portion of my cartilage, which was causing the pain, was ‘shaved’ off. It’s a procedure that was done with me under general anaesthesia and required me to take a blood test, a urine test, fast for 12 hours before the surgery and had me stay overnight at a hospital. The overnight stay had more to do with claiming insurance, but that’s for another post.
I’m not big on medicine, typically bear the pain instead of popping a pill and so going through this ‘basic’ surgery was quite an ordeal for me.
It’s been almost 2 months since the surgery but I’m still not a 100% fit. I’m told it should take 3 months post surgery to return to normalcy. While I can bend my knees a complete squat is still painful. I’m able to play tennis but can’t be out jogging or running which would mean a continuous pounding of the knee and that is something I still can't handle.
There were quite a few medicines I had to take too for this and I continue to take a vitamin tablet to ensure that the surrounding portion of the knee isn’t too damaged and that I keep strengthening it. Fortunately, my knee is strong enough for it not to require any physiotherapy. I do need to do some weight training to strengthen the hamstrings and quadriceps(thigh) muscles.
Physiotherapy – does it work?
Physiotherapy feels more like a hi-tech / sophisticated massage. In fact, I’d argue that you are better off taking a massage from a specialist at times instead of going to some of the local (Bombay, India) physiotherapists. I’ve had experiences with quite a few of them all over the city and it’s usually been one worse than the other when I was getting treated for my tennis elbow. There are 2 things I’ve learnt after all that I’ve been through - one, there isn’t a cure for a tennis elbow and two, physiotherapy can often make things worse if not done professionally/properly.
Diathermy (electrically induced heat) commonly used for muscle relaxation and ultrasound are two common techniques that have been used. Both, in my case, have provided very temporary relief at best. In some instances I’ve even come out worse from the treatment.
I was referred to Dr Ali Irani who runs a sports medicine center at Nanavati hospital. His claim-to-fame is that he was the physio for the Indian cricket team several years ago, which means he’s built quite a reputation for himself. Well, if you are expecting miracles because of that then don’t. There is a good chance he won’t even see you personally and have you attended to by one of his several assistants. You will end up spending money on several sessions and if your luck is as bad as mine, probably come out worse from the experience. The other physiotherapists i have visited are the Well Spring center (formerly Piramal center in lower parel, bombay), Ruxmani (at babulnath in south bombay) and several 'private' practices.
Having said all of this, my tennis elbow is a severe one which I have had for years. If you have an injury which isn’t that serious or chronic in nature, I’d still suggest visiting an orthopaedic surgeon and taking his/her guidance.
Diathermy (electrically induced heat) commonly used for muscle relaxation and ultrasound are two common techniques that have been used. Both, in my case, have provided very temporary relief at best. In some instances I’ve even come out worse from the treatment.
I was referred to Dr Ali Irani who runs a sports medicine center at Nanavati hospital. His claim-to-fame is that he was the physio for the Indian cricket team several years ago, which means he’s built quite a reputation for himself. Well, if you are expecting miracles because of that then don’t. There is a good chance he won’t even see you personally and have you attended to by one of his several assistants. You will end up spending money on several sessions and if your luck is as bad as mine, probably come out worse from the experience. The other physiotherapists i have visited are the Well Spring center (formerly Piramal center in lower parel, bombay), Ruxmani (at babulnath in south bombay) and several 'private' practices.
Having said all of this, my tennis elbow is a severe one which I have had for years. If you have an injury which isn’t that serious or chronic in nature, I’d still suggest visiting an orthopaedic surgeon and taking his/her guidance.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Storing health records online
MSN just announced an initiative which will allow users to store their health related information online. NYT had an intersting article on the subject. Apparently, other players who had made moves in the online healthcare or health records space have either moved out or slowed down due to a variety of reasons. One of them being Google.
As the article suggests, it will take time and scale for such an initiative, which Microsoft has. While those are clearly important aspects, I think there are a couple more things for such an initiative to succeed. Intelligent marketing and stickiness. It will be interesting to see what MS does with all its might to make such an initiative work where others seem to be struggling.
As the article suggests, it will take time and scale for such an initiative, which Microsoft has. While those are clearly important aspects, I think there are a couple more things for such an initiative to succeed. Intelligent marketing and stickiness. It will be interesting to see what MS does with all its might to make such an initiative work where others seem to be struggling.
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