PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Health experts list physical activity as one of the top, if not the top factor, for promoting healthy aging. But for many Americans, injuries and chronic pain may keep them from doing what they love. Recovery from traditional surgery may take weeks or months, but for some, a device designed to gently treat injured tendons may make the difference. Tenex
62 year-old Sherry Bellomo has ridden a bike at home or on the road for as long as she can remember.
Sherry says, “It was very, very challenging. I rode pretty far and pretty fast. And I just loved everything about it.”
Thirty or forty mile rides, often at a 20 mile an hour pace, but three years ago, Bellomo started developing extreme pain in her legs.
“I couldn’t sit on my bike. Couldn’t sit in a car, couldn’t sit on a plane.” States Bellomo.
When medications didn’t work, doctors performed surgery to make room for an impinged nerve. Then another surgery to fix a torn hamstring. But the pain came back.
Bellomo was referred to orthopedic specialist, Doctor Brian Shiple . He discovered scar tissue had trapped the nerve near her hamstring.
“That caused tethering and stretching of the nerve and caused leg pain much like you would get with a sciatica from your back.” Explains Doctor Shiple, DO at The Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness.
Doctor Shiple recommended a procedure called Tenex. Using ultrasound guidance, he directed a needle through a tiny incision into the scarred area.
“We inject fluid and use lots of hydrostatic pressure coming out of the needle to separate the scar tissue from the nerve.” Explain Doctor Shiple.
Doctors use the minimally invasive procedure to treat other painful conditions like tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, or achilles tendinitis.
For Bellomo, the pain went away shortly after the procedure. After six weeks of recovery time, she’s feeling fit, and hoping to stay that way.
Bellamo says, “I feel like i have my life back.”
The recovery time for the Tenex procedure is about four to six weeks, although it may take longer for some patients. The procedure takes about an hour, and is done in a doctors office with local anesthesia.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor, Kirk Manson Videographer.
Sources:
TREATING AGING ATHLETES WITH TENEX
REPORT #3006
BACKGROUND: Acute injuries can result from activities such as changing direction suddenly while running, colliding with another athlete, or falling during play. This type of injury happens quickly and can be severe. Some acute injuries include broken bones, concussion, fractures, knee injuries (ACL and meniscus tears), muscle sprains and strains, and rotator cuff tears. Chronic injuries develop from long-term repetitive motion in sports like long-distance running, cycling, and swimming. Sometimes, they result from wear and tear over time, and can be made worse through bad technique. Some chronic sports injuries include Achilles tendon injuries (in runners), runner’s knee, stress fractures, and tennis elbow. To get relief from an acute or chronic injury, and to reduce swelling, it is recommended to rest to prevent further injury, ice for 10-20 minutes every three hours, compress the injured area to reduce swelling, and elevate an injured arm or leg above the heart to reduce swelling. Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen can also help with the pain.
NEW PROCEDURE FOR CHRONIC PAIN: A new nonsurgical procedure, developed and trademarked by Tenex Health, helps patients with chronic tendon pain, tendinosis, or tendinitis get relief. By using ultrasonic frequencies, or very high sound waves that humans can’t hear, this procedure breaks up and removes damaged tissue on the tendons, leaving behind only healthy tissue. It is less invasive than surgery and can be performed in the outpatient department by a radiologist. In most cases, only one treatment is needed to relieve pain. Side effects of the procedure may include pain at the incision site, soreness, or some swelling for a few days after the procedure. Only 0.001% of people who got the procedure have reported complications. Most patients recover in four to six weeks, but it may take up to 12 weeks to get back to strenuous activities or sports. Physical therapy may be recommended to improve the success of the procedure. Most patients can use over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce the pain after the procedure.
(Source: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/tenex-procedure)
NEW DISCOVERY IN JOINT PAIN: Researchers at the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), part of the University of São Paulo located in Brazil, made a new discovery that could open doors to breakthrough treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. They revealed that T-lymphocytes work their way into bone tissue, increasing the number of cells known as osteoclasts that break down the matrix in joints. These bone matrices are a crucial part of the bone repair and maintenance process, so reducing them can cause serious joint issues. “This is an important finding since pain and inflammation have been treated with medications, but the bone damage that is a debilitating complication of this disease is practically irreversible,” says Fernando de Queiroz Cunha, head investigator at CRID. The study focused on how smoking worsened inflammation causing a path to bone damage to be discovered.
(Source: https://studyfinds.org/rheumatoid-arthritis-inflammation-discovery-treatment/)
* For More Information, Contact: Brian Shiple, MD
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