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Here at OrthoArizona, we know that when patients are dealing with stiff joints and tight muscles, they want pain relief. The best way to get that is through hot and cold therapy. Let’s take a look at some popular temperature therapies. Heat and ice can be used in two different ways. Heat helps soothe stiff joints and relax muscles while cold helps numb sharp pain and reduce inflammation. For those dealing with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, and neck pain, this type of therapy can be extremely helpful. When used for short-term relief, packs and compresses are an excellent …

Swimming is supposed to be a great low-impact activity for people with joint pain. But what if that joint is your shoulder? Can you still swim? That depends. The first thing you need to do is stop swimming and see your doctor. Too often people try to “play through” the pain, which only makes the injury worse. Don’t make that mistake. Through an interview, examination, and tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), your doctor can pinpoint the problem and give you a prognosis and treatment plan. A wide range of issues can cause shoulder pain, from tendinitis to a …

A Common Complaint: Shoulder Pain A common injury that’s being reported right now is pain in the shoulder muscles and joints. When patients explain how they developed this injury, it’s usually from improper form during a weightlifting shoulder exercise. Or, patients are performing common weight-bearing exercises incorrectly. No matter the reason, the orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists at OrthoArizona have taken it upon themselves to provide a quick, educational tip on a common shoulder exercise that may be destroying your joints. This may come as a surprise, but bear with us! The Shoulder Pain Culprit: Push-Ups It may seem silly and unnecessary …

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the feet, the common symptom of ‘walking on marbles’ is an agonizing one. Forefeet often contain some of the first joints to be affected by RA and those with the condition often say that they feel like they are ‘walking on marbles’. Mostly, people have thought that this was due to walking on foot joints that are affected by the RA. But researchers at the University of Southampton in England are about to begin a new stage of a study aimed at improving the health and mobility of those suffering from walking on marbles. …

Shoulder impingement syndrome is a painful condition in the shoulders that is generally caused by doing activities with your arms above your head. It can affect anyone, but it is commonly seen in swimmers, tennis players, and other athletes who frequently raise their arms. When shoulder injury occurs, the muscles of the rotator cuff swell up. This becomes a problem because these muscles are trapped underneath the shoulder bones, so surrounding tendons and the bursa become impinged. In order to diagnose shoulder impingement syndrome, your provider will do a physical examination and should order X-ray imaging as well to clearly …

Blog Takeaways: Electric muscle stimulation (EMS) can help treat musculoskeletal injuries or ailments. EMS is a common and effective way to: Relieve discomfort and pain Reduce muscle spasms Restore muscle tone Rehabilitate parts of the body Continue reading for more information on how EMS works, how it feels and other added benefits. The orthopedic specialists and physical therapists at OrthoArizona utilize EMS on those with any of the above-mentioned issues to help restore function, mobility and balance, and reduce pain. How Electric Stimulation Works Electric stimulation works by attaching stick-on pieces of equipment to the skin and using the control …

The recovery time for meniscus surgery depends largely on what type of surgery you have. How soon you can get back to work will also depend on the type of work you do—you might miss a week of work or as much as three to six months. Tears in the meniscus—the cartilage between the thigh and shin bones—are common. Sometimes doctors will recommend meniscus repair surgery, in which the torn edges are sutured back together. This is more commonly used in people under age 30. For people over age 30, repair is often not possible because of age-related deterioration of the …

You may have seen the root word “ortho” before. There’s orthodontist, orthodox and even orthopedic! “Ortho” is a Greek root word that means “straight.” So while an orthodontist straightens teeth, an orthopedic surgeon specializes in the care and maintenance of the skeletal system to correct and “straighten” misalignments. One common disease that the orthopedic surgeons at OrthoArizona treat is arthritis. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common in the United States. When someone has arthritis, they typically experience pain and inflammation from their joints rubbing together. The physicians at OrthoArizona are expertly trained in the diagnosis and treatment of …