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Category: Arthroscopy

  • The Impact of Exercise on Bone Health

    The Impact of Exercise on Bone Health

    Bone health is crucial for overall well-being, and exercise plays a key role in maintaining and improving it. Understanding how different types of exercise for bone health can help you make informed decisions about your fitness routine.

    The Science Behind Bone Health

    Bones are constantly undergoing remodeling through bone formation and resorption. Several factors influence this balance, including genetics, nutrition, and physical activity. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises are particularly beneficial in promoting bone strength and density.

    Types of Exercise and Their Effects

    Weight-Bearing Exercises: These activities involve supporting your body weight against gravity, such as walking, jogging, dancing, and hiking. Weight-bearing exercises stimulate bone formation by creating mechanical stress on the bones, helping increase bone density and strength.

    Resistance Training: This exercise involves working against a force, such as lifting weights or using resistance bands. Resistance training promotes bone health by enhancing muscle strength and stimulating bone-forming cells. It is especially effective for improving bone density in the spine and hips.

    Balance and Flexibility Exercises: Activities such as yoga help improve balance and coordination, reducing the risk of falls and fractures. While these exercises may not directly increase bone density, they are crucial for overall bone health by preventing injuries that can lead to fractures.

    Critical Benefits of Exercise for Bone Health

    Increased Bone Density: Regular weight-bearing and resistance exercises can help increase bone mineral density, essential for preventing osteoporosis.

    Enhanced Bone Strength: Exercise stimulates bone-forming cells and strengthens the bones by improving muscle strength, providing better support, and reducing the risk of fractures.

    Improved Balance and Coordination: Exercises focusing on balance and flexibility help reduce the risk of falls, which is crucial for maintaining bone health, especially in older adults.

    Recommendations for a Bone-Healthy Exercise Routine

    Incorporate Variety: A well-rounded fitness routine that includes weight-bearing exercises, resistance training, and balance activities provides comprehensive benefits for bone health.

    Consistency is Key: To effectively support bone health, aim for at least 30 minutes of weight-bearing or resistance exercise most days of the week.

    Start Slowly and Progress Gradually: If you’re new to exercise or inactive, start with low-impact activities and gradually increase intensity to avoid injury.

    Consult a Professional Physiotherapist: For personalized advice, consult a healthcare provider or a fitness professional, especially if you have existing bone conditions or other health concerns.

    Conclusion

    Exercise for bone health is a powerful tool in maintaining and improving bone health. Incorporating weight-bearing, resistance, and balance exercises into your routine can strengthen your bones, reduce the risk of fractures, and enhance overall well-being. Remember to stay consistent and consult a professional physiotherapist to tailor an exercise plan that meets your needs.

  • Joint Preservation: Articular Cartilage Restoration Technique

    Joint Preservation: Articular Cartilage Restoration Technique

    Cartilage damage is the most common cause of pain and disability inside the knee joint. 12% of individuals above 25 years of age have signs and symptoms of cartilage damage. Damage to cartilage could be due to either wear and tear or any disease. Natural healing process of the damaged cartilage leads to formation of fibrous cartilage which is inferior in quality and resilient compared to original hyaline cartilage. This leads to persistent pain and disability in patients even after prolonged rest, physiotherapy and medication. Cartilage Restoration is a boon to such patients. Cartilage Restoration bridges the gap between medical treatment and joint replacement surgery. It helps in delaying the onset of severe osteoarthritis and need of early joint replacement surgery. Cartilage Restoration procedures involve repairing the localized defect or damage of cartilage similar to filling the pothole on the road.

    We at ‘My Ortho Centre’ use various Cartilage Restorative Techniques to alleviate long standing joint pain and associated disability of patients.

    Some of the techniques which are utilized to treat cartilage damage are –

    Arthroscopic Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System (OATS) – This procedure is performed for small to moderately large area of full thickness surface cartilage loss. In this technique cylinder shaped dowel of bone which is devoid of surface cartilage is removed and replaced with a dowel or cylinder of bone with intact surface articulate cartilage.

    Fig 1 (Before Surgery) Full thickness cartilage defect

    Fig 2 ( After Surgery) After osteochondral plug transfer

    Arthroscopic Assisted Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) – In this technique, grown cartilage is placed in the damaged area. ACI is a two-stage procedure, beginning with arthroscopic assessment of the chondral injury and biopsy to harvest cartilage, followed by a commercial enzymatic digestion and cell expansion in monolayer culture with cryopreservation of the cells. The cryopreserved cells are thawed and expanded to the cell population needed for the second-stage open ACI technique. During this second stage, a biological reconstruction is performed to repair the articular cartilage defect.

    Cellular “stem-cell”/ Tissue Engineered Construct — Bone marrow, Synovium and fat contains Mesenchymal Stem Cells that capable of forming new tissue, such as bone or cartilage. Here harvested mesenchymal cells are utilized for reconstruction of damaged cartilage.

    Arthroscopic Microfracture Technique – This procedure is useful for smaller areas of complete cartilage loss inside the joint. Cartilage growth and its effectiveness are variable between patients.

    a) Normal cartilage b) Damaged Cartilage c) Peroperative Microfracture
    Fig: Arthroscopic Microfracture

    Arthroscopic Chondroplasty – In this procedure smoothing of roughened articulate cartilage is done using specialized arthroscopic instrument and machines. This procedure helps in relieving joint pain by decreasing friction inside the joint.

    Arthroscopic Abrasionplasty – Abrasionplasty is helpful in patient of complete cartilage loss where subchondral bone is exposed. Here abrasion of exposed bone is done which stimulates bleeding, allowing the bone to grow cartilage.

    There are many other cartilage procedures which are utilized to provide pain free mobility to patients. In some cases additional joint injections of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid are useful. There are certain other additional procedures like Arthroscopic Meniscus Repair and Arthroscopic Ligament Repair which helps in prevention of further cartilage damage. These procedures are indicated in patients with otherwise healthy knee, which because of recent trauma or disease developed knee problems.