The shoulder is the most mobile and flexible joint, making it essential in daily activities and sports play. But the flexibility also makes it quite vulnerable to dislocation. In fact, the shoulders are the most dislocated joint in the body. Dislocation means that the upper arm bone has popped out...
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion the gliding surfaces between bodily tissue. There are more than 150 known bursae in your body. When the ones at your major joints — shoulder, hip, knee, and elbows — become inflamed, you feel pain, swelling, tenderness, and decreased range of motion. Bursitis, or...
More than 400,000 ACL injuries happen every year in the United States. The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is a significant ligament in the knee. Injury often happens when you change direction quickly, such as in football and soccer, but it can happen during daily activities, too. At Silicon Valley...
Hip impingement is diagnosed when the head of your thigh bone doesn’t fit well into your hip socket. Corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, and movement adjustments can sometimes relieve the pain of hip impingement, but surgery is usually recommended because it reduces pain, discourages complications, and allows you to stay active. ...
Approximately 32.5 million adults in the United States have osteoarthritis. Of the hundreds of types of arthritis that exist, osteoarthritis is the most common. It describes when the soft tissue cartilage that cushions the ends of bones that meet at joints wears down with use, age, and injury. Any joint...
Meniscus tears are a common knee injury, affecting as many as 1 million Americans each year. These tears happen when you turn or twist the knee while flexed with the foot planted. As you grow older, you’re more vulnerable to meniscus tears. If you’ve torn your meniscus, don’t automatically assume...
Cartilage is the smooth tissue that cushions the space between bones at joints like your knees, hips, and shoulder. It allows your bones to glide freely at your joints. But when the cartilage deteriorates, you experience pain and weakness as bone rubs against bone. Joints become dysfunctional and without treatment,...
When you have pain lifting or rotating your arm, you know something is wrong with your shoulder. The pain could be an injury to the rotator cuff — a collection of four muscles over the head of the upper arm bone. Your rotator cuff makes it so you can lift...
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It can develop in any joint but is most common in the significant weight-bearing ones like the knees and hips. Osteoarthritis causes pain, joint swelling, stiffness, and limited range of motion. If you’re one of the millions of people who develop hip...
If you have chronic joint pain, you’re not alone. Nearly 1 in 4 people in the United States have stiffness and pain in their joints that limit their leisure and work activities. Ongoing pain in your knee, hip, or shoulder can make daily tasks, like putting away groceries or getting out of...
Your ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is a strong band of tissue that connects your thigh bone to your shin bone at your knee. An ACL tear often occurs when you move suddenly, like a sudden landing, change in direction, or quick stop. If you play a sport or engage...
Joint replacement surgery helps you regain a full and active life when medications, physical therapy, and movement modification fail to offer relief from pain, stiffness, and swelling. Nic Gay, MD, Masi Reynolds, DO, and April Mancuso, MD, of Silicon Valley Orthopaedics, have performed hundreds of joint replacement surgeries for residents in Foster City...
PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, therapy is all the rage among professional athletes. PRP can help you overcome injury, too. Even more, you don’t have to be a famous athlete or experience sports injury to benefit. The revolutionary treatment is an alternative to surgery and prescription medications when you’re struggling with...
Many sports put you at high-risk for a shoulder injury. Football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and baseball are some of the primary offenders. If you play one of these high-risk sports, you can take steps to lessen your chances of injuring your shoulders. Orthopedic specialists Nic Gay, MD, and Masi...
Half of everyone over age 70 will tear their rotator cuff. While rotator cuff tears are most commonly caused by aging, they occur in younger people, too, with about 10% of people in their 50s experiencing tears. Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent the pain and disability caused by...
The hip is the largest joint in the human body. It consists of a ball and socket joint, where the rounded end of the femur rests into the pelvic bone. The end of the femur and inside of the pelvic socket are coated with a layer of cartilage, which provides...
If you injure yourself, both an orthopedic surgeon and a sports medicine physician can help you recover. Both types of doctors specialize in the musculoskeletal system. These mechanical structures include bones, joints, ligaments, fascia, tendons and muscles. While the physicians may overlap in the ability to diagnose and treat many...
You’ve probably seen all the different inserts you can get for your shoes at the store. Why are there so many of them? And what makes having custom ones made for you by your orthopaedic provider a better choice? Having the proper cushioning and support when wearing your shoes can...
The summer weather provides the perfect invitation to go outside and enjoy all your favorite activities. Your body may need some time to adjust with increased motion to avoid orthopedic injuries, especially while exercising. Here are the best exercise tips to help prevent orthopedic injuries this summer. Stretch Before Exercising Stretching is...
The weather is great in sunny Silicon Valley and due to hitting the trails, you may be experiencing ankle pain. The most common injuries to the heel happen as a result of repetitive striking of the foot on hard surfaces while playing sports or wearing shoes that enhance irritation. If...
The shoulder joint is susceptible to various types of ailments. Frozen shoulder is one of them. Often confused with arthritis, frozen shoulder is a condition that involves pain and stiffness similar to arthritis. It develops gradually and intensifies. Unlike arthritis which is often degenerative, frozen shoulder finally goes away. The cycle for...
Did you know that the most common site of arthritis in the foot is at the base of the big toe? Can you imagine trying to get around with a big toe that does not want to flex? The joint affected by this is called the metatarsophalangeal, or MTP, joint....
As men get older, they may lose bone density that can make them more susceptible to injury. Because of their differences in structural anatomies, men can face challenges in their orthopaedic health differently than females. Recognizing these differences is crucial for accurate diagnosis in order to receive better care. Here are the...
The first and most noticeable symptom of plantar fasciitis is often a sharp, stabbing pain in the heel. It can be stronger when you first get out of bed and start walking, gradually easing up throughout the day, or it could be a constant pain as you go about your daily activities....
The prospect of surgery can be daunting, but the current pandemic is causing many who suffer from painful joints to reconsider surgery. These delays could lead to loss of function, more pain and an increased risk of further damage. Fortunately, safety measures mean you can have your much-needed surgery with minimal risk...
Gout is a very painful form of inflammatory arthritis. The attacks can have a sudden onset and are characterized by swelling, redness and intense pain. Another major symptom is that it most commonly occurs in the foot, particularly at the base of the big toe. Gout can occur in other...
An orthopedic injury or condition can greatly impact your mobility and quality of life. Whether you tore a tendon playing a contact sport or you are struggling with a degenerative disease like osteoarthritis, determining the best treatment option is an important decision. There are many orthopedic specialists that can offer...
Recognizing the potential signs of arthritis in the knees could save you a lot of future pain. These symptoms can present individually or with more than one symptom at a time. You may not feel concerned about early symptoms if they are not as severe or frequent. However, the more debilitating symptoms...
William Morrant Baker was a 19th century surgeon who first described the condition termed “Baker’s Cyst.” It is also called a popliteal cyst. It forms when excess synovial fluid accumulates in the hollow at the back of the knee joint and forms a bulge. It does not necessarily develop with...
Life as we know it has changed, maybe forever. Much of what was taken for granted not long ago now seems like just a memory of the past. For many, this includes such simple things as working out in the gym. The regular routine of grabbing your gym bag and...
Telemedicine has been around for a while. Its use as a primary means of doctoring for non-emergency visits is reaching unprecedented heights during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person visits are the ideal, of course; however, more clinics and private practices are choosing the telemedicine and virtual appointment alternative as...
You do not have any idea how important the joints in your elbows are until they become compromised with pain and/or limited mobility. This complex hinge in your arm consists of the humerus, radius and ulna bones and three different articulations working together: the proximal radioulnar joint, radio capitellar joint...
There is an old saying, “You never miss the water, ‘till the well runs dry.” It can be applied to many things in life, including knee pain. You can have pain in a number of different areas in your body and keep going, in many cases. When it comes to knee...
The term “ergonomics” has been popular in the English language from about 1997 onward. There are three basic branches of the discipline – physical, cognitive and organizational. Most people are aware of ergonomics as they address the workplace environment. Although the discipline is often thought of as a relatively new...
Ankle injury statistics are impressive. Over 25,000 ankle sprains occur on a daily basis. Over the course of a year, more than one million people will visit the emergency room with an ankle injury. Most of these people will have either a sprain or a fracture, and some will have...
This time of year is joyous; however, far too many people are unnecessarily injured during the holiday season. While many injuries occur as a result of vehicle accidents, there are thousands of other injuries caused by putting up or removing holiday decorations. Holiday Hazards The online videos of people falling off...
You often hear people talk about problems with carpel tunnel syndrome for those who work on computers all day. Less discussed are shoulder problems that arise from daily computer work. Shoulder pain is a form of repetitive strain injury, or RSI. Poor posture while working contributes to this problem. Rotator cuff syndrome and...
For older adults, it is important to see an orthopedic specialist at the first sign of joint trouble. For example, if you are experiencing knee or hip pain for three or more days and it does not seem to be improving, a consultation may help determine the cause. If you...
The vast majority of athletes heavily rely on ankle stability and strength in their chosen sports activity. Whether you play football or practice mixed martial arts, the fear of suffering ankle injuries is likely always at the back of your mind. When ankles are damaged, it impacts a large range of movements, including...
If you are due to have arthroscopic shoulder surgery, the rotator cuff muscles will likely experience some degree of interference during the procedure. During the recovery period, supporting these muscles can help to aid and speed up healing. The rotator cuff muscles are responsible for shoulder movement and stability. This muscle group...
