In the fall of 1993, my uncle Blue was in a serious motorcycle accident. He had been working on his motorcycle early one afternoon. When he decided to go for a test drive, his back tire came undone from his motorcycle as he was rounding a curve. He immediately lost control of his bike and…
Have you ever played a sport and fractured your ribs? Have you ever slipped and fell in the bathtub? Have you discussed rib fractures with your doctor? Causes ● Rib fractures tend to occur from traumatic falls.● Contact sports (football, hockey, baseball, etc.) create situations where blunt force causes fractures. Symptoms ● Intense severe pain●…
Have you ever thrown a ball as hard as you possibly could and heard a crunchy or popping sound in your shoulder? Did your shoulder hurt immediately afterwards? Did the pain travel down into your elbow? During my sophomore college softball season at the University of Tennessee, I lost my throwing ability. What used to…
Have you ever sneezed so hard that you fractured a vertebra? Have you ever sat down hard onto a chair or fallen, and instantly had lower back pain after standing? Have you heard about Osteoporotic Compression Fractures? What are Osteoporotic Compression Fractures? ● Osteoporotic compression fractures are a major cause of mid-thoracic and upper lower…
What are pelvic fractures? ● Pelvic fractures are breaks in the pelvis. Causes High impact trauma from any of the following can cause this injury: ● Motor vehicle accident● Fall● Pedestrian accident● Motorcycle crash The forceful impact from a severe accident can result in serious injuries to organs contained within the bony pelvis. o Severe…
Pelvic apophyseal avulsion fractures occur in younger athletes. Causes ● A pelvic apophyseal avulsion fracture is caused by the sudden and forceful contraction or passive lengthening of the muscles involved during acceleration and deceleration of the body as seen in a jump or a kick. This injury is associated with playing soccer, football, gymnastics, basketball,…
What are penetrating head injuries? ● Penetrating head injuries are severe head injuries that cause the outer layer of the brain, the dura mater, to be penetrated. Causes ● Penetrating head injuries are not caused by blunt force trauma.● They are caused by violent events such as gunshots, knife stabbings, or bone fragments being forced…
Do you have knee pain? People can experience knee pain in several unusual ways. For example, a few months ago, my mom joined a gym and hired a trainer to help her lose the weight that she had gained from working at home during the pandemic. She started out great. She went to the gym…
My first year of college, when I played softball for the University of Tennessee, I had an episode of osteitis pubis. It was the worst experience that I ever had; unfortunately, it occurred during one of the most important softball tournaments of my career. We were playing against one of the best teams in the…
Were you physically active when you were younger, but now that you are older, you feel every injury that you ever had all over again? Does lower back pain make getting out of bed in the morning difficult? Does standing on a hard surface for lengthy periods of time cause you to have numbness or…
Nerve pain can present in many ways when there is damage or trauma to the spinal cord. In this article, I will identify the other forms of neuropathic pain often seen in the clinical setting and their treatment. I. Trigeminal Neuralgia Cause ● Trigeminal neuralgia results from the compression of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal…
Hip pain is another common ailment that I see in my pain management clinic. Patients experience hip pain in diverse ways. Below are scenarios that I see the most often. 1) Sometimes lower back pain (L4-5 and L5-S1) can mimic hip pain.● In this area, patients tend to feel centralized lower back pain that radiates…
What are hip strains? ● These strains can be a simple stretch in the muscles or tendons, a partial or complete tear of the muscle fibers, or a combination of muscles and tendons.● Hip strains can be mild, moderate, or severe depending on the extent of the injury, and can occur at any time. Causes…
Have you ever had lower back pain that caused numbness and tingling sensations to radiate down your leg? Were the MRI results of your lumbar spine normal? When you have lower back pain and your spinal structure looks normal, ask your physician to take another look! Sometimes, it is tissue that is the source of…
Twenty-five years ago on a Friday night, I was playing in a high school basketball game. My teammate, one of our opponents, and I all jumped up simultaneously reaching for the basketball as it bounced off the rim. My teammate got the rebound; however, our opponent landed awkwardly on her back. Crashing to the floor,…
Do you have lower back pain? Are you unable to stand upright because of stiff lower back muscles? Has your mobility declined? Do you have difficulty kneeling to tie your shoes? If you said yes to these questions, then you need to incorporate stretching into your daily routine. Causes ● Lack of use of our…
Traumatic Thoracic Aorta Rupture – Have you ever wondered how the chest is affected after being crushed by the steering wheel during a major car accident? If so, read the details below. Cause ● A sudden traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta is caused by blunt force trauma related to a motor vehicle accident (MVA),…
Do you have pain in the upper middle area of your back? Do you have numbness and tingling sensations that radiate to your abdomen? Have you experienced chest pain? Do you tend to feel the need to stretch the middle of your back? If you said yes, then you may have thoracic pain. Read the…
