A cure for “Jumper’s Knee”?

Do you have patellar tendinitis or tendinopathy – also known as Jumper’s Knee?  This can be a stubborn condition that causes pain when jumping or kneeling and is usually caused by overuse.

Tendinopathies can be hard to heal – tendons don’t have a rich blood supply which is necessary for healing.  Blood carries “repair” components to the injury site including, healing cells, and the body’s own chemicals necessary for healing (growth factors).

When Jumper’s Knee becomes chronic and traditional conservative therapies (rest, physiotherapy, bracing) haven’t improved matters, it might be time to try something new:  hcPRP.

hcPRP, or highly-concentrated platelet-rich plasma, is a concentration of blood platelets, made from your own blood and injected directly into the tendon.  What does it do?  Well, it delivers platelets, full of the healing ingredients that can kick-start the repair process of stubborn injuries.

Canada Diagnostic Centres in Vancouver is the only place in Canada that you can get hcPRP treatments.  There are other platelet-rich-plasma treatments available, but they only concentrate the platelets to 5-8x baseline and multiple injections are usually required.  With hcPRP, we concentrate the platelets to 25-45x baseline and one injection is generally all that is required.

An important component to our treatments is that we use image-guidance for our injections.  We use either ultrasound or CT to help the radiologist visualize exactly where the injection needs to go and to help him ensure the needle delivers the hcPRP to the exact spots it is needed most.  Result?  More accurate placement of hcPRP resulting in better healing.

Will hcPRP help you?  We have had a lot of success treating a number of chronic tendinopathies with hcPRP, so if you have been diagnosed with Jumper’s Knee or patellar tendonopathy, give us a call to learn more about hcPRP.

Call us today at 1-877-709-8522 to learn more.

MRI can change diagnosis and treatment plan for knee problems

Did you know that using MRI for knee disorders can often change the diagnosis and treatment plan?

With an accurate diagnosis, confirmed by MRI, its easier for doctors and their patients to choose the best course of action – patients will get the more effective treatment.

A small study done by the Cleveland Clinic and presented in November at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual international conference found that an MRI changed the primary diagnosis in 37% of the cases and altered patient care in 29% of the cases including whether to do surgery or not, and which type of surgery to do.

The patients who were studied were all referred for MRIs by orthopedic or sports medicine doctors, who are the most skilled at evaluating knee problems.  The study hypothesized that if the expert diagnosis changed, then diagnosis done by non-surgeons or non-sports med doctors would probably be effected more. 

Looking for the right place to have your knee checked out?  Our radiologists are all skilled musculoskeletal MRI interpreters and work closely with the sports medicine doctors and surgeons at Allan McGavin Sports Medicine at UBC.  Call us today for more information at 1-877-709-8522 or visit us online at www.canadadiagnostic.com

And don’t forget to check out our options for pain management!  http://www.canadadiagnostic.com/content/services/pain-management.php

 

Mayo Clinic study finds PRP safe and effective

A study done at the Mayo Clinic, and published in the October 2011 Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, finds that needle tenotomy plus PRP is a “safe and effective treatment for chronic, recalcitrant tendinopathy”.

The patients who participated in the study each had stubborn tendon problems.  The tendons treated in the study were located in the upper arms (including elbows), legs, ankles and feet. 

The researchers at the Mayo Clinic used needle tenotomy (in simple terms, “poking” the tendon with a needle) before injecting the PRP into the injured tendon.  Their aim was to create more surface area for the PRP to latch on to, increasing the amount of tissue regeneration stimulation that could occur.

Highly-concentrated platelet-rich plasma (hcPRP) is now available at Canada Diagnostic .  Email us at info@canadadiagnostic.com or call us at 1-877-709-8522 to learn more.

Knee Injuries Rise Sharply in Kids

A presentation made in October 2011 at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference showed how knee injuries in children and teens have increased at “an alarming rate”.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and meniscus tears in young people have each increased significantly over the past 10 years.  What is causing this increase in diagnosed injuries?  The most likely explanations are that many kids now play a single sport at a high level, year-round – increasing their chances for overuse and other injuries.

There is also increased awareness into injuries, increased use of MRI which can diagnose tears (xray cannot), and even earlier visits to an orthopedic specialist.

So, what is a parent or coach to do?  There is increased emphasis on injury prevention in junior sport including screening for athletes who may be more at risk for these types of injuries.  Athletes, parents and coaches should seek out injury prevention programs that can be added to the practice/training programs.

If you think your child has a knee or other injury, getting an accurate diagnosis and timely treatment will not only get them back playing sooner, but could prevent more long-term serious joint problems.  Contact us today to find out how we can help.  Canada Diagnostic Centres (BC) Ltd. 1-877-709-8522 / 604-709-8522 or info@canadadiagnostic.com

Stay Safe & Healthy!

 

Painful Tendon that just won’t heal? PRP may be the answer!

Have you been suffering with chronic pain because of a tendon that just won’t heal?

There’s a new technique that uses your own blood to help heal the injury and eliminate your pain.

PRP – or platelet-rich plasma – is being used by sports medicine and orthopedic specialists to help heal chronic tendinopathies. Because tendons and ligaments have a limited blood supply, there are often not enough platelets to properly heal the injury.

PRP helps eliminate that problem, by providing a concentration of your own platelets directly at the injury site that may promote healing. As the tissue repairs itself, your pain gradually subsides and functionality is restored.

But, there is even better news!  An exciting new development in the world of PRP is called hcPRP or highly-concentrated platelet-rich plasma. Most PRP practitioners use a platelet concentration of 5 – 8 times the amount that normally circulates in your blood. With hcPRP, those concentrations are 25 – 45 times baseline PLUS, thrombin from your blood is added just as the hcPRP is injected. Thrombin helps activate the platelets so that they can be more effective.

Canada Diagnostic is now offering hcPRP injections at our Vancouver clinic. Our doctors use either an ultrasound or CT scanner to help them ensure that the hcPRP injection goes precisely where they want it to go – another way to ensure the treatment will be effective!

PRP / hcPRP is still considered investigational or experimental, but many of the scientific studies that have already been done show that PRP is very promising.

Visit our website or give us a call to find out more about hcPRP at Canada Diagnostic: 1-877-709-8522 or 604-709-8522