In this episode of eOrthopodTV, Dr. Randale Sechrest and orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Mazzara discuss the evaluation and treatment of rotator cuff problems in the shoulder.

Find it at eOrthopod.tv.

I recently finished reading Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. I was looking for some help with a new project idea that required using Keynote to create a screencast type presentation for patient education. I got far more than I bargained for. This is the sort of book that changes the way that you look at things you thought you had a handle on before. This book is not really about Powerpoint or keynote… It is a high level exploration of the concepts of communicating ideas effectively. Highly recommended for anyone that needs to communicate in the multimedia world we live in today.

Randale

New videos up at eOrthopodTV featuring Dr. Justin Paquette, a neurosurgeon from Los Angeles, California. Dr. Paquette specializes in complex spinal deformity. We discuss several topics relating to spine surgery including neck pain, artificial cervical disc replacement and flat back syndrome.

Learn more about how to be a guest on eOrthopodTV.

Randale

What happens when you marry health care to Web 2.0? Health 2.0. Who knows if it will catch on, but it is the hottest buzzword around these days. You know if it has a Wikeipedia entry it has to be real. Well, maybe. OK, but what if it has its own conference? Still not convinced? Then maybe this article in The Economist will prove to you that this time consumers are ready to use the web to empower themselves in the Byzantine world of health care.

Health 2.0 may be the second coming of the online health care world - or it may be another bubble. Stay tuned to see which it is. My first foray in online health care during Web 1.0 was a blast. I hope this one is too. I hope that this time it’s sustainable.

Randale

Just finished reading the new Clay Shirky book - Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. Unlike some of the other books that have been written on the subject, this takes the higher road and explores the impact of the Internet on community, organization and activism. This book is an excellent analysis of the major trends of the last decade and how the development of the Internet has dramatically shaped our vision of what is possible. Here is a video of a talk about the book given at Harvard’s Berkman Center. Clay Shirky is that odd mixture of geek (participant of the early Internet), academic (NYU) and consultant to the “Real World” (whatever that is…). He has a lot to say that I think is very relevant to those of us wanting to understand how to participate in the Internet “ecosystem” - today and into the future. Highly recommended!

Randale

A cottage industry has sprung up around the debate on the future of health care in the United States. As we move into the bona fide presidential campaign season, it shows no signs of abating. I have just finished reading Health Care at Risk: A Critique of the Consumer-Driven Movement and found it extremely useful for understanding the evolution of health care funding around the world as well as the scope of the debate currently occurring in this country - “Single Payer” versus “Market Driven” paradigms. There are multiple practical and philosophical issues that have to be addressed to adequately grasp the debate itself, let alone to refine your thinking about which side you are on. This book clearly articulates both sides of the argument and the evidence for and against each side in an academic fashion while remaining accessible to all. If you want to get more - but clearly biased - background on the “Market Driven” side of the argument consider reading Who Killed Health Care?: America’s $2 Trillion Medical Problem - and the Consumer-Driven Cure by Regina Herzlinger (the queen of the Market Driven movement) and Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results the academic treatise from Michael E. Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg.

groundswell

“Winning in a world transformed by social technologies.”

I just finished this new book by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, two VP analysts at Forrester Research. This is a very readable and very balanced look at the increasing impact of social media on business. There are several sections that address how healthcare institutions have tapped into the social media dynamic and increased customer satisfaction and - potentially - improved outcomes. There are several other books that I have read that cover this same terrain (Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs by Geoff Livingston; The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media
by Paul Gillin and Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business by Larry Weber.) and more on the way (Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky). Groundswell is much less a cheerleading book and much more of a business analysis of what is happening and what you can do with your organization to take advantage of the trends occurring as the social media world unfolds. Highly recommended if you want a sober, balanced look at the playing field.

Randale

Our new service, eOrthopodTV has launched in beta. For the rest of 2008 we will be inviting a limited number of healthcare providers involved with musculoskeletal care to come to Missoula and spend a day in the MMG video studio. We pay all production costs - you pay your travel expenses. Any of you that have tried to do video production on your own know that while it may be easy these days to shoot and edit video technically, it is not easy to produce good quality video for your website. We have made it drop dead easy to get good video for your website and we will syndicate the video out to the web for you as well.

More information about how to take advantage of this offer is available on the eorthopodTV website.

Or you can always call the office to find out more. 1-866-721-3072.

Randale

Surgeons Recommend Broad Patient Assessment After Surgery for Shoulder
Posted 8 days ago
Before and after measurements of pain, motion, strength, and function are a good way to track which patients improve with surgery and rate the level of success or failure for each procedure. But there are over 30 different tests that can be done. All are not equal or reliable. So, to help surgeons decide which test to use and when to use it, this article reviews many of the commonly used before and after outcomes measures. Reference: Rick W. Wright, MD, and Keith M. Baumgarten, MD. Shoulder Outcomes Measures. In Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. July 2010. Vol. 18. No. 7. Pp. 436-444. read more [Link]

Best Treatment for Elbow Fractures in Children
Posted 8 days ago
In this study, orthopedic surgeons compared three ways to treat elbow fractures in children. The specific type of fracture was a lateral condylar fracture of the distal humerus . The distal humerus is at the bottom of the upper arm. Reference: Kyoung Hwan Koh, MD, et al. Clinical and Radiographic Results of Lateral Condylar Fracture of Distal Humerus in Children. In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. July/August 2010. Vol. 30. No. 5. Pp. 425-429. read more [Link]

Some Questions and Concerns About the Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma
Posted 8 days ago
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) (also known as blood injection therapy )) is a medical treatment being used for a wide range of musculoskeletal problems. Platelet-rich plasma refers to a sample of serum (blood) plasma that has as much as four times more than the normal amount of platelets. This treatment enhances the body’s natural ability to heal itself and is used to improve healing and shorten recovery time from acute and chronic soft tissue injuries. Reference: Steven P. Arnoczky, DVM, et al. On the Horizon From the ORS. Platelet-Rich Plasma to Augment Connective Tissue Healing: Making Sense of It All. In Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. July 2010. Vol. 18. No. 7. Pp. 445-448. read more [Link]

Single Bone Fixation is Possible When Both Forearm Bones are Broken
Posted 8 days ago
Surgeons face some interesting challenges when dealing with broken bones in children. One of the most common bone fractures in children between the ages of four and 14 is the forearm. There are two bones in there: the radius and the ulna . Reference: Jeffrey F. Dietz, MD, et al. Single Bone Intramedullary Fixation of the Ulna in Pediatric Both Bone Forearm Fractures: Analysis of Short-Term Clinical and Radiographic Results. In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. July/August 2010. Vol. 30. No. 5. Pp. 420-424. read more [Link]

Severe Foot Injuries in Children Riding Escalators Wearing Clogs
Posted 8 days ago
Department stores with escalators often have a sign posted that the escalator is not to be played on or ridden for fun when shopping. Safety is the store's first concern. Injuries can and do happen on escalators. These kinds of signs rarely keep children from taking a joy ride. And even when accompanied by an adult, severe fractures, cuts, and even traumatic toe amputations have been reported in children riding escalators. Reference: Kevin Boon Leong Lim, FRCS(Eng), FRCSEd(Orth), FAMS, et al. Escalators, Rubber Clogs, and Severe Foot Injuries in Children. In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. July/August 2010. Vol. 30. No. 5. Pp. 414-419. read more [Link]

Something New About Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Posted 15 days ago
Patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) are faced with some very unpleasant symptoms. The first is unrelenting burning or aching pain followed by skin sensitivity, swelling, discoloration, sweating, and temperature changes. Reference: Jennifer S. Lewis, et al. Wherever Is My Arm? Impaired Upper Limb Position Accuracy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. In PAIN. June 2010. Vol. 149. No. 3. Pp. 463-469. read more [Link]

Long-term Results of Foot Injuries From Airbags
Posted 15 days ago
You probably won't be surprised to know that front-end collisions resulting in airbag release cause significant physical injuries. The force of the bag inflating against the body protects the person from smashing into the dashboard or going out the front window. Reference: Amar Patel, MD, et al. Midfoot Arthritis. In Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. July 2010. Vol. 18. No. 7. Pp. 417-425. read more [Link]

Treatment of Knee Arthritis in Young, Active Adults
Posted 15 days ago
In this review article, orthopedic surgeons from around the country bring us up to date on the latest research and evidence on the management of knee osteoarthritis in young, active adults. This patient population presents quite a challenge as they want to remain active but may be too young for a total knee replacement. Reference: Brian T. Feeley, MD, et al. Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee in an Active Patient. In Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. July 2010. Vol. 18. No. 7. Pp. 406-416. read more [Link]

No Need For Muscle Relaxants with Acute Lumbar Disc Prolapse
Posted 15 days ago
Acute lumbar disc prolapse can be very painful. Back pain that goes down the leg (called sciatica ) often brings the patient in to the physician's office for help. Pain is managed with physical therapy and medications such as antiinflammatories. Reference: Doris Brötz, et al. Is There a Role for Benzodiazepines in the Management of Lumbar Disc Prolapse with Acute Sciatica? In PAIN. June 2010. Vol. 149. No. 3. Pp. 470-475. read more [Link]

Athletes With Flexible Joints: Are They At Risk for Injury?
Posted 3 weeks ago
An Australian physical therapist (they are called physiotherapists down under) won The American Journal of Sports Medicine's annual competition in 2009. It was for the best systematic review with meta-analysis on the subject of leg injuries in athletes who are hypermobile. Reference: Verity Pacey, GradDip (Sports Physiotherapy), et al. Generalized Joint Hypermobility and Risk of Lower Limb Joint Injury During Sport. In The American Journal of Sports Medicine. July 2010. Vol. 38. No. 7. Pp. 1487-1497. read more [Link]