Archive for the ‘Orthopedic Injections’ Category

What are Synvisc injections and how helpful are they in Knee Osteoarthritis?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

A number of methods may be used to cure osteoarthritis of the knee. When a person is first diagnosed to be suffering from knee osteoarthritis, normally the doctors will recommend a diet, work-outs and a medication schedule to alleviate the pain and inflammation in the affected knees. In case these methods do not provide enough relief to the patient, the physicians will next recommend Synvisc injections to alleviate the knee pain.

Synvisc Injections

Synvisc injections are basically osteoarthritis injections that are directly administered into the affected knee to restore its cushioning and lubricating properties. These knee injections replace the damaged knee fluid with a substance similar to the synovial fluid found in the knee joints. Synvisc is basically a flexible and glutinous substance made from hyaluronan that is naturally present in normal joint fluid. It is one of the hyalurates that is used in viscosupplementation. Although viscosupplementation has been used for osteoarthritis treatment since the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Synvisc injections for treating osteoarthritis only on August 8, 1997. It may be mentioned here that viscosupplementation denotes the medication process of directly administering a knee injection where pain, swelling and/ or fluid buildup is found around the knee. Synvisc injections are approved for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in patients who have failed to respond to more conservative therapy, such as use of anti-inflammatory medications, activity modifications, ambulatory aids and cortisone or steroid knee injections. Use of Synvisc injections for other joints is presently being probed by scientists. At the same time, it needs to be noted that the Canadian Synvisc is considered a treatment or therapy and not a drug.

Treatment

Normally, Synvisc injections are administered once a week with an interval of seven days between two sessions for a total of three knee injections. It has been established that Synvisc injections provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief with just three injections. In addition, Synvisc injections also help in delaying the total knee replacement surgery in patients suffering from acute knee osteoarthritis. Use of Synvisc injections not only alleviate the knee pain, but also improve the knee movement and mobility in knee osteoarthritis patients. As mentioned earlier, Canadian Synvisc, which is one of the most inexpensive knee injections, replaces the damaged knee fluid and functions as a knee ‘lubricant’. In order to avail the best results from Synvisc injections, it is essential to remove the diseased osteoarthritic synovial fluid from the knee joint before administering the first knee injection.

Synvisc injections provide relief through ‘viscosupplementation’, the term used for this type of treatment. The objective behind using Synvisc injections is to restore the natural elasticity and viscous properties of synovial fluid. Hyaluronan present in Synvisc injections is responsible for the lubricating properties of normal joint fluid. The lubricating affects of joint fluid enables the cartilage surfaces of joints to glide upon each other in a smooth manner. When Synvisc injections are directly administered into the affected knee joint, it helps to restore the joint lubrication. In addition, hyaluronan in Canadian Synvisc is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties, and may help protect remaining cartilage in the joint.

Clinical Trial

Clinical trials undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of Synvisc injections included a single-center study of 56 women and 52 men with an average age of 62 years old. All the participants in the clinical trial with synvisc injections suffered from osteoarthritis in one or both knees and had failed treatment with cortisone knee injections. During the trial the all participants received three intra-articular Synvisc injections at an interval of one week each and the assessment of the patients were done in the first, third, sixth, twelfth, fifteenth, and eighteenth months.

The scientists used the Hospital for Special Knee Surgery Rating Scale to assess the pain alleviation and aptitude to evade total knee replacement surgery among the patients. The findings of the trials hinted that 72.6 per cent of patients treated with Synvisc injections avoided the total knee replacement surgery during the course of the study. In addition, no serious or long-term side effects from the Synvisc injections were noted during the study. However, eight patients developed acute inflammatory reactions after the administration of the Synvisc injections.

Side Effects

So far, no study involving the use of Synvisc injections has found any serious adverse aftereffects associated with the use of this knee injection. When reactions to Synvisc injections occur, they tend to be flare-ups of knee inflammation that usually alleviates within a few days. These outbreak reactions occur in only three per cent of all Synvisc injections. Hence, treatment with Synvisc injections has been known to be safe.

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Spider vein removal with Aethoxysklerol (Polodpcanol)

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Aethoxysklerol developed by Kreussler in the early 1960s and used effectively to treat millions of patients outside the United States for nearly five decades is a primary sclerotherapy for spider vein treatment. Aethoxysklerol has been generally endorsed outside the United States in various concentrations for visible small to medium spider vein treatment. However, this sclerosing solution contained in spider vein injections is yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to experts, the key advantages of aethoxysklerol are the fact that its active ingredient has anesthetic properties and its low incidence of adverse aftereffects, such as necrosis and hyper-pigmentation.

Spider Veins

Before delving into the issue of sclerotherapy it is essential to know something about spider veins. Spider veins normally become visible on the legs, ankles, face, and hips and appear in reddish, purplish or bluish colors. These veins are quite thin and often appear like branches stretching out from a centralized area, or may appear like running rivulets.

All veins have a single valve that continues to push the impure blood towards the heart, but as people age, these valves might not function as efficiently. In such situations, some blood can stay in a vein instead of moving forward like it ought to. This, in turn, makes the veins swell up, and these swollen veins are spider veins. Normally, spider veins appear on the legs, ankles and feet as these parts of the body farthest from the heart. Nevertheless, spider vein treatment is possible by a medical procedure called sclerotherapy that has been in practice since the 1930s. Sclerotherapy is actually spider vein removal by injecting a chemical known as sclerosant directly into the harmed vein.

Sclerotherapy is a medical technique that involves the use of spider vein injections of a sclerosing agent – the two most popular agents being hypertonic saline and aethoxysklerol solution. These agents are injected into the veins to disband and get rid of unwanted blood vessels and spider veins. The physician uses a tiny needle to inject the fluid directly into the useless blood vessels. This fluid then displaces the blood in the vein causing it to contract. Gradually over the next month the blood vessels are absorbed and disappear.

On the other hand, some spider on the appearing on the legs and face can also be treated by laser technology. Some spider veins on the legs or face can be treated by laser. This is normally done for people having ugly capillaries on their face. However, laser is a very effective tool in correcting spider veins. It is always done in the physician’s clinic and each treatment session normally takes 15 minutes to an hour counting on the number of spider veins that are being taken care of.

Treatment

The process of spider vein treatment by means of sclerotherapy involves administering a cosmetic injection directly into the inside stratum of the harmed blood vessels. Administration of aethxysklerol or spider vein injections results in the swelling of the spider veins that are put together. This in turn, brings about clotting of the blood inside the damaged veins and ultimately the spider veins are transformed into a flawed tissue and turn insipid prior to disappearing. In characteristic outpatient spider vein treatment using sclarotherapy, the patient changes into a pair of shorts at the doctor’s clinic and lies on an examination table. After cleansing the skin surface with an antiseptic, the doctor injects a sclerosing agent like aethxysklerol (polodpcanol) into the damaged veins. This agent is removed when the skin is stretched firmly over the area with the other hand. The doctor first administers the spider vein injections into the larger veins in each area of the leg, then the smaller ones. In most cases, one injection is needed for every inch of spider vein. A normal treatment session will require five to 40 separate injections. No anesthetic is needed for sclerotherapy, although the patient may feel a mild stinging or burning sensation at the injection site.

The liquid sclerosing agents used most often for spider vein treatment are polidocanol (aethoxysklerol), sodium tetradecyl sulfate, and saline solution at 11.7% concentration. Some practitioners choose to use saline because it does not cause allergic reactions. The normal practice is to use the lowest concentration of the chemical that is still effective in closing the veins. Vein removal by means of spider vein injections containing aethoxysklerol solution is often an agonizing procedure and the sclerosant enclosed in the spider vein injections may give rise to a smoldering or constricting feeling at the injection site. A number of studies have demonstrated that spider vein removal is possible in approximately 50-80 per cent of with just a single sclerotherapy session. On the other hand, around 10 per cent patients having sclerotherapy do no respond to spider vein injections in any way.

Side Effects

Spider vein removal through sclerotherapy has certain adverse aftereffects. It has been found that vein removal by means of spider vein injections often results in change in skin color near the affected veins. The skin bruising owing to use of spider vein injections may be permanent in some patients, while in other patients, it may take months for the scars to fade away. In addition, the common side effects of using spider vein injections for vein removal includes pain, irritation, blistering and marks at the injection site. What is worse, it that in the event the spider vein injections are administered outside the spider veins, it may result in ulcers and even death of the adjoining tissues. While spider vein treatment using sclerotherapy may also cause blood clotting or harm the deep veins arrangement, one of the biggest risks of vein removal by sclerotherapy is that the failure of the treatment may cause the spider veins to reappear some time later on.

Precautions

Patients who have been administered spider vein injections are normally able to walk soon after the sclerotherapy treatment, but they ought to take rest for few days and not undertake any strenuous work. Pregnant or lactating women with varicose veins should never administered the spider vein treatment for vein removal as scientists are yet to ascertain whether the sclerosant contained in the spider vein injections result in birth defects of infects the breast milk. Moreover, sclerotherapy should be avoided in patients who have a history of allergy to sclerosant or similar substances or people having blood clots or swelling in deep leg veins. While administering spider vein injections in these cases may prove to be detrimental for their health, people taking spider vein treatment should avoid direct exposure to sunlight, hot baths, saunas or hot compressions. Last, but not the least, always remember that sclerotherapy is essentially a cosmetic treatment and not covered by any health indemnity.

Winding Up

Before wrapping up, it is important to highlight the advantages of sclerotherapy for spider vein treatment. Compared to surgery or laser treatment, sclerotherapy is much inexpensive and the patient does not have to be hospitalized for spider vein removal. In addition, patients using sclerotherapy for vein removal are able to resume their normal activities much earlier than people undergoing surgery for the same. Sclerotheraphy is best suited for treating spider veins, as it helps to recover fast and in about 85 per cent cases leaves insignificant or no scar at the treatment site at all.

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Is Euflexxa the Answer to Osteoarthritis?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

There is a common conception that osteoarthritis, the most widespread chronic joint pain, is basically incurable. In fact, even many medical professionals have asserted that, apart from temporary relief, there is no effectual cure for osteoarthritis. Nevertheless, the good news is that latest studies have demonstrated that it is possible to successfully cure knee osteoarthritis provided the disease is diagnosed at an early stage. Hence, anyone who is enduring persistent knee pain for more than a fortnight ought to rush for medical assistance. While various pain relievers – injections as well as oral medications – are presently available in the market, it has now been established that the most common cause of persistent knee pain is osteoarthritis and this requires a different treatment. Euflexxa is considered to be one of the best orthopedic injections for treating knee osteoarthritis. Euflexxa is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) only for treating knee osteoarthritis. One is able to buy Euflexxa from the neighborhood drug stores or the online pharmacies. Compared to the orthopedic injections sold in the neighborhood drug stores, when you buy Eflexxa from online chemist shops, you will be able to obtain it at a cheaper price.

All about Euflexxa

Euflexxa is an effective orthopedic injection containing highly pure hyaluronic acid designed to treat knee osteoarthritis. The hyalronic acid present in Euflexxa is very similar to the synovial fluid naturally present in the knee joints. This is a jelly-like substance that helps to lubricate the joints enabling the cartilages to slide upon each other freely and also acts as a shock absorber. With advancing age or otherwise too, the synovial liquid in the joints become thinner causing extreme pain as well as restricting mobility owing to knee osteoarthritis. In such situations, injecting Euflexxa directly into the affected knee joints not only relieves pain, but also helps to restore the normal functioning of the joints. In fact, the hyaluronic acid contained in this orthopedic injection works by attaching the natural substance that encloses the synovial fluid and revitalizes the capability of the fluid to protect the knee joint.

Euflexxa is different from the other orthopedic injections as it does not enclose any animal product and hence there is no risk of communicating diseases or resulting in allergic reactions in patients who are susceptible to poultry products like egg and/ or feathers as well as beef. Compared to other orthopedic injections of its kind, Euflexxa also takes lesser time to offer relief to knee osteoarthritis patients. Treatment with Euflexxa is also known as viscosupplementation whereby an osteoarthritis patient is administered three orthopedic injections, one week apart, directly into the affected knee joint.

Euflexxa Treatment

Euflexxa is always given as an injection directly into the affected knee of osteoarthritis patients who have failed to obtain any relief from other forms of medication and physical exercises. This orthopedic injection is administered in a physician’s office or clinics. One treatment course with Euflexxa comprises administering three of these orthopedic injections, one given each week. However, in special instances, the physician may want the patient to have injections more often than once each week. In case a patient feels that he or she has had an overdose of this orthopedic injection, they ought to seek emergency medical help. However, it needs to be underlined that an overdose of sodium hyaluronate contained in Euflexxa is not expected to produce critical symptoms.

Advantages of Euflexxa

The major advantage of taking Euflexxa injections is that it offers a long-lasting relief. However, the relief is not permanent and may differ from one patient to another. In addition, this orthopedic injection has been found to be equally effective in all stages of knee osteoarthritis. While no pre-examination of the patient is required before administering Euflexxa, even the results of treatment with this orthopedic injection are instantaneous. There may be some minor side effects, such as swelling, pain and bruising at the injection site, following the administration of Euflexxa, but they disappear within a couple of days. In addition, treatment with Euflexxa is cheap and safe. Besides, the patient does not require hospitalization and is able to resume his or her normal activities very soon. Nevertheless, there are two precautions – always consult your physician before taking the treatment and only buy Euflexxa from authorized drug stores.

Before wrapping up, it may be said that Euflexxa is definitely the answer to knee osteoarthritis. Hence, buy Euflexxa and bid adieu to your knee pain!

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Botox Injections – Treat Severe Underarm Sweating

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Underarm sweating is a severe problem faced by millions of people across the globe. It is a chronic condition wherein the subject has severe sweating in the arm pits and is referred to Axillary Hyperhidrosis. More than a million people in the U.S alone suffer from this disease. People suffering from Axillary Hyperhidrosis have been found to sweat four times more than normal subjects in order to maintain a normal body temperature. This condition can not only be a social stigma but if left ignored for long can lead to swelling, itching and redness of the underarms.
As far as sweaty underarms are concerned, people have reported that they have not been able to concentrate on their work and there has been a constant “low” feeling at parties and social gatherings. Be it inside a crowded bus or an evening garden party, Axillary Hyperhidrosis has been found to be a serious contributor towards low self esteem of the subjects.

The good news however, is that you can get rid of that smelly sweat forever with Botox injections. Botox has been approved the U.S FDA for treatment of Axillary Hyperhidrosis. Botox is not new to the medical fraternity. It has been successfully used for treating wrinkles. The very recent studies published are long term ones and Botox has been found to be effective in keeping severe underarm sweating at bay for at least two years.

Antiperspirants and prescription creams have been used for long to fight sever underarm sweating. Deodorants have been so extensively used and trusted upon that people tend to blame the amount of deodorant sprayed, not the deodorant itself for underarm stench. Botox injections can replace all such creams and sprays effectively. The myth of spraying more to fight sweat more however holds true for Botox to some extent. Recent three year trials on large populations have shown that people seemed to respond more to the treatment when given repeatedly. The study revealed that after the first treatment, 82% of the treated population had a reduction of symptoms by 75% four weeks after the injection and four weeks after the second and third dosages, the “sweat reduction” population went up to 79%. That clearly shows that Botox injections can keep sweaty underarms at bay if taken repeatedly. The trials have also concluded that Botox injections are safe and do not cause reactions or long term after effects when used regularly.

Botox injections work by blocking the chemical signals that are sent to the sweat glands. When the glands don’t receive signals, sweating process is inhibited. Taking a Botox therapy doesn’t require a lot of time. You can spend just ten to fifteen minutes at the doctor’s chamber and get a Botox injection. The cost usually varies from doctor to doctor, but you can expect each treatment to cost you to the tune of $2000. That however is acceptable if you consider the social stigma of severe underarm sweating.

In the follow-up study, researchers found Botox continued to be effective with repeated treatment. After the first treatment, 82% had up to a 75% reduction in sweat production in four weeks after the injection.

Four weeks after treatments two and three, 79% experienced the same degree of relief.

Overall, 94% of patients required four or fewer Botox injections to control their symptoms during the two-year study.

Botox May Ease Social Stigma of Sweat

The study also found that the treatment had a positive effect on the patients’ quality of life, for example:
Before treatment, 66%-72% of patients were somewhat or very dissatisfied with their ability to perform their current work activities, compared with 9%-20% after treatment.
The number of patients who reported feeling “emotionally damaged or injured” due to their hyperhidrosis reduced by about half before and after treatment, from 76%-83% to 32%-42%.
Participants reported significantly less limitation in interpersonal and social situations. Before treatment 17%-33% said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their ability to perform nonwork activities. After treatment, that proportion increased to 78%-88%.
Glaser presented the results of the study this week at a meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Chicago. Funding for the study was provided by Allergan, Inc., which produces Botox.

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