In the course of a shoulder, the nerve root is compressed by a hernia of the nucleus pulposus or a bone growth (osteophyte). Moreover, the nerve root may become jammed in the narrowed intervertebral opening. The most common cause of the described structural changes is the degenerative disease of the spine resulting from bad habits (the position of the head tilted forward and forward). Less commonly, pressure can be caused by the mass of the cancerous tumor.

A typical symptom of shoulder pain is unilateral pain radiating from the nape of the neck to the upper limb (shoulder, elbow, forearm or fingers). Pain may be accompanied by sensory disturbances, numbness and weakness in the muscles of the shoulder girdle and / or upper limb. The severity of the pain usually depends on the current position of the cervical spine.

In most patients, adequate management is oral painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy and specialist spine rehabilitation. If necessary, the doctor performs a local injection of the spine with a steroid (cervical spine blockade). In the event of unsuccessful conservative treatment or aggravation of neurological deficits, a surgical procedure to decompress the compressed nerve structures is considered.

Sciatica manifests itself as severe pain in the back and one of the legs. Pain occurs in the lumbosacral spine and buttock, or it can radiate through the back of the thigh and calf to the foot.

One of the most common causes of sciatica is the prolapse of the nucleus pulposus outside the area of ​​the intervertebral disc (disc). The prolapse of the pulmonary nucleus occurs most often when lifting heavy objects or other activities that overload the lumbar spine. Sciatica is usually the result of many years of progression of degenerative changes in the spine.

The diagnosis of sciatica includes: an interview, neurological examination, examination of the range of spine mobility, functional examination, examination of the variability of pain symptoms depending on the body position and analysis of imaging tests (MRI, X-ray or computed tomography).

In the first place, rehabilitation and pharmacological treatment are used as an auxiliary. If conservative treatment is unsuccessful, surgical treatment is undertaken, e.g. microdiscectomy, i.e. excision of the nucleus pulposus that compresses the nerve root.

The essence of the jumper's knee is the degeneration of the fibers of the patellar ligament that connects the kneecap to the tibia. The patella ligament tightens along with the quadriceps when the knee is extended and when landing on a bent leg. As a result of excessive overload accompanying jumping or running, microtrauma in his patellar ligaments and the release of pain ailments occur. Healing processes do not keep up with the formation of further microdamages, as a result of which the structure of the patellar ligament is gradually degenerating.

Jumper's knee is showing pain as well as possible swelling and palpation at the front of the knee under the kneecap. The ailments worsen during activities with a large component of running or jumping.

The main cause of the jumper's knee is excessive overloading of the joint and neglecting periods of recovery and rest. The risk of the disease is increased in people with weakened quadriceps muscle, imbalance of tension in the thigh muscles, disturbance of the knee axis (valgus, varus) or abnormal anatomical structure of the patellar femoral joint.

Minor injuries are subject to conservative treatment aimed at facilitating the healing process and then increasing the strength of the patellar ligament to loads. Rehabilitation includes transverse massage of the patellar ligament, shock wave therapy, and exercises to stretch and strengthen the quadriceps. Particular emphasis should be placed on exercises that improve the eccentric work of the quadriceps - that is, those that consist in inhibiting the knee deflection by the muscle (e.g. when going down into a squat or deepening a lunge).

When the patellar ligament damage is extensive, repair procedures are performed or ligament reconstruction procedures are performed.

Due to the complex multilayer structure of the articular cartilage, it is not possible to fully rebuild the hyaline articular cartilage. By using treatment methods in the field of regenerative medicine (plasma with concentrated platelets), it is possible to accelerate the healing and repair processes of damaged cartilage. Biological treatment is effective provided that the patient is appropriately qualified for the therapy. If you want to read more about how we treat it in our hospital, click here.