Health

Experiencing Knee Pain? Possible Treatments Options You Ought to Know About

Published

1 year ago

August 6, 2021

Have you ever experienced knee pain? The pain and discomfort are unbearable. The bone structure causes knee pain by either compromising the knee joint, knee cap, cartilage, or ligaments. The pain to the knee can be from an aggravating activity or foot injury. Knee pain is treated in various ways. However, you need an orthopedic specialist to check on the severity of the pain. The best Jersey City orthopedics are at Garden State Pain Control. Their team is equipped with top-notch professionals to assist you in your recovery journey.

Physical Therapy

Your doctor may recommend physical therapy as a treatment option. The therapy helps in improving the strength of the muscles and making the knee more stable. However, the therapy exercise technique needs to be monitored by a physical therapist to avoid further worsening the injury. If you are a sports person, you may be required to exercise using the correct pattern movement to minimize injury to the knees.

Medications

Depending on the severity of the knee problem, your doctor may suggest some medication to aid in your treatment. The medication is normally prescribed to relieve pain or treat an underlying condition causing the pain. Over-the-counter medicine such as naproxen sodium (Aleve) and ibuprofen may assist in easing the pain but only through prescription by a specialist. Creams also come in handy in protecting the pain due to their numbing effect.

Injections

This is also a viable treatment option your doctor may suggest. In some instances, injecting medication directly into the joint may help to reduce pain. Severe cases require this type of treatment. Below are some of the injections:

Corticosteroids:

Injection with corticosteroid drug is administered to the knee to ease inflammation, pain, and swelling. The drug takes two to three days to begin to work.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP):

This injection is made of your own blood plasma with a high concentration of platelets. The platelets are injected into the knee to induce healing of injury or damaged cartilage.

Viscosupplementation:

This injection contains hyaluronic acid injected into the knee to increase mobility and reduce knee pain.

Injections are most common for patients with osteoarthritis and sometimes severe cases of knee pain.

Surgery

Surgery is also another treatment option, but in this case, one should exercise reasonable caution. You will need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of having a surgical procedure before having one. A surgical option should be a decision of last resort. Some of the surgical options include

Arthroscopic surgery
Partial knee replacement surgery
Total knee replacement
Osteotomy

Minor surgical procedures like arthroscopic and partial knee replacement may heal quickly compared to the other two that can take a significant amount of time to heal. Total knee replacement can involve artificial joints made of high-grade plastics, polymers, and metal alloys.

Talk to a Knee Specialist Today

Knee pain is very uncomfortable and disrupts your movement. Some home remedies like elevation, rest, ice, compression, and applying a heat pack can help relieve knee pain. In severe cases, it is advisable to visit an orthopedic specialist near you to advise you on treatment options.

If you are experiencing knee pain and reside in Jersey City, visit Garden State Pain Control for your treatment. They are specialists in all kinds of pain ranging from hip pain, joint pain, neck pain, chronic pain, and leg pain. Contact them today and book an appointment.

Health

How to Help Your Child if You Think They Might Have Autism

Published

18 hours ago

February 3, 2023

Michelle Langton

Do you suspect your child might have autism, but you’re not sure? While only a professional diagnosis can tell you for sure, there are many ways you can support your child while you get a diagnosis and create a plan.

Here are some of the best ways to support a child you think might have autism.

Try a variety of therapies

While you’re in the process of getting a formal diagnosis, start trying different therapies with your child to see if anything resonates with your child. Every child with autism is different, so what works for one person may not work for another. There are several types of therapy you can try that are low-cost or free, including play therapy, speech therapy, floortime, ABA therapy, and more.

Although your child will need a formal Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis to get ABA therapy, it’s worth noting that once you have a diagnosis, you can get in-home therapy, which will make things easier on you and your child. Organizations like Golden Care Therapy in New Jersey will send an ABA therapist to your home to work with your child in their own environment. Getting in-home therapy will reduce the stress your child may feel from being in a new and unfamiliar place.

The more therapies you try, the better chance you have of getting a head start in supporting your child, whether or not they get diagnosed with autism.

Get your child some sensory toys

Kids with autism need to stim, which is just a fancy way of saying they need something to stimulate their senses in a way that allows them to mitigate and disburse the sensory overload they’re feeling. Without toys, kids will find ways to stim using just their bodies and their surroundings, but toys can be extremely helpful and less damaging depending on your child.

Every child is different, so it might take a bit to find toys they like. However, you can find some excellent suggestions from The Aspie World on YouTube. Some toys spin, squish, make noise, or are a series of magnets that can be reshaped. If your child is already fixated on certain types of toys, try to find something that matches their existing interest. For example, if they like soft textures, find some plush toys with a velvety-smooth texture. Try all types of toys to see if they help your child.

Seek a professional diagnosis

Getting a professional diagnosis is the best way you can support your child when you think they might have autism. Once you have a diagnosis, that opens the door to getting services that will help them immensely. Not just while they’re young, but it will help them in their adult life, too. For example, if your child moves out on their own, and they struggle with self-care and household chores, they’ll need a professional diagnosis to get in-home services from the state.

A professional diagnosis will tell you if your child is on the autism spectrum, or if they have a different disorder. Depending on the therapist you choose, they’ll likely be able to diagnose your child with any relevant comorbidities, which are common with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Learn about autism

Next to getting your child professionally diagnosed, learning about autism will help you support your child in many ways. There are many misconceptions about autism that can make it hard to spot the signs of autism. One of the best people to learn from is Tony Attwood. He’s considered the leading expert on Autism Spectrum Disorder and is extremely knowledgeable.

One of the most important things you can learn from Attwood is how to spot Autism in girls. For various reasons, it’s harder to spot autism in girls and some girls don’t get diagnosed until they’re in their 40s. Attwood gave an excellent talk about Asperger’s in girls back in 2015, and you’ll learn a lot from this speech.

Although Attwood’s speech focuses on Asperger’s, it is part of the autism spectrum. As a diagnosis, Asperger’s has been officially merged into the diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Support your child in every way you can

When you suspect your child might have autism, it’s important to support them in every way possible. While you’re seeking a professional diagnosis, start trying simple solutions, like play therapy and toys for stimming. See how they respond. Once you get a diagnosis, your child’s therapist will suggest next steps to help your child long-term.