Painful Bunions – What You Can Do About Them!
What Are Bunions? A bunion is a bony lump on the side of your foot at the big toe. It forms when your big toe starts to angle towards your second toe. The bunion eventually causes discomfort and pain. The skin over the lump can become red, blistered or infected. A fluid-filled space called a … Read more
Tibial Plateau Fracture – Using Arthroscopy to Help Obtain Good Result
The knee joint is the junction between the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia). It can be injured in accidents or during sports. When the articular surface of the tibia of the knee joint is injured, it is termed a tibial plateau fracture. Such fractures need to be treated such that the articular … Read more
A Football Injury – Organising Haematoma Mimicking as a Leg Cancerous Tumour
A haematoma, or hematoma, is a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels, usually in liquid form within the tissue. This distinguishes it from an ecchymosis, which is the spread of blood under the skin in a thin layer, commonly called a bruise. Chronic expanding haematoma of soft tissue is a rare entity. It … Read more
Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tears – How I Treat These Injuries
What is the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)? A ligament is a strong fibrous tissue that attaches one bone to another. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments form an “X” in the centre of the knee joint. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) being the larger of the 2 and situated behind the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). … Read more
Heel Pain – Think of Haglund’s Syndrome (Pump Bump)
Haglund’s Syndrome as a Cause of Heel Pain A bony growth that appears at the back of the heel bone can occur. This growth is called an exostosis (a benign cartilaginous growth) and is known as Haglund’s deformity. This bony prominence can rub against the overlying Achilles tendon and causes pain in the tendon. A … Read more
Sudden Onset of Knee Pain – Consider a Medial Meniscus Posterior Horn Root Tear
Meniscus Root Tear The medial meniscus or inner shock absorber of the knee has attachment in the front (anterior horn) and the back (posterior horn). The posterior horn or root can tear as a result of degeneration or trauma. This typical presentation include: Sudden onset of severe knee pain. Does not improve with pain killers. … Read more
Shoulder Pain from Repetitive Overhead Sports – Shoulder Impingement Syndrome
Shoulder pain with overhead activities in a person above 45 can be from impingement syndrome. This is a condition where the top of the arm bone (humeral head) rubs against a bony spur under the overhanging bone called the acromion. The acromion is part of the shoulder blade. It can affect someone who does a … Read more
Sudden Severe Shoulder Pain – Think of Shoulder Calcific Tendonitis
Every now and then I will see a patient who suddenly develops severe shoulder pain almost out of the blue and they have difficulties lifting up the painful shoulder. One possible diagnosis to keep in mind is that of calcium crystal deposition into the tendons of the shoulder. We doctors call it “Calcific tendonitis of … Read more
Cartilage Repair Using Autologous Chondrocyte | HC Chang Orthopaedic Surgery
Full thickness cartilage defect of the knee can be repaired using Matrix-induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (MACI). What is MACI? MACI implant is a 20cm2 (5 x 4cm) Type I/III collagen membrane seeded with up to 20 million autologous chondrocytes (living cartilage cells). This works out to approximately 1 million cells per cm2. The implant is … Read more
Treatment Options for Cartilage Damage | Cartilage Defects of the Knee
What is Cartilage? A type of tissue primarily found in the joints Fibrous, elastic tissue covering the bone surfaces in a joint. It has a sliding and impact-absorbing function. Smooth, slippery substance preventing the ends of bones from rubbing together. Unlike bone, cartilage does not contain blood vessels and lacks the ability to regenerate. It … Read more