Best Advice: Avoid Orthopaedic Surgery If You Can

Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine says there are other options before surgery.

Dr. Todd E. Grime. Photo provided. 

In today’s world, we know all about prevention. Have you worn a mask lately? Kept socially distant? And before the pandemic, did you ever schedule preventative maintenance for your car, your furnace and your computer? Having experts weigh in early helps us to possibly avoid trouble later. Over and over, it is usually easier to keep something bad from happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has happened.

Dr. Todd E. Grime, specializes in primary care sports medicine at Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. His entire practice centers around avoiding surgery whenever possible. “In some instances, surgical solutions are necessary,” said Dr. Grime, “but if we can help a patient avoid the operating room completely, we want to do that.”

As part of that prevention, Dr. Grime offers the following thoughts to ask when you see a physician about chronic pain and mobility issues – especially if you are unable to do everyday activities. He suggests that you ask about all options that might help alleviate your discomfort. And before leaping to the surgical option, ask about minimally-invasive treatments for your condition. They might have less risk and provide little-to-no required recovery time. Some of the non-surgical options to alleviate pain include:

· Physical Therapy

In some instances, PT can be successful for certain types of pain, including spinal stenosis (caused by age-related wear and tear) and joint conditions caused by arthritis or a torn meniscus. The care team will create a personalized program, guiding the patient to increased strength, mobility, blood flow and hopefully, full recovery.

· Massage Therapy

Massage therapy can be effective treatment for pain and movement troubles. Getting a massage may help relaxation and better sleep and ease discomfort at the same time. As with all healthcare, it is important that your massage therapist be licensed and experienced to help you with your pain.

· Medication

Discuss with your physician the options you have with regard to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, or prescription painkillers, joint supplements or cortisone shots. There are many options, so be sure to do your homework for that discussion.

· Regenerative Medicine

Beacon Orthopaedics currently has seven physicians that provide regenerative medicine for patients. These are non-invasive or minimally invasive options that can help patients heal faster without surgery. A popular regenerative medicine option is PRP (platelet rich plasma) therapy. PRP Therapy utilizes a patient’s own blood to rebuild and heal a

damaged tendon or cartilage in the body. This type of regenerative therapy can help relieve pain in the affected area and also jump starts the healing process.

· Weight Loss

Excess weight increases strain put on joints, especially knees, which can cause joint cartilage to break down, contributing to osteoarthritis. Sometimes, losing weight can lessen that strain. Even small weight loss can decrease joint pain significantly.

· Lifestyle Changes

It is important to incorporate long-term lifestyle changes to help alleviate pain. Eating a healthier diet and committing to lower-impact exercise are two critical ways to help alleviate pain now and limit it in the future.

While the professionals at Beacon provide world-class care using state-of-the-art technology, equipment and facilities close to home, the team agrees it is best to exhaust all non-surgical options first. As Dr. Grime said, “the old adage is absolutely true: an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.”

If you are experiencing pain, contact Dr. Grime or one of his Beacon colleagues about your symptoms and how you can work together to alleviate pain and increase your mobility. Appointments are available at Beacon West, Lawrenceburg and Batesville, along with Saturday morning injury clinics and urgent care at Erlanger and Summit Woods. Go to www.beaconortho.com or call 513-354-3700 for an appointment. All 13 Beacon locations are seeing patients. Striving to ensure patient and staff health, Beacon offers Telehealth Video Visits and when seeing patients in person, they are using all approved safety protocols, including temperature checks, masks, hand sanitizing.

Providing a safe environment to diagnose and recommend the next steps for any condition is always the right thing to do. If you need to talk with a medical professional about pain, please visit our website to make an appointment or call 513-354-3700 to schedule an appointment.