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MRI’s Explained – Open vs. Closed Operating Systems

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) didn’t start as the technology we now commonly know. Researchers Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell first discovered the magnetic resonance phenomena in 1946 and later harnessed the abilities of magnetic resonance to analyze chemicals, leading to their Nobel Prize in 1952. Later on, scientists discovered the same technique could be used to visualize different human tissues. By 1973, aided by the rapid technological progression of computers, researchers developed the MRI that we now use today. Then, in 2003, the MRI led to another Nobel Prize, this time awarded to researchers Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield for developing MRI as a diagnostic tool. What is an MRI? An MRI uses a strong magnetic field and directs the field at a specific area of the object or person of interest. As the magnetic field enters different tissues and fluids within the body, hydrogen atoms become excited similarly to how a smaller magnet becomes excited as a larger magnet inches closer. Depending on the tissue or fluid that the hydrogen atoms are in, the atoms return to a resting state at different rates as the magnetic field is turned on and off several times. This allows a computer to analyze the [...]

2019-06-18T16:27:21-07:00Uncategorized|

Frozen shoulder: from freezing to thawing, a guide to repossessing your shoulder

If you’ve experienced shoulder pain, you know it can be one of the most debilitating forms of pain. A painful shoulder can make everyday tasks like picking up a cup to sleeping seem impossible. The dull toothache feeling of chronic inflammation in a shoulder is enough to make just about anyone go mad. Sometimes, as ongoing shoulder pain prevents someone from using his or her shoulder, the condition can turn into a disease called frozen shoulder. Women Adults of 40-60 years of age Those with diabetes Frozen shoulder most often occurs in a 3-step process.* Freezing (6 weeks– 9 months): This phase begins with progressing tightness in the shoulder capsule as the tendons that comprise the shoulder movers become more stiff, scar tissue forms, and the amount of synovial fluid(lubricant for your shoulder joint) decreases. The freezing stage is typically the most painful stage. Frozen (4-6 months): The shoulder capsule is extremely tight making daily activities very difficult. However, the pain experienced in the “freezing” stage is less severe. Thawing (6 months – 2 years): The stiffness and pain in the shoulder slowly recede as daily activities become easier to complete. As you can tell, recovery from a frozen shoulder is no [...]

2019-06-18T16:28:55-07:00Uncategorized|

WOC Celebrates National Physical Fitness & Sport Month

May has been honored as National Physical Fitness and Sport Month since President Eisenhower formed the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in 1956. In addition to the month of May as a whole, is National Senior Health and Fitness Day was held on May 31st. With summer right around the corner, and the arrival of all the warm weather we’ve been waiting for, the time has come to get back outside and start being active again. The employees and families of Washington Orthopaedic Center took an early leap into summer this month. This is how we have been celebrating this month! May 6th: The Sandy and Misery Challenge The much anticipated local mud run, hosted by the Cowlitz Valley Runners in Castle Rock, started us off this month.  This was our second year at the event and yet again, it did not disappoint.  Our WOC team “We Know Bones,” participants all finished the grueling 3.1 mile course through various obstacles including piles of tires, lakes, man sized crawl-through piping, and quicksand-like mud pits. Although we did suffer a few cuts and bruises along the way we all had our fair share of fun. Josh, one of our X-ray Technicians, participated in the event [...]

2020-12-31T21:08:30-08:00Uncategorized|

An Improved Approach to Tendonitis Treatment: Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections

Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections have been making headway in medicine for the last decade due to their effective treatment of common tendonitis pain. While PRP injections are most often used to heal the chronically inflamed tendons of your ankle, knee, and elbow, they have also been used to treat fractures, tears, and arthritis as well. The procedure is most popular among active individuals and is often utilized by professional athletes, such as Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal to name a few. We all know the road to recovery from a chronic overuse injury can often be an irritating one, and while this treatment may be a solution to your problem, let’s first go over what this procedure is as well as the pros and cons. The Procedure: Platelet-rich plasma injections are injections of, you guessed it, platelets directly into the injured area. To do this, the nurse first draws your blood. After a quick process to separate the blood into its components, the doctor then takes the platelet portion and injects the platelets directly into the area of interest. Why platelets? While platelets are commonly known for their blood clotting effects, platelets also contain a high concentration of growth factors that help speed [...]

2020-12-28T19:11:39-08:00Orthopedic News|

What You Need to Know About Osteoporosis

If you are 1 in 2 women or 1 in 4 men over the age of 50, your life is affected by osteoporosis. But what really is osteoporosis, and what effects might it have on your life? Osteoporosis literally means “porous bone” It is typically the result of poor bone formation and or excessive bone loss, which eventually leads to a decrease in bone density. Factors that affect your bone density include age, hormone levels, activity status, and diet. However age tends to be the overarching culprit for the changes, as the other three factors often change along with age. For example, sex hormones decrease in both females and males as we age. For females, menopause greatly decreases estrogen output, and for males, testosterone begins a gradual downward slope beginning around age 30. Bone density is negatively impacted as both of these hormones decrease. Yet, although everyone does experience a decrease in their sex hormones over time, other factors such as activity status and diet can help offset those effects. Physical activity and forms of exercise are well known methods to maintain or improve bone density as you age. Wolff’s Law, developed in the 19th century by Julius Wolff, explains this idea perfectly, [...]

2019-06-18T16:38:31-07:00Orthopedic News|
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