​    Knee pain is a very common complaint I hear from patients. It can be caused for a variety of reasons depending on our age, what we have put our body through, or even genetic predisposition to osteoarthritis or early degeneration. And most of patients have tried different therapies or treatments that don't seem to stick. Around six months ago, when I had a long time patient of mine go through his second consecutive failed knee surgery, and was in more pain than before, I thought there has to be something better out there.
   Usually the route when you go to your doctor with knee pain is here are some prescription anti inflammatory's  and pain pills, oh that didn't work let's shoot it up with steroids and send you to physical therapy, try more steroids, and as they begin to wear off and not work as well lets refer you out for a surgical consultation. And guess what, when you go to a surgeon, guess what he or she is going recommend? You guessed it! Surgery! Which should always be your absolute last resort. And did you know multiple studies have shown that fake or sham knee surgeries were just as effective as real ones? Yea that was not a misprint. Check out some these...
 Fake Knee Surgery as Good as Real Procedure, Study Finds
 Common Knee Surgery Does Very Little for Some, Study Suggests
​ Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Sham Surgery for a Degenerative Meniscal Tear
 You may not be better off after knee surgery

   Crazy right? So imagine going through surgery to have no long lasting effect. So what did I find in my search? I found a substance called Hyaluronate, which is extremely similar to a substance which occurs naturally in your joints. The brand name we use in the office is called Supartz. This stuff in MAGIC. You are literally lubricating the knee and adding that "jelly" back in to the joint space that has worn away. I have had patients that have had chronic knee pain for years that are now pain free. Even my own grandmother! What is awesome is this is not a pain killer or steroid, this is getting to the problem that is causing your pain not just masking it. It is also very preventative as well, by adding that jelly it prevents further degeneration. Schedule a consultation at Adjust Dallas to see if you are a good candidate for Supartz.

Also check out what WebMD has to say about it...

​This medication is used to treat knee pain in patients with joint inflammation (osteoarthritis). It is usually used in patients who have not responded to other treatments such as acetaminophen, exercise, or physical therapy. Hyaluronate (also known as hyaluronan) is similar to a substance that occurs naturally in the joints. It may work by acting as a lubricant and shock absorber in the joint, helping the knee to move smoothly, thereby lessening pain.

How to use Supartz intra-articular
Read the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your health care professional before you start using hyaluronate and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Your doctor will give this medication by injection into the affected joint, usually once a week. Skin disinfectants that contain ammonium salts (such as benzalkonium chloride) should not be used to prepare the injection site. Your doctor may need to remove extra fluid from the joint before injecting the medicine. Dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment.

Hyaluronate should not be injected into a vein or artery because increased side effects may occur.

After receiving an injection of hyaluronate, you should avoid any activities that put stress on your knee (such as jogging, tennis, heavy lifting, standing on your feet for more than an hour) for 48 hours.

Also, after the injection, you may experience increased pain and swelling in the knee at first. If the pain or swelling continues or worsens, talk to your doctor promptly.

It is important to have this medication injected on schedule. It may take up to 3 injections before the full benefits of this medication occur.

    I think an extra $200 would definitely take a dent out of your Christmas Shopping budget! And it is very simple to get and I am still surprised when I hear patients and clients of ours that are unaware of the talk referral program we have in the office.
    For any patients, friends or associates who help us set up a lunch and learn at your work, church, sports club, hobby group, or mom's club, we will provide you with a $200 Visa Gift Card. As simple as that!
   Contact HR, benefits, or whoever is in charge of setting up events like this. Dr. Austin's special topics include: 
A New Year, A New You!
Goal Setting, and Achieving your Resolutions!

And still the same popular topics like:
Nutrition
Stress Reduction
Healthy Living to 100
Women's Health
Fit While You Sit
30 day Weight loss Challenge
And more...  

But what if Dr. Austin has already been to your company? It doesn't matter! He loves return visits! And the best part is...Lunch is always free! And healthy of course...
Contact Adjust Dallas to schedule your next corporate talk at 972.701.WELL or email frontdesk@adjustdallas.com

Click Here to watch one of Dr. Austin's recent corporate talks.

   I think we have all experienced tension. You know, when you are sitting at your desk all day and your traps, shoulders, and neck start to tighten up and bother you? Well most likely your desk isn't going anywhere and neither is that tension. That is unless you do something about it. The reason why these muscles tighten up is because your posture is beginning to fail. Believe or not we were not designed to sit at a desk all day long. Shocking right? So when you're sitting at your computer for the 10th straight hour and your head begins to go forward, your shoulders roll inward, and your low back begins to slouch those tight muscles start acting up. They are tightening because they can NOT do this anymore!
   So we introduced a therapy called Trigger Point Therapy at Adjust Dallas back in July. This is an awesome easy procedure that immediately targets those areas of tension. You typically feel immediate relief. What's also great is that this therapy is covered by almost all insurance companies. We had a patient tell us last week that it feels like a glass of wine to her muscles! (But results or at least descriptions may very)

See what WebMD says about Trigger Point Therapy....

Trigger point injection (TPI) may be an option for treating pain in some patients. TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. Many times, such knots can be felt under the skin. Trigger points may irritate the nerves around them and cause referred pain, or pain that is felt in another part of the body.

What Happens During a Trigger Point Injection?
In the TPI procedure, a health care professional inserts a small needle into the patient's trigger point. The injection contains a local anesthetic or saline, and may include a corticosteroid. With the injection, the trigger point is made inactive and the pain is alleviated. Usually, a brief course of treatment will result in sustained relief. Injections are given in a doctor's office and usually take just a few minutes. Several sites may be injected in one visit. If a patient has an allergy to a certain drug, a dry-needle technique (involving no medications) can be used.

When Is Trigger Point Injection Used?
TPI is used to treat many muscle groups, especially those in the arms, legs, lower back, and neck. In addition, TPI can be used to treat fibromyalgia and tension headaches. The technique is also used to alleviate myofascial pain syndrome (chronic pain involving tissue that surrounds muscle) that does not respond to other treatments. 
   

Halloween is all about the candy right? Not in my house!

   I found out yesterday that not too many people are familiar with the holiday tradition that my family does every Halloween. We call it Switch Witch, but I have heard it called The Candy Fairy and The Candy Witch as well. Every year, my kids and I'm sure yours too, get SO MUCH candy while Trick or Treating. Enough to stock pile for weeks if not months. And it's kinda my job to be healthy, so do you really think I would allow my kids to eat all of that? Ummm No. 
   My kids get to pick out some of their favorites and then the rest is saved for the Switch Witch. On Halloween night all of their candy is left out, in our house it's on our fireplace, and the Switch Witch comes and takes it and switches it with a toy. Pretty good trade right? It wasn't hard to convince my kids that this is a good deal. What do we do with the candy? We burn it of course. Haha jk. Well right now it is stuffed in freezer bags and put away. We will probably save it for next year to pass out to kids at our door. With all of the artificial crap in them they will probably be fine.