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Dr. Kevin Elder, Sports Medicine Physician, and his BayCare Sports Medicine South Tampa team want to keep you moving, playing hard, and getting the most out of your body. Health and Wellness Magazine sat down with Dr. Elder to discuss Natural Anti-Inflammatories, Heat and Ice, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, CBD options, and the newest treatment of Orthobiologic Injections available to their patients outside of steroid injections, which may cause more harm to joints and tendons.
H&W Magazine: Dr. Elder, tell the readers about your thoughts about using natural supplements to ease joint pain.
Dr. Elder: Well, we all know that end-stage arthritis means a joint replacement. But most patients are outside that category, or may not be ready to take that final step. I believe in science, but I also believe in the power of nature. Some patients can find relief from symptoms with the following options. It’s always a starting point, along with heat and ice applications, especially for those who prefer to avoid the known toxicities of chronic anti-inflammatory (NSAID) use.
. Turmeric: 500 mg daily
. Magnesium: 500 mg daily
. Vitamin C: 250 mg daily
. Omega 3 Fatty Acids: 2000 mg daily
. Osteo Bio-Flex, Joint Health Formula: One tablet daily
. Boiron Arnica Montana 30C, Homeopathic Medicine for Muscle Pain, Stiffness, Swelling From Injuries, Bruises: tablets dissolve under the tongue.
There are also good topical options to relieve pain. CBD roll-on creams with 1000 mg of CBD can provide good pain relief. CBD options exist in oral forms, topical joint creams, and roll-on varieties. Some companies make CBD-infused Kinesiology Tape that can be applied to an area and remain in place throughout the day.
SumaForte’s SummaTape has National Science Foundation (NSF) certification for its CBD oral supplement. Businesses, regulators and consumers look to NSF to develop public health standards and services that help protect the world’s food, water, consumer products and environment. Unlike other kinesiology tapes, SummaTape also delivers CBD and menthol through the skin, providing a soothing cooling sensation and producing a triple anti-inflammatory effect. The menthol stimulates blood flow in inflamed areas and works with the CBD to accelerate muscle repair and improve circulation to help support and heal injuries. As a disclosure, I am an Advisor and investor with SummaForte.
Boiron is a company that makes fragrance-free cream. Boiron Arnicare Cream may relieve muscle pain, stiffness, and swelling from injuries and bruises. This homeopathic medicine is made from a mountain daisy. Light and unscented, the moisturizing cream is ideal for massaging sore muscles and joints.
Several manufacturers market capsaicin creams. Capsaicin is used to help relieve a specific type of pain known as neuralgia (shooting or burning pain in the nerves). Capsaicin is also used to help relieve minor pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis or muscle sprains and strains. Neuralgia is a pain from the nerves near the surface of your skin. This pain may occur after an infection with herpes zoster (shingles or postherpetic neuralgia). Capsaicin will help relieve the pain of postherpetic neuralgia, but it will not cure the condition.
I’m not suggesting that any particular brand or product is the only choice; there are so many on the market. I will leave you with a few guidelines to consider before purchasing. First, inexpensive products usually contain fillers, and therefore, you end up using more product to get relief. Read the ingredient labels. A pure product is going to cost more initially, but then you use less of it, so it really is the best choice over time. Also, look for products that a third party has tested. Third-party certification means that an independent organization has reviewed the manufacturing process of development and has independently determined that the final product complies with specific standards for safety, quality or performance.
H&W Magazine: Thank you Dr. Elder. That sounds like good advice for purchasing any product. Let’s discuss Physical Therapy options now.
Dr. Elder: Physical therapy and exercise, specifically aerobic exercise and weight training have proven benefits for arthritis pain control. The concept is that weight loss puts less stress on the joints, but also an improved sense of well-being and general functional capacity. Physical therapy can increase muscle tone, which improves functional movement, including tracking of the joints, which puts less stress on the cartilage surfaces. Improved aerobic fitness decreases all cause mortality as proven through many studies.
H&W Magazine: What about orthobiological injections? How do they help with arthritic joints?
Dr. Elder: Orthobiologic injections come in three main forms.
• Hyaluronic Acid injections are used to treat knee pain caused by osteoarthritis in patients who have already been treated with pain relievers like the ones we discussed above and/or other treatments that did not work well. They are sometimes covered by insurance. Hyaluronic acid is similar to a substance that occurs naturally in the joints. It works like a lubricant and shock absorber in the joints and helps the joints work properly.
• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections take advantage of the blood’s natural healing properties to repair damaged cartilage, tendons, ligaments, muscles, or even bone. They are covered by only select insurance plans at present, but their use has exploded due to years of evolving data supporting their use and patient satisfaction with superior pain relief and functional improvement. PRP may help heal tendon injuries, but does not “cure arthritis.” When treating osteoarthritis with platelet-rich plasma, a doctor injects PRP directly into the affected joint. The goal is to reduce pain, improve joint function, and slow, halt, or even repair cartilage damage. Platelet-rich plasma is derived from a sample of the patient’s own blood. These therapeutic injections contain plasma with a higher concentration of platelets than in normal blood due to the centrifugation process. The platelets cause release of growth factors in the treated area, which is what drives the process.
• The last treatment category is often the most controversial – Bone Marrow Aspirate or Adipose Derived injections- often called “stem cell” injections. These injections are derived from the patient’s own body (autologous), performed same day, with only minimal manipulation of tissue (only centrifuging to concentrate)- thus meeting specific FDA guidelines for these injections. They contain some mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) along with some precursor cells, and studies have shown logarithmically higher growth factors than PRP alone. This is an emerging area, with some very exciting results, but there is much study to be done to determine the optimal treatment protocols. These type treatments differ from amniotic, placental, or umbilical derived cell preparations which do not contain live cells and are not permitted by the FDA in the US.
*Any treatment undertaken is a decision to be made accounting for all variables of a patient’s particular history and exam, undertaken after review of all available imaging in an individual process. These treatments represent an emerging field of study, and results may vary between individual patients.
Kevin Elder, M.D.
Kevin Elder is a trusted and respected sports medicine specialist caring for the Tampa, Florida, community for the past 20 years. Dr. Elder attended the University of Toledo, where he received his medical degree and completed his family medicine residency and a sports medicine fellowship at Bayfront Medical Center. He is a member of BayCare Medical Group. He is Board Certified in Sports Medicine and Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. He speaks both English and Spanish. Patients trust Dr. Elder’s expertise because he consistently provides high-quality care that leads to positive and lasting health outcomes. He has trained extensively in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and Regenerative Medicine. He has performed numerous Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections for various musculoskeletal conditions since 2012, and also performs stem cell (BMAC) injections. Dr. Elder is one of the most experienced doctors in the Tampa Bay area performing these procedures under MSK ultrasound guidance and has published articles in national journals on these topics, along with a book: PRP: A Roadmap for Success. He serves as Team Physician for US Soccer (USMNT), US Ski Team, and was Team Physician of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 5 years. He also consults for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Tampa Bay Rays, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
BayCare Medical Group Sports Medicine
711 S. Dale Mabry Hwy., Suite 303
Tampa, FL 33609
(813) 548-7890