Hi Reader,
How is your week going? So far, I've had a productive one:
- I learned that Taylor Swift and poet Emily Dickinson are related.
- I accepted a generous invitation to be on an upcoming episode of an orthopedic surgery podcast (more details soon!).
- Due to popular demand, I wrote about upper extremity safety in the gym.
If you workout regularly, you've surely had a hand or upper extremity twinge from time to time. It can be difficult to know...was that just a passing stitch or a sign of a deeper issue?
I wrote a quick five-minute guide on what essentially amounts to the five things I would never do in the gym (read here).
Translation: This is where my brain goes to fret (based on patients I see all day in my clinic) when I'm at the gym.
π Raise Your Hand If You're A: Primary Care Provider
Do you see patients with trigger fingers in your primary care or family medicine practice? Do you inject them yourself or try to find a hand surgeon?
I have some data for you.
A recent RCT showed no benefit to an ultrasound-guided injection within the flexor tendon sheath compared to a blind injection placed at the level of the A1 pulley.
Which means?
If you have difficulty getting your patients access to a hand surgeon, and you feel comfortable injecting at the level of the A1 pulley, you can do these yourself with a high rate of success (full breakdown here). They don't have to be perfect to work (in stark contrast to thumb CMC injections).
Finger On The Pulse π©Έ
𦡠Knee pain: We all get it from time to time. Here are a few helpful tips to determine what your knee pain might actually be from...and what you might do to fix it.
π Like a sore thumb: Curious about what we do to surgically treat thumb arthritis? Here's a fantastic video with a *newer* technique, fairly similar to the one I do for my patients.
π€ Fingers crossedβ¦literally: Remember my post about boxer's fractures? And how I said one of the only reasons to have surgery is for 'cross-over?' This patient walked into my clinic this week after being treated elsewhere, completely healed β and very unhappy.
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-Dr. G
PS. You can now email Rules of Thumb! If you have stories to share, feedback on the newsletter, or topics you'd like to learn more about, please shoot me an email at rulesofthumb@nickgolinvauxmd.com. This is meant to be for you so let's write about what you care about!
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Disclaimer: If you are having a medical emergency, call 911. Do not attempt to contact or obtain medical services through this site. This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this site or materials linked from this site is at the user's own risk. The content of this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. The content is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of OCC.
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