Dr. David T. Neuman

Yes, that can all be normal. Surgery is a treatment and not a cure. Therefore, you may never be completely pain-free after surgery. With that written, there are many types of pain. A sharp, stabbing pain is different than a throbbing, aching pain. The pain during healing and during the rehab therapy to regain all your motion is not uncommon and almost necessary.

The numbness is also not uncommon. Sometimes it depends on what type of surgery was performed. During the surgery, the tissues may become swollen and inflamed. Also, sometimes the nerves get stretched out in order to reach the bone or to get inside the joint. Nerves are very delicate structures. If they get stretched, swollen, or compressed during the surgery, it may take 4-8 (or even 12-16) weeks for the nerves to return to baseline. Rarely, some numbness remains forever. This can occur when the nerves of the skin are cut when an incision is made. There is no way to avoid that.

I encourage the usage of vitamin B complex vitamins for those suffering from nerve-related pain after surgery.

I hope this helps. Stay optimistic, positive, and motivated. Listen to your doctor and therapist, and work hard to get the best outcome possible after the surgical treatment you received.

David T. Neuman, MD

Look up "preactive" at pop-doc.com. It partially depends on how long it has been going on, how it began, and if it has been like this before. Ultimately, it is about getting the feeling to go away as quickly as possible, and then trying to prevent it from ever happening again. Much will depend on what you do on a daily basis.

Much of the success of getting back pain to stay away had to do with the conditioning and strength of your corset. This is the abdominal muscle and lower back muscle tone, condition, and strength. There is no pill or shot that will achieve this; only proper, appropriate exercises will help you achieve these goals. Keeping a decent weight, allowing your body to rest and recover after a workout, staying hydrated, doing thoughtful things with your body (as opposed to thoughtless or careless), and sleeping enough will also help get you pain free and stay pain free.

I hope this helps,

David T. Neuman, MD

I suppose that if you use the phone too much, you can get some cramping and stiffness. However, I am not sure too much pressure is used during phone usage. Therefore, no arthritis should set in. I think the bigger risk is to that of the neck. If you have a daily routine of stretching and being careful with your hands, they should last a long time.

David T. Neuman, MD

Motor vehicle accidents are well-known to cause neck injury, pain, and dysfunction. Seeking good medical care after an injury like this is important. Please try and find a good physiatrist (PMR doctor, or rehab specialist). They, in turn, should evaluate you thoroughly and then offer some sort of physical rehabilitation. They may be modalities, physical therapy, or a combination of both. Pain and dysfunction usually get worse before better, and sometimes oral pain or anti-inflammatory medications can relieve some stiffness and pain. By 2-3 weeks after injury, and after treatment from a doctor, Pop-doc.com offers mobile exercises to help you increase function and decrease the pain. I hope this helps.

There are many factors that will determine your specific recovery after knee meniscectomy. Some are within your control while others are not. Generally, controlling the pain and swelling after the surgery are the first tasks that need completion. Some knees will swell for 3-8 weeks, while others will have little swelling after three weeks. Slow and steady return to function is the plan. Physical therapy and home exercises are key to an optimal recovery. I would recommend getting the knee as flexible and strong as possible before the surgery. Then during PT, utilize home exercise programs to optimize your outcomes. Pop-doc.com offers home exercise programs to help guide you through your arthroscopy recovery, as well as exercises you can incorporate into your daily life, to maintain and preserve a highly functional joint.

Many people have knee joint replacement. The main indication is pain that does not resolve with time, exercise, and treatments (PT, injections, arthroscopic surgery, etc.). In addition, if someone is unable to perform their daily work, recreational, or social activities dues to inability (weakness, stiffness, swelling) or pain, then at times a joint replacement can help. If there is grinding but not much sharp and disabling pain, then there is no need for total knee replacement. It has been shown that exercise to increase motion and strength of the muscles around the knee joint can alleviate pain and prolong the life of your natural knees. Pop-doc.com has these flexibility, motion, tone, and strengthening mobile exercise programs.

Stay positive and think good things about your surgery and the weeks after surgery. Healing the wound is the first step (some of this is out of your control, while other aspects are within your control). Getting rid of the pain and swelling is the second phase. Then getting your range of motion back, followed by your condition, endurance, tone, flexibility, and strength. Once the motion has returned enough (4-8 weeks), and the wound is fully healed (2-3 weeks), then you should be able to swim (assuming you can swim before the proposed procedure). People will continue to get better for up to a year after this type of surgery (before they are 'as good as they will get'.

It depends on several factors. When did it begin? How did it begin? Every had an injury to it? You would require a good examination and then a further history. I suggest that when it does not hurt, practice stretching it out, and then do these stretching exercises daily, to work on your flexibility. Pop-doc.com has suggested exercises.

Amputations, if done by a surgeon experienced in them, can give long-lasting relief of pain. Technology has evolved a lot over the last decade. The ultimate success of the surgery will depend, in part, on how well you do your physical therapy and more importantly, your home exercises to build up the leg motion, endurance, strength, flexibility, and condition. Pop-doc.com has these exercise program suggestions. Finally, what your expectations are will also affect how well you do going forward, over the next several decades.

This can be due to several factors. More has to be known about the history of that hip/area. Any past trauma to it? Does it come and go, or once it comes, does it stay around? If so, for how long? I would recommend a series of controlled and complete stretching and flexibility exercises for the hip(s). These should be done daily for 2-3 weeks, and then you can walk at an increased pace (step-wise, begin with a slower pace and progress, as tolerated, to a faster pace). Pop-doc.com has these exercise suggestions.

This depends on several factors. The history of the hip is important. Any past trauma, or injury to the hip? The type of exercise you perform may have something to do with the pain. I would recommend stretching and flexibility exercises, to obtain full range of motion and then some flexibility. Pop-doc.com has these suggested exercises. Perhaps your exercise routine impacts the hip joint too much.

Exercise has been shown to be quite helpful. Work on range of motion and flexibility first. Then work on non-impact strengthening, conditioning and endurance exercises.