Project blog #4

My project is still going really well! I am getting into a groove of what happens on a daily basis while also learning to expect the unexpected. I say that because there is a lot of things that can happen like falling behind on patients, patient behavior, or no-shows. Through this, I am experiencing the difficulty of scheduling. I am also shadowing Dr. Schroeder at a time when another doctor is out on paternity leave, so many of his patients are being seen by her, adding to the craziness of the schedule. Many of these patients are struggling with arthritis, so I like to think that I am getting pretty good at knowing when someone has it from what they tell Dr. Schroeder and their x-rays. Unfortunately, I can't provide any pictures, but many of the x-rays with arthritis show the narrowing of the joint space between bones, leading to inflammation. I have learned that there isn't much you can do to treat it, and many patients are in physical therapy and receive the steroid, viscosupplementation, or platelet rich plasma injections to help with the inflammation and pain. 

steroids for injections with other injection supplies 

I briefly mentioned the injections in an earlier blog post, but I did not go into much detail. The steroids work to help with inflammation and pain. The time it lasts depends on the patient, with some working for a long time and others for only a few weeks. However, Dr. Schroeder likes to wait 3 months between each injection since they can increase arthritis. This the most common injection and I see them done in hips, knees, shoulders, fingers, etc. 

The second injection is the viscosupplementation, or gel injections in knees. This injection is made up of hyaluronic acid, which is a natural substance that helps the bones to move smoothly. I have learned that the patients who get this suffer from osteoarthritis, so the worse it is, the more the cartilage breaks down. This injection can help to provide more relief in the knees. However, this injection is expensive so it has to be approved by insurance which can take a long time. 

The third injection is the platelet rich plasma injection, or prp, which is when they take blood and spin it to concentrate the platelets. These are natural growth factors which, by injecting back into the body, can in theory help repair the damaged tendons/body tissue. I haven't seen it done but I have been in prp consultations. This injection has really positive studies and data on it, and it sounds like a super interesting approach in treating injuries. This injection is also expensive and insurance does not cover it since it is only cleared by the FDA, not approved. 

procedure room

Overall, I have been learning a lot about these injections the more I see them done and hear about them through consultations since they are a big part of Dr. Schroeder's job.