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Each Tuesday, Doctor Rob Riley joins us to answer viewers' medical questions. Here are the questions he addressed on April 18.

"I had a total thyroidectomy back in August. My scar turned into a keloid. What can I do to make the keloid go away?"

Dr. Riley: Keloids are thickened scars. When most people have surgery, the scar that forms can be pretty thin and flat and tends to fade over time. But some of us, due to our genetics, form big, thick keloids instead. They don't generally do harm, but understandably, people don't like the way they look. Silicone sheets can be obtained at the drug store without a prescription and may help keloids to flatten over time. In the office, we can inject these keloids with a cortisone-like preparation which is often effective. There's some evidence to suggest that freezing keloids in the office may be helpful, too. Unfortunately, surgically cutting the keloid out usually results in a new keloid forming, so that's usually tried as a last resort.

"I just found out I have arthritis so bad in my one knee it's bone on bone. I am taking meloxicam and starting therapy soon. Any other over-the-counter meds that will help this?"

Dr. Riley: Meloxicam is an anti-inflammatory medicationlike ibuprofen or naproxen. Some people find they do just as well or better with these over-the-counter meds as they do with the prescription versions. There's also something called capsaicin, which comes as a cream or gel, which can be applied directly over the painful joint several times daily, and some people get some relief from that. When things get to the bone on bone point, we certainly try all the medications possible plus physical therapy, but often times that's when we start to have the conversation about considering knee replacement surgery.

"I have a tender spot on the back of my right ankle that only hurts when I wear tennis shoes. What could that be?"

Dr. Riley: The most common causes of pain in that location are irritation of the Achilles tendon and bursitis from pressure on the little sac that sits just beneath the Achilles tendon. The tendon tends to hurt when the person is using that big calf muscle on the back of their leg, while the bursa is often tender to direct pressure in the area. Both of these are overuse issues, though, so the best initial approach is to back off on painful activity somewhat and give things a chance to heal. If a certain pair of shoes seems to make things worse, then probably the shoes are applying too much pressure in that area and should be avoided. If the simple things aren't taking care of things, a visit to the doctor may be in order. Some medications, some home exercises, and working with a physical therapist may all be effective for this problem.

Dr. Riley joins us from Memorial Family Medicine.

Continue reading here:
Ask the Doctor: Keloids, arthritis, ankle tenderness - WNDU-TV

This entry was posted on April 18, 2017 at 7:44 pm and is filed under Arthritis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |