Blog Archive
Your hand has 14 phalanges, five bones in the middle, and eight bones that create your wrist. All those bones are supported by tendons and ligaments and are connected to other bones at joints. Human hands are capable of picking up the tiniest sliver of glass without getting cut or...
Acute back pain, which lasts between one and seven days, accounts for about 80% of all back pain. The other 20% is chronic back pain, and at least some cases of it are because of arthritis. The staff and team of experts at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates work to help patients understand both why they...
Your gait is the pattern of your walk. When you develop a problem with that pattern, it’s called a gait disturbance. It’s often an indication of a physical condition. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our expert providers help people who have gait disturbances. A variety of health issues, including arthritis, knee pain, joint problems, and many others,...
Not all spinal issues require surgery, but in some situations, it’s the best option. Although many people fear spinal surgery, it can have the potential to improve mobility, lessen pain, and help you return to a more normal level of functioning. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our team of...
The number of specific conditions that fall under the umbrella label of “arthritis” is surprising: More than 100 different conditions are different types of arthritis. By far, the most well-known form of the disease is osteoarthritis—archeologists have found evidence that even Neanderthals and ancient Romans dealt with osteoarthritis. Dr. Louis...
In today’s largely sedentary world, most of us would benefit from moving a little more. However, it’s important to make sure the way you move won’t cause problems! At Dr. Louis Keppler and Associates, our highly trained providers advise most of our patients to exercise. Whether you have a chronic condition like arthritis, you’ve...
Back pain is incredibly widespread. You’re more likely to experience back pain at some point during your life than to not. Around 80% of adults have back pain, usually acute, which means that it lasts for six weeks or less. Many of the patients who seek care at Dr. Louis...
You may think that knee pain is inevitable as you age, and it’s true that your risk of developing knee problems increases as you get older. However, you can do many things to protect your knees and potentially avert issues! Patients who have knee pain for all kinds of reasons from sports injuries to arthritis can...
Arthritis is not a single condition, and the term encompasses any one of more than 100 diseases of the joints. One type, though, is more common than the others: osteoarthritis. Often, when people talk about arthritis, they mean osteoarthritis, which results from normal wear-and-tear on your joints.At Dr. Louis Keppler...
Scoliosis is a relatively common condition, but many of the people who have it aren't aware that they do. Mild cases may not ever be diagnosed.At Dr. Louis Keppler and Associates, our providers understand that finding out your child has a spinal problem can be overwhelming. You probably have many questions! In this...
Most of the time, chronic back pain can be best addressed with nonsurgical interventions, but sometimes surgery is the best option. Having any type of surgery can be anxiety-inducing, but knowing that you’re in the hands of an extremely knowledgeable and highly trained surgeon makes all the difference. The physicians at Dr. Louis...
Some people have an unsteady gait from the time they learn to walk, or they may develop an unsteady gait following an injury or an illness. However, if you notice your walk changing slowly over time, you may wonder what’s going on. In some instances a changing gait can be caused by...
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of your spinal canal, causing pressure on the nerves that run through it. It can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in your back, neck, arms, or legs depending on where the pressure occurs. The outstanding providers at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates see many patients who already have back...
Arthritis, a disease of the joints, affects millions of people. Although there are many types of arthritis, the two most common are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The two are distinct in many ways, but happily, there are nonsurgical and minimally invasive treatments for both. The highly trained experts at Dr. Louis...
Your hands and wrists are amazing. When you consider the control and precision required of your fingers, hands, and wrists for even the simplest tasks, you may be surprised. It isn’t something we think about under normal circumstances, but if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may be forced to...
Around two million people seek medical treatment for a rotator cuff tear each year, making it one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. Your shoulder is incredibly mobile, but it is also fairly easy to injure. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our expert providers have treated hundreds of patients who...
In the vast majority of cases, doctors try numerous conservative approaches to treating a problem before they suggest spinal surgery. That is certainly true at Dr. Keppler & Associates, however, sometimes our experts determine that surgical intervention is the best way to help you regain mobility and enjoy a higher quality of life. Why...
Although there are more than 100 different specific types of arthritis, they all share one common factor: Your joints are affected. More than 50 million adults and as many as 300,000 children in the United States have some type of arthritis. The providers at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates treat...
Regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing and promising branch of study. Orthopedists have been using various regenerative techniques for about a decade, including stem cell therapy. At Dr. Louis Keppler and Associates, our highly trained experts only suggest stem cell therapy to those patients who are most likely to experience outstanding results. What is stem...
Whether it’s your spouse, a parent, close friend, or someone else in your life, when someone you care about has major surgery, you may need to step into the role of caretaker. That’s far easier to do when you carefully think through what’s going to be necessary in the aftermath...
Common soft tissue injuries affect muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They can happen during exercise, while playing sports, or even in the course of normal daily activities. Soft tissue injuries can be the result of an accident or sudden trauma, or they may be because of overuse. At Dr. Louis Keppler...
Spinal stenosis is quite common among people aged 65 and older. In fact, somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 Americans have symptoms, indicating they may have spinal stenosis. At Dr. Louis Keppler and Associates, our expert providers regularly treat patients with spinal stenosis. Some people never even know they have spinal...
Although we often describe joints as the place where two bones come together, they are actually much more complex structures, and the shoulder joint is especially complex. It’s one of the largest joints in your body and also provides the greatest range of motion. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates,...
There are many more than four types of spinal surgery, but these the four discussed in this post are some of the most common. Although the prospect of having surgery to correct a spinal issue may make you feel nervous, understanding why these procedures are performed may help. Our team...
The normal human spine has curves at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom in what experts call the “sagittal plane.” That means the curves are from front to back or back to front. When your spine curves to one side, the curve is said to be in...
Whether you never quit playing sports, or you rediscovered the joy of play during adulthood, you know that sports offer all kinds of benefits — pure fun, the thrill of competition, socializing, and of course, improving your fitness. Even though there are many positive aspects to playing sports, you also...
Any time a doctor recommends surgery, your natural reaction is probably to worry. After all, even the most minor surgical procedure carries some risks, and spinal surgery is unlikely to be described as “minor.” The highly qualified experts at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates understand the level of trust patients...
When you’re healthy and your body is functioning properly, you can bend forward, twist, bend to each side, and even bend backwards, at least a little. The range of motion your spine allows is astonishing when you think about it. But, it’s also a somewhat delicate structure and is prone...
About 1 in 250 children in the United States has juvenile arthritis, even though many people tend to think of arthritis as a disease only older people get. Arthritis can be particularly difficult for children, as it may prevent them from doing normal childhood things, like participating in sports or...
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “no pain, no gain,” but in some cases, what you gain from the pain is actually more pain and less time playing, running, or doing whatever your favorite activity involves. A stress fracture is one of those times pain should prevent you from playing. At...
There are more than 100 different diagnoses that are all classified as types of arthritis. Regardless of which one you have, one of your symptoms is joint pain. All of the types of arthritis cause inflammation, swelling, and pain in one or more of your joints. At Louis Keppler &...
Each year in the United States, about 450,000 total hip replacement surgeries are performed. The procedure has been done since the 1960s, and is generally a very successful surgery. However, if you’re contemplating hip replacement, you probably still have some questions. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our knowledgeable experts...
Some 6-9 million people in the United States have scoliosis. Some of them never have any issues, but others require surgical intervention. There are many different types of scoliosis, and the condition is generally classified by cause. However, about 80% of cases are idiopathic which means the cause is unknown....
Ligaments are strong, fibrous cords that connect bones to bones. They are tougher and have less stretch and give than tendons, which connect muscles to bones. A sudden, abrupt movement that causes great force on your joint can cause a ligament to stretch or tear. When your ligament is stretched,...
Tendons are thick cords that attach muscles to bones. When tendons become inflamed and irritated, you have tendonitis. You likely have pain and tenderness around the affected joint. It can worsen without treatment. The expert team at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates has treated tendonitis in patients who play sports,...
There are more than 100 separate conditions that are considered arthritis. Numerous forms of arthritis are inflammatory diseases, which means that inflammation causes the joint pain and degeneration. There’s a very common cause of inflammation that you may not be aware of: stress. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our...
Somewhere between six and nine million people in the United States have scoliosis, which is a sideways curve in the spine. The most common age of diagnosis is between 10-15 years. Although boys and girls are equally diagnosed with scoliosis, girls are far more likely to develop a curvature that...
With the beginning of school, even during a pandemic, kids are playing more sports, and with sports comes injuries. One of the most common sports-related injuries is concussion. At Dr. Louis Keppler and Associates, our experts treat numerous sports-related injuries, and we recognize the symptoms of a concussion. Without proper...
At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our expert providers have collectively helped thousands of people successfully navigate the process of having spinal surgery. We understand that the prospect can be scary, and that you’re probably thinking about surgery itself and the eventual outcome. But there’s one more thing you should...
The most common thing that people imagine when they hear the word “arthritis” is an older person with aching hands. While that’s certainly a way the disease can manifest, it’s only one of many. The experts at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates treat patients who have various forms of arthritis....
Your knees are the largest joints in your body, and when you think about how many times a day they bend and straighten, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that knee pain is one of the most common joint complaints. Our experts at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates treat...
Anyone of any age can develop scoliosis, but the most common type is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. That means that mostly people between the ages of 11 and 18 have it, and usually the cause is unknown. There’s also a higher risk for girls to develop the condition. Scoliosis is an...
One of the things that Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates is proud of is that our team of experts offers patients the most up-to-date treatments available, while making their safety a top priority. One of the treatments we provide that takes advantage of the latest technology and science is that...
The team at Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates treats numerous problems related to your muscles and bones, including problems of the spine. Cervical stenosis is a remarkably common condition, particularly in people who are over the age of 50. If you’ve been experiencing unexplained neck and upper back pain, cervical...
As orthopedic specialists, Dr. Louis Keppler and his team are specialists in treating injuries and conditions that affect your knees. Your knees are important for many reasons, and keeping them as healthy as possible means living a more active and mobile life. If your knee hurts all the time,...
According to the National Institutes of Health, 8 out of every ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life. For most people, the back resolves within a few days, if not a few weeks. However, some may not recover so quickly, or at all. Chronic back pain...
Dr. Keppler was interviewed and featured on Clevland.com for a total knee replacement surgery he performed on John Favaloro. You can read the full story on Clevland.com's website: https://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/2013/11/new_knee_new_life_watch_live_v.html And you can watch the video below (video courtesy of Clevland.com): Article, video and photo courtesy of Clevland.com
Arthritis is a painful, at times, debilitating form of inflammation of one’s joints. At this time, there are more than 100 types of arthritis that affect at least 50 million adults and 300,000 young children in our nation. Given these numbers, it is imperative that you have a starting baseline...
Are you tired of taking pills or getting repeat injections for your chronic condition or injury? Or perhaps you’re looking for a new therapy, but you prefer to avoid surgery or other invasive treatments. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates in Independence, Ohio, we understand. Recent scientific advancements have facilitated...
As your body ages, you’re bound to see some changes no matter how fit and healthy you are. One of the most common complaints is a sore, achy back. That’s because your back has worked hard to keep you upright, stable, and mobile, and over time, the parts inside start...
You may benefit from hip replacement surgery if other treatments such as medication, physical therapy, and exercise haven’t relieved your pain or improved function. While you may be hesitant about surgical intervention, this procedure has been utilized widely since the 1970s. Remarkable advances in medical technology have resulted in less...
Arthritis is an autoimmune condition that affects at least 54 million Americans, and it’s one of the leading causes of joint pain and inflammation. However, there’s a treatment that can relieve the symptoms of arthritis and slow down its progression: stem cell therapy. Most cells are specialized. For example, a...
Around 8 million people in the United States are affected by scoliosis, a condition that causes a sideways curve in your spine. Children ages 10-15 have the greatest risk of developing this disorder. If scoliosis worsens without treatment it can cause many health problems. Early diagnosis plays a big part...
Whether you’re 7 or 70, a love of the game keeps many people active in sports throughout life. Playing sports keeps your body healthy and engaged at any age. Playing sports also comes with a risk of injury. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, our team treats patients of all...
Chronic pain is an increasing issue within our aging population. Specifically, research shows that 50% of the elderly who live independently and 75-85% of seniors in care facilities suffer from chronic pain. At Dr. Louis Keppler & Associates, we believe that you don’t have to suffer through pain as a...
If you have pain in your back or neck from arthritis, you could be developing spinal stenosis. In this condition, the spinal canal, which protects the spinal cord, gets narrower and compresses the spinal cord and its nerves. Bone growths on the vertebrae may intrude into the spinal canal. The...
If you suffer from chronic joint pain, degenerative disease, or other soft tissue problems, stem cell injections may be the treatment answer you’ve been hoping for. This therapy can help you avoid surgery and potentially addictive pain medications to repair joint damage. Stem cell injections use a special type of...
Your knees are only one of the amazingly capable and powerful joints in your body, but they’re particularly crucial for getting around through your average day. When you’re working out to keep yourself healthy, it’s vital to keep your knees from paying a price for these efforts. If nothing else,...
Scoliosis is a spinal deformity that occurs when your spine develops a sideways S- or C-shaped curve of at least 10 degrees. In most cases, spinal curves don’t cause symptoms or discomfort until they reach approximately 25 degrees, and severe curves exceeding 45 degrees often require surgery. While scoliosis is...
Joint replacement surgery restores mobility and quality of life to millions of patients suffering from arthritis or other conditions that cause joints such as the hip or knee to deteriorate. The pain and loss of motion can seriously impact your ability to function in day-to-day life. The impact of joint...