Health Library

Rajesh K. Sharma, MD Millions of people are misusing this prescribed medication. Tens of thousands of people have died from overdose, and hundreds of thousands of people graduated to the use of heroin, further leading to worsened morbidity and death. It is more and more commonplace to read in the media about celebrities who have succumbed to opioid related death. For example, the stories of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Prince show this problem can affect anyone regardless of socioeconomic status. New initiatives and increased safeguards are being introduced to combat this problem. One of the most important [...]

Rajesh K. Sharma, MD Anxiety is perfectly normal when a procedure is upcoming. One of the best ways to ease those concerns is to make sure that all your questions and concerns have been addressed prior to the day you are scheduled. My goal is always to make sure you have a clear understanding of the indications, the expectations, and the risks prior to going into the procedure room with you. We have different ways to accomplish our medical goals and you will always be given the option to choose. Many of the procedures I perform need nothing [...]

Rajesh K. Sharma, MD Unlike the beauty of the Arctic, there is nothing wonderful about having a shoulder that does not have full range of motion. Not only is it painful, it also can be quite debilitating. The condition is commonly associated with diabetes. Many times, it comes as a consequence of an injury and lack of movement that follows. You recover from your injury, and then "whammo!" your shoulder doesn't move the way it used to. Sometimes, these symptoms can improve with conservative measures, oftentimes not. So, what can be done about this? Treatment Non-Surgical NSAIDs: Drugs [...]

Rajesh K. Sharma, MD Knee pain is one of the most common complaints we see here in my office. While especially common in our older patients, I have observed this problem occurring more frequently in ever younger patients. Let's look a little closer into the causes of this problem and what are the measures we can take for improvement that I share with my own patients. Causes of knee pain A lifetime of hard work, athletics, or just the grind of our daily lifestyle are the most common reasons for the symptoms. The most common medical cause of [...]