good fat to the rescue!

we hear all the time that there are two types of fats, the good and the bad and all people ever really focus on is how much damage the trans & saturated fats can do (bad fats). but mono-saturated fats, its your time to shine! or so to speak, because new developments have found that injection of fats in certain body parts, (shoulders to be specific) can ease the pain due to over working the arms of those with disabilities.

a small study by dr. trevor dyson-hudson, director of the center for spinal cord injury research at the kessler foundation in west orange, new jersey was done with a group 10 people, all with spinal chord injuries, in wheelchairs and had messed up rotator cuffs. due to the alleviation of pain, the injection is said to increase the quality of life.

now, we know shoulder pain is not specific to those with disabilities, but it is estimated to be more likely and more recurrent for those who are obligated to use their arms more often. the injection cited by usnews is called micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) injection,

a small study suggests that an injection of the patient's own fat cells can help ease their pain by providing cushion for the joint and which aid in repairing over time.

though the procedure is still categorized as experimental and therefore is not backed by insurances carriers, meaning many would have to pay for this procedure out of pocket, the patients that have participated in the trial have been so far been able to go pain free for two years proving that this can be an alternative to getting surgery and injections.

for this pilot study, his team used the procedure on 10 patients with spinal cord injuries. all 10 use wheelchairs and had damaged rotator cuffs from overuse of the shoulder joint. All were in unrelenting pain. the ultrasound-guided fat injections, nearly 80% of patients had a significant decrease in pain. said that he the good news is that it isn't only for people in wheelchairs, even though the study was for people with spinal cord injuries. dr. hudson said, they have began on those with knee issues as well. dyson hudsons team now plan for larger trials.

for this pilot study, his team used the procedure on 10 patients with spinal cord injuries. All 10 use wheelchairs and had damaged rotator cuffs from overuse of the shoulder joint. All were in unrelenting pain.