God Bless the Broken Road ...Farm!

Broken Road Farm started as the whimsical daydream of a young girl that recently came true! In 2020, my husband, Greg, and I seized an opportunity to fulfill our land ownership dreams and bought our very first farm in California. With absolutely no experience and very little research... we dove in!

God Bless the Broken Road was our wedding song. It explains the different paths and turns that life can throw at us, but we know that somehow through all those twists, we made it to each other. In naming our farm, our minds kept going back to the lyrics because we didn’t know exactly what we would offer yet, but we knew it would be a place of community, a place for friends to gather from all walks of life, and a place where broken roads are part of the journey. This farm would also need to be a place to be profitable enough to afford my animal habit!

Our farm actually grew quickly with the pandemic because outdoor activities were soon the only allowed activities. Animals also multiplied rather quickly and our human count was at two kids. I created a lot of different activities for the community. Through my relationships with makers, vendors and small businesses, we created a space where we could still operate and provide an amazing time for all. We offered workshops, holiday fun, special events, future farmers groups and more. With no small business plan, but a BIG calling, we made it happen! I now had validation that my ideas were good ones and I could offer whatever community gatherings I dreamt of! Farm life seemed to only be missing one thing...Texas!

My heart has always been in Texas! Fond memories of annual visits with my grandparents in this great state is what really solidified the type of life and environment I wanted our family to thrive in, and the community we longed to find. We wanted more joy and to live a more simple and fulfilled life. Two years later when all the needed pieces fit together beautifully, we made the move with 25 animals, our two kids and one on the way--but that’s a story for a different time.

Now that we are finally home in Ovilla, Texas, we are figuring out farm life with our three kids and want to invite y’all for the ride! Stop by and meet our latest baby, “Ellis”...a miniature HighPark bull calf. He is affectionately named after this amazing county and the friendships we are forming with the community! Take pics with our bulls and cows: Elvis, Reba, Dolly, Roseanne, Ethel, James Brown and Ralphie. We also have horses and ponies and donkeys...oh my! Sheep, goats, bunnies, chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs... and Creepy Clarice the CA transplant duck! Shop at our farm store, Gardenias and Grit, which is a collaboration of makers and local businesses.

Lots of fun plans ahead...

but for now enjoy the Broken Road Farm journey so far...which has led us straight to you!

RECENT ADVENTURES IN THE TREATMENT OF COMMON ORTHOPEDIC INJURIES...”

Platelet Rich Plasma: Innovative Therapy for Less Pain and Better Movement

BY CHRISTOPHER TRINH, DO, SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIAN AT BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE SPORTS MEDICINE AND ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE

If you’re familiar with the term platelet rich plasma (PRP), it’s likely because of its well-publicized cosmetic applications—from smoothing wrinkles to stimulating hair regrowth. Beyond beauty, though, PRP is increasingly being used for more structural applications in tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. Here’s how it works. PRP harnesses the body’s own healing properties to amplify the natural repair and growth factors to help effectively address some soft tissue injuries without surgery or medication injections that may offer only short-term relief. That’s one of the reason athletes from Peyton Manning to Tiger Woods have turned to the therapy, and why I often recommend it for many of my patients, especially those who live an active lifestyle.

How Does Platelet Rich

THERAPY WORK?

PRP is a highly personalized therapy that uses the patient’s own blood as the basis for healing. Blood is made up of many different types of cell materials. Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood that allows red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets to circulate throughout the body through blood vessels to do their job. It also contains proteins called growth factors that your body uses to heal tissue.

For a treatment so advanced, creating and delivering PRP is actually fairly simple and is usually done in the doctor’s office:

1. The patient has a sample of blood drawn into a vial.

2. The blood is taken to a laboratory where it is placed in a centrifuge, a machine that rapidly spins the blood.

3. The centrifuge separates the blood into its different parts, including platelets essential to rebuilding damaged tissue.

4. The platelets are then drawn into a syringe and injected at the site of the injured tissue of the patient, typically using ultrasound technology to determine exact placement.

Injecting platelets into the injured tissue releases growth factors and increases the number of repair cells the body produces to promote a healing response.

WHAT CONDITIONS CAN BE TREATED WITH PLATELET RICH PLASMA?

From sudden injuries to orthopedic tissue worn out over the course of a lifetime, PRP can be used to address a wide range of problems, including:

• Chronic tendon injuries: partial tendon tears and various types of tendonitis, including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis, rotator cuff tendonitis and tennis elbow among others.

• Acute (sudden) ligament and muscle injuries.

• Mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and shoulder.

• Cer tain tears in cartilage (labral tears) of the shoulder and hip.

Unlike medication injections sometimes used to treat these injuries, PRP typically doesn’t “wear off” after a certain amount of time. In fact, it may even take a few weeks for you to begin experiencing the benefits of PRP, which tend to grow stronger as the injured tissue is repaired. While a PRP booster injection may be needed after a year or more, you will not have to rely as much on pain medications. PRP also allows some patients to delay or avoid a surgical procedure and all that it entails.

SIGNS THAT PRP THERAPY MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU...

One of the great things about PRP is that it can be used to safely (and non-invasively) address a wide range of orthopedic conditions and help people move better. In addition, many health plans cover the cost of PRP therapy, but you should check with your insurance provider to confirm.

PRP is most often used for people who:

• Have pain with daily activities.

• Are still experiencing pain after trying conservative measures such as home rehabilitation, corticosteroid injections or physical therapy.

• Have previously found relief with steroid injections but the relief did not last for as long as hoped.

• Have completed a physical therapy or home rehabilitation program to strengthen muscles around a joint and have had suboptimal results.

• Have not been able to find adequate relief after trying over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen.

Though it is not a cure-all, PRP is among the most exciting recent advances in the treatment of the common orthopedic injuries that impact everyone from elite athletes, to weekend warriors, to aging adults.