Often patients ask me about what the “down side” is of taking over the counter or prescription anti-inflammatories. Most of these drugs have the following risks: Delayed wound healing Gastrointestinal Bleeds Hemmoraghic Occurrences Renal and Liver Toxicity Edema, Nausea Central Nervous System dizziness, stupor, tinnitus Most of our physicians when recommending non-steroidal antiinflammatories (NSAIDs) willContinue Reading »
Ankle sprains are one of the most common orthopedic injuries. In fact, more than 20,000 ankle sprains occur each day in the United States. Medial ankle sprains occur when the ligament located on the inner, or medial, side of the ankle is severely stretched or torn. Such injuries account for a small portion of sprains,Continue Reading »
You may have sprained your ankle several times during the past year and often feel a sensation of weakness, as though you are in danger of spraining it again. When you have had one sprain, other sprains may follow, indicating the presence of a condition called chronic ankle instability. Is there a way to makeContinue Reading »
Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three dominant bones—the humerus, clavicle and scapula. The rotator cuff consists of a group of four tendons and associated muscles that collectively work to keep the arm bone within the socket of your shoulder bladewhile allowing your arm to raise and rotate. Although damage to the rotatorContinue Reading »
The term “country club elbow” evokes pleasant images of green lawns, polo shirts and tall glasses of iced tea. Unfortunately, this moniker refers to a far less pleasant condition: the combination of tennis elbowand golfer’s elbow—a chronic, painful syndrome associated with the two sports. The condition can cause a shooting pain down the forearm andContinue Reading »
How Safe is Yoga? This is a great article from the New York Times that talks about the potential dangers of Yoga. When choosing ways to exercise Yoga is perceived as a relatively safe alternative to other forms of exercise (ie running, kick boxing, boot camp classes, etc). This misconception can lead many to letContinue Reading »
The Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y. Clinic (Sports Awareness for Educating Today’s Youth ™) is a three-hour program that meets the “Minimum Standards for Volunteer Coaches Safety Orientation and Training Skills Programs” (N.J.A.C. 5:52) and provides partial civil immunity protection to volunteer coaches under the “Little League Law” (2A:62A-6 et. seq.)This clinic will be presented by Tom Willemann, Board Certified Physical Therapist specializing inContinue Reading »
Arthritis may be a joint disease, but strengthening the muscles is an important component in its treatment. That is because a leading cause of limited movement in people with arthritis—especially, for instance, knee arthritis—is the weakening of surrounding muscles, rather than pain, dysfunction or abnormalities in the joint itself. This raises an important question: IsContinue Reading »
Yes! My wife had an experience with a series of headaches about 4 years ago. We consulted with a neurologist who asked whether she had a recent eye exam. She was convinced she had a brain tumor and did not want to admit her eyes might be failing her. Finally, she gave in, andContinue Reading »
The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy provides consumer information on various conditions. The following information was published recently on neck pain treatment and provides an effective alternative to direct stretching, mobilization or manipulation of the neck. Please read the following and feel free to contact me regarding the benefits of this indirectContinue Reading »