Tom Willemann Health Tips

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What are the risks of anti-inflammatory use?

What are the risks of anti-inflammatory use?

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 »

Medial Sprain: A Pain in the Ankle

Medial Sprain: A Pain in the Ankle

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 »

Recovering After Elbow Surgery

Recovering After Elbow Surgery

Elbow surgery to reconstruct a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is a common procedure performed on athletes who engage in overhead throwing activities, such as baseball, tennis and volleyball, and gymnastics. In these activities, the UCL can be stretched, torn or otherwise damaged from the constant stress of overhead motion. To mend a torn UCL, aContinue Reading »

Pulled Hamstrings: Stretch Your Way Back

Pulled Hamstrings: Stretch Your Way Back

Running along the back of the thigh from the pelvis to the shin, the hamstring muscles are responsible for bending the knee, along with moving the hip and other lower extremities. Thus, when a hamstring is strained, or pulled, the rest of the body can be affected. With a hamstring strain, pain and mobility indicate theContinue Reading »

Does Running Form Affect Rate of Injuries?

Does Running Form Affect Rate of Injuries?

A recent article highlighted in the New York Times discussed a study published in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise .  It looked at the incidence of injuries  among runners who favor heel striking compared to forefoot striking.  Apparently they indicated a two fold increase in heel strikers rates of injury when examining aContinue Reading »

Treating Country Club Elbow

Treating Country Club Elbow

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 »

Viniyoga- Yoga that Adapts

Viniyoga- Yoga that Adapts

There has been a plethora of feedback to the article in the New York Times  “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body”. To clarify my view on yoga:Yoga can be extremely beneficial when monitored and done correctly (F.Y.I.  I do yoga myself!)Certain poses place the spine in positions that are high risk with particular spinal disordersNo painContinue Reading »

The Case of the Wandering Kneecap

The Case of the Wandering Kneecap

Kneecap dislocation occurs when the patella, or kneecap, slides to the outside of the joint, thus stretching and possibly tearing the ligaments that hold it in place. Kneecap dislocations fall into two categories Those involving an accident, such as a blow to or a twisting of the knee, are called traumatic dislocations. Atraumatic dislocations occurContinue Reading »

Treating a SICK Scapula

Treating a SICK Scapula

When a scapula, or shoulder blade, is described as SICK, it doesn’t mean ill; it is actually an acronym invented by researchers/physicians who observed a syndrome involving the shoulder areas of professional baseball players. It stands for Scapula Internal rotation, Coracoid pain and Dyskinesia (SICK), the conditions that make up this syndrome. Because the scapulaContinue Reading »

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