If you suffer from a painful arthritic ankle joint and your physician has suggested a procedure called arthrodesis, you may be confused. Simply put, an arthrodesis fuses the bones that form a joint, making it one continuous bone and permanently stiffening the joint. The procedure is used when pain, disability or instability from a diseasedContinue Reading »
Occurring in the front of the outer leg, shin splints result from inflammation to the posterior tibial tendon and related tissues. They commonly happen to runners or those who walk vigorously. Symptoms include pain in the front of the outer leg below the knee, ranging from dull discomfort to significant pain that increases with activity.Continue Reading »
The physical benefits of participating in sports are obvious in our increasingly obese society, but team sports also teach cooperation, responsibility to the team, mental preparedness and social development. What about the risk of injury? With the consequences of repeated concussions of football players as a hot topic in the news, it is reasonable toContinue Reading »
While summer offers opportunities to walk, jog, bicycle, garden, play sports and get into shape, cold weather brings the temptation to eat more, move less and hibernate indoors. Shorter days, frosty air and holiday parties can threaten the fitness gains you made during the summer. Instead of fighting the cold and darkness, you can maintainContinue Reading »
When you initially develop low back pain a few questions come up. Do I need bed rest? What exercises should I perform? What pain should I seek help for immediately? Here is a few facts and tips about low back pain for the first six weeks: More than two days of bed rest is often more harmful thanContinue Reading »
Many patients believe that a physical therapy regimen follows joint replacement surgery, but exercise before surgery can reap many benefits afterward. Think about it: The pain in your knee has probably rendered you less active. Less activity causes the muscles—in this case, those in the thighs and hips that directly and indirectly support your badContinue Reading »
If you are undergoing aBirmingham Hip resurfacing procedure, you probably have questions about rehabilitation and physical therapy. The Birmingham Hip procedure involves placing a new metal surface on your hipbone to slide against a metal socket surface. This procedure is longer lasting, ideal for active patients, less invasive and preserves more bone than traditional hipContinue Reading »
How much exercise is enough? There is no one answer. Age, sex and current fitness level, along with risk factors such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and excessive weight, must be factored into the equation. All of these considerations may make it impractical to compare various fitness programs. But the following guidelines can help youContinue Reading »
Mononucleosis—often known simply as “mono”—has an incubation period of one to two months. Once symptoms appear, recovery can take an additional four to six weeks. Until your physician tells you it is safe to resume more strenuous workouts, avoid any but the mildest exercise (e.g., short walks). In many mono patients, the spleen—a large blood-filteringContinue Reading »
Do you experience knee pain when you return to the basketball court after a layoff of a few months? If your knee always aches—even if you cannot remember incurring a specific injury—you may be suffering from jumper’s knee (formally known as patellar tendinopathy). This progressive deterioration is especially common among adult male basketball and volleyballContinue Reading »