Everyday life with osteoarthritis can be challenging, but when you live in a state like Florida, the weather can add another layer to the challenge. Many Floridians with joint pain swear they can “feel the storm coming” in their knees or hands, and there is some evidence that joint pain can be influenced by differences in humidity or barometric pressure.
Every year, as the summer comes to an end and we prepare for another school year, parents have a list of annual tasks to perform. They need to get their children registered for school, shop for notebooks, pens, and other school supplies, and schedule a physical exam with their doctors. While parents are very familiar with the routine,
Occasional dizzy spells – or feelings of lightheadedness, wooziness, or being off-balance – are a relatively common experience. Most adults will experience it at some point, and vertigo (a spinning sensation) affects an estimated 40% of people at least once in their lifetime1. While it’s common to experience some temporary dizziness, persistent or severe dizziness can be very disruptive to your daily life,
Imagine stepping out of bed to take the day’s first steps and feeling like you just stepped on broken glass. This can be what it’s like to deal with plantar fasciitis – a frustrating heel pain that doesn’t always go away on its own. Some cases can last months, or even years. Rarely, in severe cases,
Workplace injuries can have a significant impact on both employees and employers, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to prevent them. A healthier, safer work environment with fewer injuries will also be more productive and less costly. This is one of the important roles of occupational medicine. More than just helping workers recover from injuries,
Over the past few years, remote work has surged in popularity, with millions of people trading traditional workspaces for home offices. For many people, working remotely provides flexibility and convenience, but there are also health challenges that come along with the change in lifestyle. Traditional office workers have to walk to the car for their morning commute,
Modern technology has done some amazing things for our society. We are more connected than ever before, with instant access to more information than previous generations could have imagined. Technology has changed the way we live, the way we communicate, and the way we work. Of course, not every change is an improvement. One of the unfortunate effects of our current information age is a drastic increase in sedentary living.
From car repairs to plumbing problems, people are now trying their hands at many things that used to be left almost exclusively to professionals. With so many do-it-yourself resources available, people can quickly learn how to perform tasks that they otherwise may not have even considered. Just pull up a step-by-step walkthrough online, or watch a YouTube or TikTok video.
Humans have been trying to live longer for all of recorded history. From the ancient Mesopotamian poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, through medieval alchemists’ search for the Philosopher’s Stone, up to today’s more scientific investigations, our species is absolutely obsessed with overcoming our own mortality.
While death is still as inevitable as ever,
It’s well known that physical activity is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. It can reduce the risk of several common mortality factors, including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary heart disease, stroke and more. However, people don’t often think of physical therapy as a means of creating a more active lifestyle. Physical therapy doesn’t have to be just about recovery – it can be a proactive approach to enhancing your quality of life.
The beginning of a new calendar year is often full of optimism and hope, as many of us resolve to live better and improve our lives over the next year. A common resolution is to improve our exercise habits and health. Unfortunately, many times these resolutions will be short-lived or unfulfilled altogether. So, as we turn the page on 2024 and make our way into another new year,
One of the under-appreciated aspects of a regular exercise routine is the impact it can have on improving your balance and stability. While we tend to focus on enhanced strength and flexibility, the truth is that improved balance and stability – particularly as we age – can play a major role in preventing injuries caused by falls.
People will often use flexibility-enhancing exercises to help them recover from an injury or recent surgery, but these exercises shouldn’t be reserved exclusively for recovery. Keeping your body flexible is a key part of preventing injuries in the first place, and a healthy body is important to overall well being. Incorporating some simple flexibility exercises into your daily routine can be a great way to prepare your body for an active lifestyle,
As if aging didn’t present enough challenges, 2-5% of us will eventually experience a painful condition known as “frozen shoulder”. Also known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is an inflammatory condition that causes stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint, and significantly reduces range of motion. Frozen shoulder typically affects people 40 and older and is more likely to occur in women.
In today’s information-rich world, it’s easy to find conflicting opinions between “experts” in various disciplines. There is no shortage of controversy around many topics that people care about. You would be hard-pressed, however, to find any doctor, dietician, or otherwise-qualified expert that would deny the connection between a person’s diet and their physical health. The nutrition we consume is inexorably linked to our body’s ability to grow,
Recovering from an injury can be a stressful experience. Aside from the physical discomfort, there can be a tendency to think about our limitations and how much less we are able to do at the moment. Questions can arise: How long will it take to recover? When can I go back to work? Will I ever again be able to run/swim/play sports,
Inflammation is a natural part of your body’s immune response to injuries. It is the process through which your immune system recognizes and removes harmful stimuli and promotes healing. In general, it is a good thing. However, when inflammation occurs in healthy tissue or goes on for too long, it can harm your body and cause a range of chronic diseases.
It’s not exactly breaking news to suggest that stretching is important, but it’s easy to think that it’s just for athletes and gym enthusiasts. The truth is that stretching can play an important role in injury prevention and recovery, especially for people who spend much of their time sitting, like many of us do. Our bodies were built to move,
For many people, surgery can seem like the only solution to pain caused by injuries or degenerative conditions. Chronic pain can be hard to live with, and it’s understandable that people would want a quick and effective solution. Surgery, though, is not always the only option. Often, it may not be the best option. For many conditions,
Knee pain is a common issue that can affect people of all ages and lifestyles – from athletes to people just going about their daily activities. Whether caused by injury, overuse, or underlying conditions like arthritis, knee pain can significantly impact your mobility and quality of life. The good news is you don’t always need medications or invasive treatments for relief.
