-
PART 8: STAYING PAIN-FREE DURING COVID-19 – HIPS
Behind knees and shoulders, hips are one of the most troublesome parts of our bodies…particularly us gals. And it goes double during Covid-19, so listen up! I divide hip pain into 3 areas: the buttock, the side of the hip and the groin area. Most commonly, buttock pain is related to the back (sciatica), or strain to the muscles of the buttock. Lateral hip pain, or pain along that bump on the outside of the hip, is usually related to the bursa. The groin is where your hip actually lives, so pain in the groin can be due to arthritis, or other conditions of the hip and surrounding structures. Here’s…
-
PART 7: STAYING PAIN-FREE DURING COVID-19 – SHOULDERS
A lot of folks have been waiting on this one. There is a bunch of shoulder pain out there, and with just a few modifications, much of it can be alleviated…but not all! And again, there was R.I.C.E., all of which works pretty well for shoulders too, except that it’s a little hard to elevate your shoulder, since it’s already on top. Go on-line and get one of those strap-on ice packs. They’re particularly useful for the shoulder, because it’s hard to prop an ice pack there and make it stay. I also linked a cheap one, which looks like it would work for other parts of the body too.…
-
Part 4: STAYING PAIN-FREE DURING COVID-19 – FEET
Believe it or not, April is National Foot Health Awareness Month, so what better time to cover keeping your feet pain-free than now? Frankly, every day should be foot health awareness day, because let’s face it…these dogs are always hurting us. They get injured. They’re deformed from the time we’re born. We wear the wrong shoes most of our lives, and they bear the weight of our entire body. Here’s how to help keep them pain-free and give them a little love while you’re at it. Rest: If your feet are hurting, get off them for a little while. Elevate your legs and feet, especially if they’re swollen. Massage your…
-
STAYING PAIN-FREE DURING COVID-19: KNEES
Many of you are experiencing chronic and acute pain in your knees right now. Hopefully, not as many of you are out injuring yourselves. But if you are…go home. That is one way to prevent or decrease knee pain. Here are some others: Limit sports activities, such as soccer, football, basketball and volleyball right now. These are activities which can cause injury to the knee, or exacerbate old injuries and chronic conditions. This is especially important right now, not only because you shouldn’t be socializing, but also, if you injured yourself, you couldn’t have elective surgery, and the ER is not a good place to be. Surgery would be delayed,…
-
DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL: SIT LIKE A MAN
?
-
WHAT I DO: CATCH IT EARLY
We live in a culture which promotes the nobility of working through pain. This past weekend, I had the briefest moment of lateral elbow pain, and it reminded me of the experience I had with tennis elbow 10 years ago. I remember trying to work through it, and really thinking that it couldn’t happen to me. I would just tough it out. A year and a half later, it beat me into submission. Shots didn’t work. Medications didn’t help. Braces helped a little, but what…I’m going to use a brace in the OR? But I can tell you I wore one when I rode my horse, or cleaned house. I…
