Everything Related to Orthopedics
J. Williams
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Posts by J. Williams
Avoid the Hospital This Summer
0284 days
Summer is a time when you want to spend all of your time outside by pool, grilling, on the beach and doing all the other fun “summer” things. What you don’t want to spend time doing is taking your kids to the hospital because of an injury. With all of the outdoor, physical activities that go on during the summer months, pediatric injuries increase dramatically.
One of the most common injuries during the summer comes from falls. Whether kids are jumping on a trampoline or playing on the playground, hospitals see a lot of kids come in with broken bones and deep cuts from falling. To avoid a trip to the hospital, make sure there is supervision while kids are on a trampoline or playground. Also, try to find a playground that has mulch or rubber tire instead of just blacktop. This can go a long way in avoiding serious injury from a fall.
Another frequent cause of injury for kids comes from riding their bicycle. During summer vacation kids tend to spend a lot of time outside on their bikes. While this is a great form of exercise, it is important to take some safety precautions to avoid serious injury. Most injuries from bicycles are to the arms and legs but the most serious are to the head. When your kids take their bikes out make sure they always wear a helmet. Also be sure that your kids know the proper hand signals and always walk their bikes across busy streets or intersections.
While the weather is hot, a lot of people will spend time by the pool or at the beach. Near-drownings become a serious problem during the summer. Many people may not realize that a person can drown in mere inches of water. To avoid injury, or even worse – death, it is important that parents always supervise their kids while they are in the water. A strong recommendation that could possibly save a child’s life is for all parents to become CPR certified. Also, be sure that children wear proper flotation devices while enjoying the water. A few steps in safety can go a long way in making sure you have a fun, injury free summer!
Obesity and Joint Pain
0289 days
Obesity can cause a plethora of health issues including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems and early onset of arthritis, just to name a few. Obesity is sweeping the nation like an epidemic and the problems that come along with it are multiplying. Over the last 30 years, the obesity rate in the United States has doubled and it is now estimated that 30% of Americans are considered obese.
Along with many other health issues, it seems as though obesity is causing a much younger pool of patients to suffer from arthritis, eventually resulting in joint replacement surgery. Wear and tear on our joints is part of life and as we age, it is inevitable that there will be cartilage loss resulting in some pain and stiffness. Obesity however, increases the chance of developing arthritis and developing it much earlier in life. For every 15 extra pounds you carry, your knees feel 45 pounds of weight. To be considered obese, your BMI is 30 or higher. Consider this – if you are 50 pounds overweight, your knees feel about 150 pounds of extra weight.
Weight loss is the most obvious solution to relieving joint pain, but not always the easiest. In order to reduce your chances of developing arthritis, you don’t have to lose 100 pounds. Studies have shown that losing just 11 pounds can help reduce your risk of developing arthritis by 50%. Weight loss can be even more difficult when dealing with painful joints but it is still possible. The key is to find low impact exercises like swimming or cycling. It is important to keep moving and attempt to lose weight even before arthritis may set in. Obesity can cause complications during joint replacement surgery, should that need arise. Recovery is longer in heavier patients and the implants may not have as long a life span.
