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Osteoarthritis
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Massage Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis
No one said getting old is all fun. After 40 or 50 or 60 years of walking, running, and playing sport, the knees start to wear down.
Make no mistake, osteoarthritis is a serious condition.
It limits what people can do, affects quality of life, and can lead to disability and lost days of work.
Yes, there are medicines for it, but treatment isn'’t perfect.
Patrick Russo is only 43 but from years of high school football, osteoarthritis of the knee has set in big time. “"I have a Dalmatian who has to be in the park every day, so with her it got to be a real hassle because walking just hurt",” says Patrick. "“I don’'t like to take drugs for pain or any of that stuff, so I tried to find something that would help alleviate the pain.”"
Dr. Adam Perlman, of UMDNJ, says, “"We don’'t know how to cure it, and many of the treatments can have their own side effects such as irritation of the stomach from medications people might take, or other side effects of those medications.”"
But maybe something as simple as a massage could be the answer for Patrick and the millions of Americans who suffer from knee osteoarthritis.
According to new research in the archives of internal medicine, Swedish massage of the knee appears to provide lasting relief from osteoarthritis related pain, stiffness, and loss of physical function. (Read more about Massage Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis)
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Osteoporosis Drug Danger
There is a growing number of cases of a disturbing complication to the bone building medications like fosamax. Those taking the drugs are at an increased risk of horrible breakdown of the jaw after dental procedures.
This was first noticed perhaps a year and a half ago, but even just now are dentists and oral surgeons taking notice.
Now, while this is a very serious side effect, it doesn’t mean the medicines should be stopped. They just need to be used with caution, especially when invasive dental procedures need to be performed.
It was a problem that had dentist Bob Deutch very concerned--scratching his head as to what was going on with his patient’s jawbone.
Dr. Deutch says, “A patient post-operatively healing perfectly from implant surgery we started to notice there was some osteonecrosis taking place for no apparent reason.”
Osteonecrosis--the breakdown of the jaw bone… (Read more about Osteoporosis Drug Danger)
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ACUPUNCTURE FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
If you’ve tried all the pain medicines, the heat packs, and you still have aching knees, there’s new evidence that acupuncture might help with your osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease, and the most common location for osteoarthritis is, in fact, the knee. And with our aging baby boomers, more and more of us are going to have to deal with this problem, which is hardly insignificant. (Read more about ACUPUNCTURE FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS)
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Hip Fracture
1 in 4 people will ultimately die from complications caused by a hip fracture. Each year in the United States, there are 350,000 hip fractures. (Read more about Hip Fracture)
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Knee Replacement
Osteoarthritis is the main reason patients need to undergo knee replacement surgery. The major problem in this condition is that the cartilage on the surface of the bone of the joint, wears away. (Read more about Knee Replacement)
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KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
“I was very sad when I had to stop tennis. Life wasn’t the same,” says Phyllis Hyacinthe. She didn’t want to accept the fact she could no longer play tennis because knee osteoarthritis got the best of her. (Read more about KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS)
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HISPANICS AND OSTEOPOROSIS
Hispanics are the nation’s largest minority group, and they are also the fastest growing group, accounting for about half of the growth in the U.S. population since 2000. Thus Hispanic healthcare is an increasing concern that a lot of doctors are focusing their attention onto.
The growth of the Hispanic population has not been accompanied by an improvement in Hispanic healthcare. Of particular concern is the quality of healthcare Hispanic women receive. There has been a steady increase in hip fractures in Hispanic women over the past twenty years. But it’s not only because there are more Hispanic women to suffer a fracture; it’s also because of inadequate health care for Hispanic women before and after menopause.
Celia Greenberg has a Latino heritage. She says her diet rarely contained any milk or other dairy products. “The only milk I drank was the little that was in my coffee. We ate very small quantities of cheeses and no yogurt at all.” (Read more about HISPANICS AND OSTEOPOROSIS)
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OSTEOPOROSIS MEDICATIONS
There’s been some confusion lately concerning several popular osteoporosis medications. Whom should they be prescribed to? Women with mild bone loss, or only those with serious cases of osteoporosis?
And can these medications actually cause fractures if used for too long a period of time?
This disease, osteoporosis, is a big problem. Thirty million women suffer from the disease that results from loss of bone density, and can result in a serious, even life-threatening bone fracture. (Read more about OSTEOPOROSIS MEDICATIONS)
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VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION
No question, calcium provides a benefit to preventing fractures. But just how much Vitamin D should African American women be taking?
It is estimated that as many as 30% to 40% of older adults with hip fractures are Vitamin D insufficient. So, it’s possible older adults may benefit from supplemental Vitamin D, which helps get calcium into bones to make them strong.
“I’m not the kind of person who takes supplements. I thought what I was eating was enough,” says Beverley Riley. (Read more about VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION)
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Hip Replacement
Hip replacement surgery is becoming more and more common as the population of the world begins to age. Hip replacement surgery is becoming more and more common as the population of the world begins to age. (Read more about Hip Replacement)
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