Category: Health

According to the National Health and Wellness Survey, more than 8% of American adults suffer from persistent dry eyes. When you have dry eyes, your tear ducts do not produce sufficient tears or quality tears that ensure adequate lubrication of your eyes. Severe symptoms of dry eye that indicate you need Bainbridge Eye Care include persistent eye redness, eye fatigue, blurred vision, light sensitivity, stinging sensation in the eyes, and watery eyes. A specialist in eye care will identify the cause of dry eye and devise the best treatment plan.

Seek immediate specialist treatment for dry eyes because it may lead to various complications, including the destruction of the eye surfaces, eye infections, and declining quality of life as you struggle to perform routine activities, like reading.

The summer months make you more susceptible to dry eyes. Spending a lot of time outdoors exposes you to the harmful effects of the sun, causing quick evaporation of the tear film, causing dry eyes.

Also, during the summer, you may be more exposed to smoke, pollen, and dust that can irritate and inflame your eyes.

Subsequently, below are the different ways to safeguard yourself against dry eyes during the summer.

• Protect eyes

Wear sunglasses during the summer, whether cycling, swimming, or traveling. Wearing sunglasses minimizes the possibility of wind coming into direct contact with your eyes and removing tears from your eyes.

Use a wraparound sunglass as it provides the best protection for your eyes against loss of tears, unlike the standard sunglass frames.

Additionally, wear wraparound sunglasses during swimming to protect your sensitive eyes from the salt or chlorine in the water that may irritate your eyes. Remember to remove contact lenses before swimming to prevent the trapping of bacteria underneath the lenses.

• Keep eyes moist and hydrated

If you plan to spend a lot of time indoors, consume lots of water and fluids that deliver maximum hydration to your body.

Your body relies on your intake of water and fluids to produce a healthy quantity and quality of tears, which can help protect you from dry eyes.

A properly hydrated body also can ensure your lacrimal glands and oil glands are healthy so that there is no quick evaporation of tears.

It is also possible to lubricate your eyes using over-the-counter or prescription eye drops.

• Always rinse your eyes

Your eyes may be more exposed to smoke and dirt during the summer, especially when you do not wear wraparound sunglasses.

Exposure to toxic substances and chemicals from dirt or smoke can irritate and cause dry eyes.

However, when you rinse your eyes regularly and keep them dry, you remove lodged pollen, smoke, and dust particles.

• Eat healthy diets

The foods you intake should be packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for supporting eye health and promoting tear production.

The best sources of fatty acids are eggs, chia seeds, and oily fish such as sardines and salmon.

Contact Bainbridge Eye Care today to schedule an appointment with a specialist in dry eyes and learn more about its treatment and prevention options.

Do you have back pain that interrupts your daily activities? If yes, it may be time to consider spine surgery. The mention of the operation can send chills down your spine. You could think of open surgery involving large incisions to improve the spine concerns. Fortunately, with modern technology, you can undergo back surgery involving less tissue damage. After undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery Glendale, you will soon resume your daily activities. Below are tips to prepare for minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS).

Quit Smoking

Smoking has many detrimental effects on your health. Cigarette compounds usually impair the balance of the immune system. Consequently, you will be at risk of infections in the operated areas, thus prolonging your recovery. Therefore, if you smoke, you should take the initiative to stop this habit before MISS. Seek rehabilitation services if it is difficult for you to quit smoking alone.

Ask Questions

Surgeons love it when you make inquiries. List the relevant questions and present them to your surgeon. For instance, you can ask how long the MISS will take. By asking the questions, you prove to the specialist that you are committed to the success of the upcoming surgery. Also, getting the answers help to ease the anxiety that you could have.

Watch What You Eat

When anticipating MISS, you should eat healthy meals. Avoid consuming highly processed meals that could lead to inflammation after surgery. Instead, load up your plate with nutritious meals like fruits. This way, you boost your immune system, thus facilitating smooth recovery after an operation.

Exercise

You may think the exercises will only worsen your spinal cord issues, but you are mistaken. Physical activities are crucial in strengthening the muscles around the spine. Exercises also help to boost blood flow to the spinal area, making them healthy days leading to MISS. Healthy spinal muscles respond better to surgical trauma than weak muscles.

Discuss Your Medications

Before undergoing back surgery, disclosing all your medications to the surgeon is good. The idea here is to prevent the potential side effects caused by some medications like anti-inflammatory drugs. Your surgeon will advise you to suspend the intake of those medications to minimize the chances of excessive bleeding during MISS. The surgeon can recommend other safe medications to continue suppressing your underlying condition.

Prepare Your Kitchen

While MISS involves a small incision, your surgeon will discourage twisting your back afterward. Therefore, before the surgery, you should arrange your kitchen accordingly. Keep the food supplies on the lower shelves to avoid strains during recovery. Also, stocking your refrigerator with necessities would be best to minimize unnecessary movement after MISS.

Spinal surgery is an effective way to alleviate back pain. Unlike traditional back surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery involves small incisions. Therefore, you will experience less pain and minimal chances of scarring. It would help if you adopted the above preparation tips for an optimal experience during and after this less-invasive surgery. For example, if you are a smoker, you should quit this habit to boost your recovery. Revealing your medications to your surgeon is also necessary to minimize complications during and after surgery.

If you have varicose and spider veins, you may feel discomfort and more conscious about the appearance of your skin. The good news is there are many treatments for these conditions, of which sclerotherapy is often the most recommended one. Various factors may contribute to spider or varicose veins, including age, obesity, and heredity. While varicose veins may bulge and twist to cause pain, spider veins are more of an aesthetic concern. Before you consider sclerotherapy treatments in Boise, here’s more on the procedure.

What is sclerotherapy?

Considered an alternative treatment to surgery, sclerotherapy is used for treating varicose and spider veins. The procedure involves injecting a special foamy solution into the affected veins, which causes a collapse and shrink. You may need multiple sessions of sclerotherapy to see the desired results but may witness an evident change after the first treatment.

How long does it take?

One sclerotherapy session may take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, and there is no downtime. Most patients can continue their normal routine, although they may have to wear compression stockings for a couple of weeks after the treatment to get the best results. Your doctor will also recommend walking for a while after the procedure, which will help reroute the blood, although you should avoid extensive activities for two weeks. Do not go to the gym or lift weights.

Does a sclerotherapy session hurt?

No, sclerotherapy is considered a safe treatment for vein concerns. You may experience some discomfort when the foam is injected into the affected veins, but this shouldn’t last for more than a few seconds. There can be minor aching, which should get better within a short time.

After a sclerotherapy

You may experience some tenderness at the injection site for a couple of days, which will go away. Your doctor may suggest medications if you have more discomfort than usual.

Other things to know

While sclerotherapy is safe, talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or have other health concerns. Also, most cases of varicose veins will require at least two sessions, while some patients may need more. If there are more prominent veins, it can take time to see desired results. Please follow the instructions after each sclerotherapy session, which include walking more and using compression stockings. If you have a history of blood clots or heart disease, inform your doctor in advance. While sclerotherapy is usually a choice for most patients, there are always exceptions.

 

Every woman should explore the importance of gynecology care for healthier living. Usually, women are susceptible to various health concerns, some of which they cannot handle independently. This is why you should invest in gynecology Norman services because you will be guaranteed better women’s healthcare in the long run.

Also, gynecology doesn’t only offer treatment options but also preventive care for women of all ages. This goes a long way in ensuring your reproductive and overall health is safe and free from life-threatening conditions like cervical and breast cancer. But how can you benefit from regular gynecology visits? Here is how!

Preventive care and early detection

When it comes to health issues, early detection plays a significant role in successful treatment. Therefore, frequently seeking gynecology care allows your gynecologist to have control over your health, which means they can detect severe issues early before they cause alarming symptoms. Cervical cancer is a common condition that can cause death, yet it can be easily managed when identified early. Your gynecologist performs tests and screenings during your routine visits and advises you on how you can prevent further issues.

Up-to-date vaccinations

Vaccinations play a critical role in preventing unwanted health problems down the line. Gynecology care offers relevant vaccines that you need to keep going. For instance, pregnant women can benefit from Tdap and seasonal flu vaccines during their routine gynecological visits.

Essential women’s health screenings

During your routine gynecology visits, your provider screens you for various women’s and general health conditions. Since many health issues pose obvious symptoms, screening can help catch the issues early. Gynecology services offer pap smears, gynecologic ultrasound, female cancer screening, osteoporosis screening, and breast exams. Depending on your age, healthcare needs, and your previous screening session, your gynecologist can assess the tests you need.

Take control of your fertility

Whether you want to conceive soon or have issues that deter your parenthood goal, gynecology care can help you manage your fertility. Also, you can receive proper care and guidelines on the birth control you should use if you want to prevent pregnancy. If you consider conceiving soon, your gynecologist can help prepare your body through lifestyle adjustments and screenings. This can be essential in eradicating issues that can cause infertility.

A better understanding of your body

If you’re always concerned about the changes in your body, you can get the answers you seek from a gynecologist. This can help you understand what’s normal and when to seek medical attention. They can also guide you on when it’s crucial to seek help in case of unusual body changes. Understanding your body as a woman will help you feel more comfortable so you can enjoy life.

Managing your period and menopause

Although every woman must undergo menstrual periods and menopause at some point, many women struggle to manage these conditions. However, your gynecologist can ensure your periods are normally occurring, and they can offer you solutions in case of pain or bleeding disorders. On the other hand, during your menopause years, gynecology care ensures you go through your journey safely and eradicates any discomfort or pain.

No one should overlook the tremendous benefits of gynecology care. The specialty provides you with better healthcare, lifestyle improvements, and preventive care for your well-being. If you’ve been putting off visiting your gynecologist, you should put maximum attention to it since it’s a guarantee for a better life.

Flat feet is when one or both of your feet have little or no arch. It makes the pads of your feet press into the ground when you stand. Flat feet do not cause problems in most people, but some individuals experience pain. Common symptoms of flat feet include leg cramps, muscle pain in your foot or leg, pain while walking, toe drift, and pain in your arch, ankle, heel, or outside of your foot. You are more likely to develop flat feet The Woodlands if the condition runs in your family, you are highly athletic or physically active, or you are obese. Sometimes untreated flat feet can lead to complications like shin splints, hammertoes, bunions, Achilles tendonitis, and ankle and foot arthritis.

What are the causes of flat feet?

Arches in children form by the age of six. But in some children, arches do not develop normally or remain flat, and doctors refer to it as pediatric flat feet. In adulthood, you can develop flat feet due to injuries or diseases like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or cerebral palsy. Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is adults’ most common cause of flat feet. Obesity and pregnancy are other factors that can lead to flat feet in adults.

How are flat feet diagnosed?

Manual examination: Your provider may recommend you stand straight on your feet and then stand on your toes to get a clearer view of your feet’ structure.

X-ray: An x-ray can help your doctor rule out other conditions like bone deformities.

CT-scan: A CT-scan gives detailed images of your feet and helps your doctor check for tendon injuries.

Treatment options for flat feet

Medications

Your doctor may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain drugs like ibuprofen to reduce pain and swelling.  

Foot support

Foot support is often the first treatment for flat feet. Your doctor may recommend you wear shoe inserts to support your feet. For kids, doctors may prescribe special shoes or heels until their feet form fully.

Exercises

Feet exercises can help alleviate the pain and symptoms associated with your flat feet. Your therapist will guide you to the best stretching and strengthening exercises to help improve strength and flexibility in your feet and ankle. Heel cord stretching and golf ball rolling are common exercises for flat feet.

Lifestyle changes

Certain lifestyle changes can help reduce pain from flat feet. If you are obese, your provider may suggest an exercise program to manage your weight to help minimize pressure on your feet. The provider may also recommend you avoid standing or walking for prolonged periods to manage your flat feet.

Foot surgery

Foot surgery can be beneficial for severe flat feet cases and is often the last treatment option. This operation may involve your surgeon creating an arch in your feet, repairing tendons, or fusing your bones or joints. If you have a short Achilles tendon, your surgeon can lengthen it to reduce pain.

Flat feet can result from congenital disability, genetic factors, injuries, or some medical conditions. Depending on the cause and symptoms of your flat feet, your doctor can treat the problem through medications, orthotics, exercises, or surgery. Schedule an appointment at Foot and Ankle Specialists for flat feet treatment to alleviate your foot pain.

Primary care express is a healthcare service that enables you to access high-quality medical services anywhere or anytime you need them. Suppose you do not have a regular doctor and want to receive care from someone who can help treat your medical issues. Then primary care express services might be just what you need. These services treat minor health conditions such as sore throat, minor injuries, constipation, and many more. To treat these conditions, reach out to Sarah Phillips dnp, aprn, a primary care provider with vast experience treating people of all ages. However, if your symptoms are severe and causing significant pain or emotional distress, visit your nearest emergency room immediately. Below are five key details about primary care services and why it is unique compared to other healthcare services.

1. Primary Care Express Services Provide Immediate, Convenient Care

Primary Care Express services are more convenient compared to regular medical services. Your primary care provider can visit you at home, work, or another convenient location. You do not have to travel far or wait in line for hours.

These services are also a good alternative to traditional primary care. This is because they provide timely information about your health and make it easier to access medical services when needed. As a result, they help reduce unnecessary trips to the emergency room by giving you more control over your healthcare needs with less hassle and stress.

2. Primary Care Express Provide Routine Physicals, Checkups, and Treatments

Primary Care Express can help with routine physicals and checkups, and treatments. These are medical services that typically fall under the realm of primary care. It offers both urgent care and wellness checkups at various locations. Wellness checks help determine your current health status. During your first visit, your medical professional will ask about your health history and advise keeping healthy without unnecessarily making appointments.

3. Primary Care Express Provides Better Healthcare Quality Services

You may receive better quality healthcare services from seeing your primary care provider care. Primary care express doctors are trained to provide the same quality as traditional physicians. Their training includes everything from medical school and residency through board certification and continuing education requirements for practicing physicians in the system. During your visits, you will meet an experienced physician who understands your needs and is familiar with your condition or illness.

4. Primary Care Express Provides More Affordable Healthcare Services

Primary Care Express is an alternative to traditional primary care like a family doctor or pediatrician. It provides convenient, affordable health care to people with low income or those without insurance coverage. The cost of primary express care services might vary depending on the number of tests, treatments, and the clinic’s location. However, these services are cheaper than medical care from your regular doctor. 

5. Primary Care Express Do Not Have Waiting Times

Unlike other regular healthcare centers, primary, excess care clinics often provide walk-in services to patients within 15 to 45 minutes. However, the wait times might vary depending on the number of patients awaiting treatment. Before visiting the clinic, you can always call the front desk to confirm the waiting period. If you are seeing a regular doctor from a hospital, you will need to make an appointment two weeks before the initial visit. Therefore, consider primary express care services to avoid long waiting periods.

If you have concerns about your health, it is important to know how best to get help. Primary care express services can help by providing a comprehensive assessment of your symptoms and medical history so that you can find the best treatment plan for your needs. 

Primary care express can be an excellent option for fast and convenient healthcare services. It also provides treatment options for anyone at any age, including children and the elderly. Consider primary care express if you live in a low-income household and need better healthcare services.

Have you tried to numb the pain with conventional medications in vain? Most people with chronic pain might not lead the life they want, as chronic pain might be disabling. You might need to see an interventional pain doctor like Maher Ibrahim MD, who deals with the pain at its source. Interventional pain management techniques act as diagnostic tools and will alleviate the pain at its source. For instance, an epidural injection can be a diagnostic tool and deals with the pan at the source. Additionally, regenerative platelet-rich plasma therapy leads to fast healing. These are the benefits of interventional pain management.

Deals with the Pain at Its Source

A treatment like PRP will deal with the pain at its source and is effective for dealing with injuries and joint issues. Your doctor will administer the PRP injection with growth and healing agents that deal with the injuries and alleviate chronic and acute pain. Additionally, the epidural injection might act as a diagnostic tool as it blocks the transmission of pain between the brain and the organs. Therefore, when a doctor injects the epidural into the knees, it alleviates the chronic pain, increases the range of motion, and promotes effective healing.

Faster Results

Interventional pain management leads to faster results as the injections and remedies curb the pain immediately. The PRP might heal wounds faster than conventional medications as they contain platelets that act as growth and healing agents. On the other hand, the epidural injection will relieve the pain immediately as it blocks the nerves from transmitting pain, thus reducing inflammation and heat at the injury site. Although the inflammation may help the body heals itself, it may affect the ligaments and tissues, leading to restrictive movements.

Minimally Invasive

Interventional pain treatments are minimally invasive; in most cases, you will receive an injection dealing with the pain at a specific location. The injection leaves soreness and pain, which subside in a few minutes. Other pain management techniques like acupuncture only pierce the nerve endings, producing the body’s natural painkillers.

Few Side Effects

Interventional pain management techniques do not affect the whole body like oral medications. Thus they have few side effects and will not cause mental health issues. Some pain medications like opioids are addictive and lead to anxiety and depression, thus countering the benefits of the pain control technique.

Delays or Prevent Surgery

Sometimes you might wish to avoid surgery as surgeries lead to unwanted effects such as sores and wounds. An epidural injection to the joints might increase the range of motion on the joint and promote the healing of the ligaments and the connective tissues. Thus the injection will delay surgery for severely damaged joints and prevent surgery in some cases.

Interventional pain management techniques might be ideal for you as they are minimally invasive, have few side effects, and work for almost everyone. They work in instances where conventional medications have failed. For instance, you could opt for the PRP injection, which uses your cell to promote healing. They leave few side effects as your body is least likely to react to its cells. It promotes the healing of wounds and blood clotting and seals off large trauma injuries. On the other hand, epidural injections block pain transmission to the brain, while acupuncture treatments activate the natural body’s painkillers.

You do not need to be an athlete to hurt your foot and ankle. You can easily develop an injury while doing something as basic as walking. Then you may have to live with discomfort and pain resulting from such injuries. Dr. Tyler Gloschat Colorado Springs specializes in sports medicine and offers different foot and ankle pain treatments. Your doctor will gather essential information about you and decide what treatment suits your condition. You can benefit from treatment of trauma of your ankle and foot, foot surgery, and ankle surgeries. Here is a discussion on how those treatments work.

Conservative Treatment

Usually, the first thing you will need to do after hurting your foot or ankle will be first aid. Summarized as RICE, you will need to rest your legs to prevent putting weight on them. You may use ice packs to slow down swelling and reduce pain by placing ice for up to 20 minutes, then resting your feet before placing ice again. Thirdly, you may need to wrap your affected ankle with a compression wrap to keep it supported and immobile. It would help if you did not wrap the affected area too tight to prevent loss of sensation. Lastly, raise your injured leg to the level of your heart to reduce pain and swelling.

Ankle Arthroscopy

The procedure involves inserting an arthroscope into your injured ankle to repair the damage through a few tiny incisions. You may be an ideal candidate for this procedure if you have ankle joint issues that fail to respond to other treatments. Arthroscopy can treat instability resulting from a possible bone deformity, torn ligaments following an accident and trauma, and removal of scar tissue developing during healing. Additionally, arthroscopy can treat impingement which results from overuse of ankles and may have resulted in swelling and stiffness.

Ankle Replacement Surgery

You may require ankle replacement surgery, especially for severe ankle arthritis, which causes stiffness, severe pain, and inflammation. You may also find walking difficult after developing arthritis in your ankle. During surgery, your doctor will administer general anesthesia and then incision through your skin. Your doctor will carefully remove the damaged parts of your bone and then attach a new metal joint surface to your remaining pieces of bone. Your doctor may also insert a little piece of plastic between the joint spaces to allow them to glide easily against each other.

Foot Surgery

Your doctor may perform foot surgery to treat problems relating to your feet, improve function, reduce pain and improve mobility. Your doctor will likely recommend foot surgery if you have foot problems that do not respond well to conservative treatments and exercise. During foot surgery, you can benefit from reconstructive surgery for foot trauma, fusion surgery to ease pain from rheumatoid arthritis, and bunion surgery for treating bunions.

Foot problems are a common concern across all ages, whether or not you are an active sportsperson. Some foot concerns can go away with conservative treatments, while others will fail to respond to this treatment, thus requiring surgical procedures. Surgical options may include arthroplasty for ankle arthritis, ankle replacement surgery for damaged joints, and foot surgery. Your doctor will decide the treatment that suits you depending on how you respond to initial treatments and the severity of your condition. Therefore, do not allow pain to slow you down.

You may occasionally have symptoms that appear to be beyond your family doctor or primary care physician’s ability to effectively diagnose and treat. If these concerns involve strange sensations or discomfort in the muscles, joints, and bones, an orthopedist could be your best alternative. The major difference between orthopedic physicians and a family or primary care doctor is that the former are generalists while orthopedic doctors are specialists. Pavel Muradov MD specializes in all diseases and disorders associated with the musculoskeletal system, including abrupt or developing discomfort, which has no apparent cause. Continue reading to discover instances when you should seek care from an orthopedic doctor.

1. Fractures

Fractures are breaks or cracks in bones. These fractures could result from numerous factors, including overuse, falls, sports injuries, and automobile accidents. Conditions like osteoporosis and arthritis could also lead to fractures.

The therapy you will require varies depending on your injury’s seriousness and where the fractures are situated. Your orthopedic specialist might offer remedies like placing a cast or surgery if the break is serious or complicated.

2. Sprains and Strains

A sprain develops once a ligament gets pulled, partially or totally torn. On the other hand, a strain occurs whenever a muscle or tendon experiences the same kind of injury. Ligaments join bones to other bones, while tendons link muscles to bones.

Strain injuries typically stem from overuse of certain muscle groups, repeated, violent motions, and poor posture. Prevalent symptoms include localized stiffness, tingling, and pain. Generally, sprains are often acute injuries, like a sprained ankle.

3. Knee Pain

Various factors could cause knee pain. Conditions such as sports-related injuries and arthritis could sprain or strain a joint, limiting mobility. The injury could also be because of a torn meniscus or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). In such cases, a general practitioner will likely prescribe pain medication for short-term relief. On the other hand, an orthopedic physician will determine the precise reason for the injury and offer comprehensive therapy.

4. Low Back Pain

Numerous adults struggle with low back discomfort because of their medical conditions, occupational obligations, and lifestyles. This dull or acute soreness in your lower back could last several days, then disappear. However, if the pain persists for longer than two weeks, it is advisable to see an orthopedic doctor.

5. Hip Pain

Hip pain can originate within or around the hip joint or extend to your buttocks or thighs. Mild pains normally resolve using over-the-counter pain medicines, but an orthopedic expert best addresses continuous hip discomfort or a hip injury. The discomfort could be attributed to fractures caused by osteoporosis or hip arthritis.

6. Shoulder Ache

Shoulder joint injuries, like rotator cuff tears, could cause shoulder discomfort. Shoulder inflammation, restricted motion range, and soreness could be caused by overuse damage, dislocation, or arthritis. See an orthopedic physician if there is obvious discoloration or inflammation or if the discomfort worsens in two weeks.

Orthopedic experts are trained to care for joints, muscles, and bones. Whereas a general practitioner could be capable of treating common pains and aches, numerous conditions and symptoms necessitate the knowledge of an orthopedic specialist. Additionally, these providers can perform specialized procedures like joint replacements. Therefore, if you identify any warning signs of a condition or disorder in your musculoskeletal system, see your orthopedic doctor for a precise diagnosis and to determine the best therapy for you.