The weather is warming up and spring is finally here! After months of staying indoors, kids are now busy digging out their baseball gloves, cleaning off their shoes and gearing up to hit the field. Popular spring sports include soccer, baseball, tennis and track. Many of these players are unaware of the possible injuries that could take place.
Around 52.5 million (22.7%) US adults suffer some form of arthritis.1 Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis: 4.9% suffer from knee osteoarthritis and 9.7%, from hip osteoarthritis.2 Most conditions can be effectively managed without the need for any invasive intervention such as surgery. Non-surgical methods can be used for some forms of arthritis to control the symptoms.
Treatment for most orthopedic conditions starts with a noninvasive, conservative treatment plan. This can include simple methods such as rest, medication, applying ice or physical therapy. Only when these methods fail to relieve symptoms will your doctor suggest surgery. With surgery, there are potential risks and complications such as bleeding, clot formation and damage to adjacent tissues.
As an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, how do you see football impacting athletes’ health?
As a Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeon, I work with NFL players, as well as college and high school football players.
When hip injury or disease gets to the point where the pain and disability is adversely affecting your quality of life, it may be time to consider hip replacement surgery. Hip replacement is usually recommended when conservative treatments no longer relieve your symptoms.
Until recently, the only definitive treatment for a hip injury was open surgery, which is performed through a large incision, with underlying tissues either cut or separated to reach the hip joint. Surgery was mostly limited to severe hip injuries or diseases, while mild-to-moderate injuries were either treated conservatively, or simply avoided until pain and disability worsened enough to merit surgery.
Simple muscle-building cannot address total fitness and any exercise regimen is incomplete without a cardiovascular workout. Almost anyone can incorporate cardio into their routine. Cardiovascular exercise can help you:
While being overweight can have many ill effects, less commonly known is the way it affects your joints. If you are concerned about arthritis due to unsteady or aching joints, a good preventive measure is to make sure you aren’t overweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1 in 3 obese Americans are diagnosed with arthritis; considering that 2 out of 3 Americans are either overweight or obese, this becomes a serious threat to joint health.
Various body movements are possible because of the articulation of two or three bones at the joints. Joints allow you to bend or rotate your hips, knees, elbows and perform all kinds of activities. To stay physically active and continue to do the things you love, it is essential to understand how your joints function and ways to keep them healthy.
