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Clicking, cracking, grinding, popping, snapping — these are all common and generally harmless sounds our joints can make. These varied sounds can be caused by a number of different reasons. The fluids in our joints contain a mixture of gases — carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen. When you pop or crack a joint — such as stiff knuckles — you’re releasing these pent-up gases, which makes a popping or cracking noise. If you have an arthritic joint, its cartilage has worn away, causing your bones to grind or...
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Whether you’re an athlete or an amateur, one wrong move can lead to an injury that can put your fitness regimen in timeout. Learn to identify common types of injuries and get tips on how to protect your skeletal framework. According to Harvard University, there are three common types of injuries. Sprains, or ligament injuries, can be as minor as a stretched ligament and as serious as tears in the ligament fibers. Strains are injuries to the muscle and tendonitis is inflammation of the connective tissue ...
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Carpal tunnel syndrome is as misunderstood as it is painful. While many people attribute the cause to long days at a keyboard, its origins are generally more difficult to define. The carpal tunnel is formed by the carpal bones and transverse carpal ligament in the wrist. Within this tunnel are the flexor tendons that move your fingers and thumb and the median nerve, which transmits feeling in the index and long fingers and the underside of the thumb, and also controls the muscles around the thumb’s base...
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The National Center for Health Statistics reports that hip replacements among people ages 45 to 54 have more than doubled from 2000 to 2010. Is this younger, active age group on to something? According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), osteoarthritis is the most common condition that leads to hip replacements. It doesn’t appear that younger adults are experiencing osteoarthritis any more now than in the past. These adults, whose pain may also stem from childhood health conditions o...
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Whether you’re an athlete, a weekend warrior or someone trying to work fitness into your daily routine, you’ve probably dealt with pain at some point. There’s a difference, though, between the good kind of pain you feel after a hard workout and injury pain. If you experience muscle soreness or feel a little stiff a few hours or up to a day after you exercise, that’s normal. It happens when your muscles have worked hard and need time to repair themselves and grow stronger. If it’s during your workout, it...
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Total hip replacement, also known as hip arthroplasty, can be an effective treatment option for patients with unresponsive chronic hip pain. The procedure was first developed in the 1960’s, and now approximately 200,000 hip replacement surgeries take place in the United States each year. The hip is the largest ball-and-socket joint in the body. It plays a key role in mobility, and if it becomes damaged, it can significantly impact quality of life, making it painful or difficult to walk, stand and sit. I...
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From ergonomic keyboards to height-adjustable standing desks, the market is brimming with all kinds of products that promise a more natural posture. While many of these gizmos are helpful, they may not be necessary. A few simple adjustments to your workspace can go a long way in preventing backaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other pitfalls of improper body mechanics. The average U.S. adult spends 13 hours sitting every day, according to a survey by Ergotron. A Mayo Clinic study published in 2014 ...
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For many Americans living with chronic hip pain, a condition called osteoarthritis that softens the movement of the bones against each other is the culprit. For others, pain boils down to the tendons: Either these connective tissues become inflamed or the small structures that pad them, known as bursae, swell. Still other individuals develop long-term pain as a result of injury to a nearby muscle, such as the hamstring. Stretching and strengthening muscles surrounding the hips, including the hamstrings,...
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While grabbing a drink from the fridge, pain shoots up your arm and radiates near your elbow. Why are you experiencing this pain all the time? Tendinitis could be to blame. The tendons in the body serve as a bridge between muscle and bone. Age causes these special tissues to dry out and become less flexible. Coupled with repeated motions, tiny tears can form in the tendons, leading to pain, swelling, inflammation or loss of range of motion. Certain daily activities can overwork specific tendons in your ...
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It’s often forgotten that bones are like muscles in that they can be strengthened with proper diet and exercise. Typically, bones continue to grow and get stronger until you reach your late 20s. By 40, bones may start to slowly deteriorate. If bones weaken too quickly, osteoporosis could result. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 53 million Americans have osteoporosis or are at risk due to low bone mass. Having this disease can drastically increase a person’s chance of fracturing ...
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