April 2004
Ask Dr. Marks: 04/04
Subscribers Only I will soon be in need of a total hip replacement. How do I find the best surgeon—and the best hospital? The choice of a surgeon and hospital is critical to the success of any surgery. In spite of this, the choice is often made in a haphazard way. Patients frequently depend upon recommendations of friends or considerations of convenience when making a decision. …
PT: Self-Directed Wellness
Subscribers Only For those with arthritis, the role of the physical therapist may seem straightforward: Devise a plan to help you hurt less, move more, and function better. But the reality is a bit more complex. Your arthritis is often different from that of others, and the things you want to accomplish, with the help of physical therapy, will vary according to your job and lifestyle. …
Three Pool Moves To Help Your Hip
Subscribers Only Every time you rise from a squatting position or take a step, you place from three to seven times the weight of your body on the bones and muscles of your hip joints. When you perform such motions in a swimming pool, however, the natural buoyancy of the water gently lifts the pressure from those joints while still allowing you to exercise the glutei, abductors, quadriceps, and other hip-related muscles. This is why aching hips…
Sitting Pretty
Subscribers Only Selecting an easy chair isn’t always easy. It’s a personal matter and, as with any important new relationship, it requires a good deal of time and testing before you can be sure that the two of you are truly compatible. To help guide you in your search for a new chair, and ensure that you select one that won’t put undue stress on already sore hips, knees, or wrists, we’ve put together a few basic…
New Knees For Big Benders
Subscribers Only There’s little doubt that total knee replacement (TKR) is the best remedy if you suffer from knee osteoarthritis—more than 300,000 TKRs are performed every year. They are low risk, eliminate pain, increase mobility in 90 percent of those who have the procedure, increase independence, and they last at least 20 years in 80 percent of users. What’s more, the procedure is commonly performed in people over the age of 75. …
In the News: 04/04
Subscribers Only Obesity Not Only Worsens Arthritis, It Can Cause It Most arthritis sufferers are aware that being seriously overweight can put greater pressure on the body’s already painful joints. Now a recent study, published in Statistics Canada’s Health Reports, reveals that being obese increases the odds of contracting arthritis by 60 percent. Says researcher Kathryn Wilkins, “Our data [based on 4,787 participants age 40 or older] support the hypothesis that obesity leads to arthritis—rather than the reverse—by…
RA And Exercise: A Delicate Balance
Subscribers Only Just about everyone—including hundreds of thousands of American adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—can benefit significantly from a well-conceived and properly executed program of physical exercise. All such programs must, of course, be carefully tailored according to an individual’s age, overall health, physical limitations, and other factors that will determine the advisable frequency, intensity, duration, and types of activities comprising the optimal workout agenda. …