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If you have stiff, achy joints from arthritis, you may look at photographs of people doing...

When you think of a person with osteoporosis the image that most likely comes to mind...

When pain from severe hip osteoarthritis can no longer be adequately controlled and you arent able to function normally, it may make sense to opt for hip replacement surgery. When this time comes, you will probably have many questions. For example, what exactly will the new hip be made of, and how long will it last?

Q: Ive been taking alendronate (Fosamax) for osteoporosis for four years. Do I need to stop? If so, for how long?A: The drug you are taking is a type of drug called a bisphosphonate. There are three other drugs in this class, which are all used for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. They are risedronate (Actonel), ibandronate (Boniva) and zoledronic acid (Reclast).

Can pain and numbness in your wrist and hand from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) be a sign that you could develop heart failure? Research suggests that it may. This is because in some cases, CTS and heart failure share an underlying cause, and it tends to show up earlier in the wrist than in the heart.

Skiing may be largely a younger persons sport, but up to 18% of skiers are over age 55. And the number of older ski-ers is growing. If you are a mature skier, but aches and pains of arthritis are getting in the way, you dont have to abandon the slopes. And if you have had hip or knee replacement surgery, you should be able to return to skiing, but with some cautions.

If you have osteoarthritis and you are looking for an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain relief, consider curcumin.

Middle- and older-age women who engage in even a moderate amount of physical activity can lower their chances of suffering a hip fracture, according to the findings of a study published in JAMA Network Open (October 2019). The study included over 77,000 women ages 50 to 79 when the study began in the 1990s. The women reported the amount of time they spent being physically active and the amount of time being sedentary.

If you fall onto your shoulder or your arm gets yanked too hard, you can dislocate a shoulder. Its usually painful, and you may notice that your arm is out of place. How a shoulder dislocation is treated and how urgently you need to seek treatment will depend on what happens when the ball pops out of the socket.

Statins are commonly-used drugs to lower cholesterol. Some studies have found that these drugs may also have a positive effect on bones. According to a recent study, the effect may depend on the dose. The study, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (September 2019), examined the relationship between statins and the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. Researchers analyzed health data on 353,502 people who took statins, 11,701 of whom were diagnosed with osteoporosis. They were compared with over 7 million people who did not take statins. Overall, those who took statins were more likely than nonusers to have osteoporosis. However, the effect depended on the dose. Those who took a low statin dose of 10 milligrams (mg) a day actually had up to a 60% reduced risk of osteoporosis. Taking 40 mg or more of simvastatin or 20 mg or more of atorvastatin or rosuvastatin increased risk.

Core exercises are the starting point of overall fitness because you need to hold those muscles engaged while you strengthen other muscles, such as the biceps in the arms or the quadriceps in the legs. Smith suggests setting short-term goals (for about a month) and then more long-term goals. Once you have achieved short-term goals, such as getting around more easily, add other types of weight-training or resistance exercises to build muscleelsewhere.