During the past half-century, tremendous research has focused on understanding the causes of age-related declines and the reversing effects of exercise. Researchers suggest that about a third of the negative effects of aging is due to genetics; the remaining 60 to 70 percent is dictated by behavior.


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Hip injuries, then, can slow us down to the point of frustration. Let’s go through a quick rundown of common hip injuries in order to understand and demystify some of the strains and sprains before they turn into chronic conditions.

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If you have ever pulled one, you need to read this; even if you haven’t, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Lower extremity muscle strains are a very common injury in an active population. Acute trauma that causes a muscle to tear can occur during activities like sprinting.

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There’s nothing worse than showing up stiff and sore to the office or passing on the weekend golf game on account of your back—nothing worse, that is, than knowing your injury was preventable.

The good news is that protecting your back doesn’t require an extensive knowledge of yoga or Pilates. Prevention takes strong core muscles and simple back stretches that incorporate more than just bending and twisting.

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The warmth of spring is upon us, and once again it’s time to start gearing up for a refreshing change to the winter routines that have kept us cooped up with muscles creaking. But even if you managed to remain active through trips to the gym, the prospect of getting outside and in the sun offers a range of new exercises that require preparation and training.

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Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) is an emerging FDA approved treatment that allows for accelerated healing of tendon, muscle and cartilage injuries and conditions. It has been used extensively in professional athletes over the past several years, and was reported on by the New York Times on February 17, 2009.

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“Skier’s thumb” represents an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of the thumb. As the eponym implies, it can be secondary to a fall while skiing, when the thumb is forcibly radial deviated when the hand is caught in a ski pole.

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Maintaining adequate hydration is often a challenge when the temperature rises. The old adage ” 8×8″ (8x 8oz glasses of water daily) is not the most accurate way to determine and meet YOUR daily fluid needs.

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“A-Rod” isn’t the only one with hip pain. Many athletes, dancers, weekend warriors and non-athletes can suffer with pain in the hip from a tear of the labrum. The labrum is a ring of cartilage circling the hip socket and aids in stability and reducing the stresses across the hip joint.

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You may already know that the American Heart Association recommends eating fish, particularly fatty fish, at least two times per week (3.5oz per serving) due to their high content of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to help reduce triglyceride levels and heart disease.

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Are you confused about whether or not to snack during your busy day? Have you tried to eat “3 square” (meals) and no snacks in order to drop a few unwanted pounds, only to find you are ravenous come dinnertime and eat more than you had planned? Are you looking for fun, easy, snack ideas you can take with you on the go? If so, you are certainly not alone.

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Two dilemmas facing hip surgeons in treating young, active patients with severe hip arthritis are: when is the appropriate time to have a hip replacement and what type of implant should be used. Traditional thinking recommends postponing hip replacement surgery for as long as possible since older patients are less abusive to their implants and tend to have greater implant longevity.

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Frozen shoulder is a bit of a mystery in the medical world. Essentially a patient develops stiffness of their shoulder without an inciting event. They just wake up one day with severely limited motion and pain. Patients have difficulty with some of the basic activities of daily living such as tucking in their shirt, fastening a bra, combing their hair and others.

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How is your tennis backhand these days? Any pain around the elbow? Maybe you don’t play tennis but have been having this nagging pain when shaking hands or lifting a carton of milk out of the fridge! If that is the case it could be a case of Tennis elbow or Lateral epicondylitis.

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Rotator cuff tendon injury is a spectrum of disorders ranging from simple inflammation of the bursa (fluid sac that helps gliding between surfaces), degeneration/breakdown of the tendons, partial tears, complete tears of the rotator cuff tendon, and finally rotator cuff arthropathy (development of shoulder arthritis as a result of long standing rotator cuff tendon tears). We will focus on complete rotator tendon tears in this discussion.

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Why did it happen to me? How could the activity that I love to do so much cause me so much discomfort! You are not alone. Injuries to the knee are very common in competitive and recreational athletes. They can occur from trauma, a fall or a twist as well as from overuse, including activities like running. The knee and its internal structures are made up mostly of collagen, a strong string like fibrous material. High-energy forces can cause this collagen to tear or break. Overuse can cause progressive microscopic tearing of the tissue, which can ultimately lead to failure and cause pain.

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Injuries to the hip from running can be very common. The repetitive stresses placed on your hip joint can cause strains to the tissues around the joint including the capsule or labrum, muscles in the groin, hamstring and lateral hip stabilizers, and bone. Soft tissue injuries usually get better with activity modification, stretching, strengthening and a lot of tender loving care. It is the injuries to the bone that are more difficult to manage.

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Ever woken up, got out of bed and felt like you were 90 years old? Where did that pain in your heel and foot come from? Yesterday’s workout was no different than before. You walked with your kids all day but that was easy. Maybe the new shoes that you bought last week did something. Don’t despair you are not alone. I too lived and conquered this foe. This is how it all starts. Overuse injuries occur not from one single event but from a series of overload stresses to our tissues. Collagen, which is the major constituent of our tendons, ligaments, and fascial tissues, fails under this type of stress. The dreaded injury called, Plantar Fasciitis is one such condition that affects all too many people. Plantar fasciitis or heel pain can be the bane of ones active existence.

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Now that the long season is over and the aches and pain of endurance training are behind us; there is no better time for healing and recovery of nagging injuries. For some the morning darkness and cold weather settle in and we find comfort in turning over in bed and missing a work out. For most of us, though, there is relief that the pressure of hard hours of training are behind us. Our bodies tend to crave this time and desperately need it to heal some of the ravages of training.

Our bodies are like machines; they work well but need constant care. As we get older, and our warranty starts to expire the process of care and maintenance requires more attention. Unfortunately there are no extended warranties available. Rest and recovery through proper training and rehabilitation is how we get better.

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