20 May 2017 PRIME TIME
Make No Bones About It
Dr. Gerard Muraida
The Doc Is In
Dr Muraida is a Hospice and Palliative Care specialist and is the Senior Medical Director of Gentiva Hospice in Albuquerque, NM.
The arrival of warm weather has many people getting out and working in their yards. As benign of an activity as this may seem, it can be backbreaking work. But there are precautions you can take to avoid injury and strain, and generally maintain good health while getting the benefit of being outdoors and getting some exercise.
• Break large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks completed over a few days’ time.
• Elicit the help of others for lifting or carrying heavy items.
• Keep your back straight when lifting, and use your legs as the primary power source.
• Use gardening stools, knee pads or any other accessory that will protect your joints from hard surfaces.
• Use SPF 30 or higher sunscreen to protect any exposed skin.
• Keep hydrated and take frequent breaks to rest.
• Plan your yard work for the cooler part of the day.
Planning your outside activities carefully may save a lot of misery. To underscore the extent to which back problems impact our population, back pain treatment ranks as the fourth highest medical cost after angina, hypertension and diabetes in the United States.
Many times, determining the cause is difficult. Starting at the top, chronic neck pain affects up to 15 percent of seniors. Most chronic neck pain is musculoskeletal or caused by degenerative disorders. Neck pain with referred pain
to the arm is called radiculopathy. This type of pain may be caused by a herniated disc. There are seven cervical vertebrae with a disc between each vertebrae. The level of the herniation will dictate the affected area of the upper extremity. If there is an acute neck problem or trauma, consult your health care provider.
Low back pain affects 50 percent of adults each year. The good news is that approximately 90 percent of back complaints are selflimited and the symptoms resolve within two weeks. Only about 10 percent of those individuals suffering acute low back may have persistent symptoms. Fewer than 5 percent of these patients will have sciatica, nerve pain running from your buttock down the outside of your leg.
Warning signs that may signal the need for further evaluation include: night pain, back pain in the presence of a known cancer, osteoporosis, loss of bowel or bladder control, and lower extremity muscle weakness.
Reducing risk is key to avoiding back injuries. Cessation of cigarette smoking, minimization of repetitive lifting, and weight loss are helpful in limiting back problems. In general, routine exercise( walking) helps with primary prevention of back ailments. If you already have back pain, consider asking your health care provider about“ back school” for further back safety tips.
Treatment of back pain should always start with a nonpharmacologic regimen. Begin with ice for the first 48 hours, followed by moist heat thereafter. Massage may also help. Therapy should always be customized for each individual case. If needed, nonnarcotic analgesics should be tried first. Tylenol is a good first-line pain reliever. If you need a non-steroidal, such as ibuprofen, keep the dose as low as possible. Be aware that individuals with heart failure or renal disease should take extra precautions with these medications.
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THE HISTORY, ISSUES, AND HUMAN DRAMA THAT SHAPED NEW MEXICO’ S FEDERAL JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
Through the lens of the federal court system, Taming New Mexico canvasses centuries of New Mexico legal history. See how New Mexico transitioned from the Spanish-Mexican rule of law to today’ s American legal system, including the pivotal cases and powerful personalities that shaped and transformed our state’ s legal and cultural landscape. Narrated by Sam Donaldson.
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