Educational health information to improve your well-being.
Posts in Joint
How to Take Better Care of Your Joints
July 20, 2020
From the time we get out of bed in the morning to the time we go to bed, our joints are working hard to give us freedom, flexibility, and movement. Joints occur where two bones meet. Without our joints, we would be completely immobilized. Like the shocks in a car or the ball bearings in a piece of equipment, our joints suffer wear and tear as we age. Our joints have a lot to do with our quality of life. So, how do we keep our joints healthy as we age? Let’s take a look at some practical ways to protect joint health. Ditch the Cigarettes Not only does smoking cigarettes cause a myriad of...Continue Reading
Surprising Facts About Arthritis
May 9, 2019
May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis is a condition that impacts more than 50 million Americans every year. But even still, misconceptions and myths remain. Today, we wanted to highlight 23 facts about arthritis that may surprise you. Arthritis is a blanket term. There are more than 100 types of arthritis. There is no cure for arthritis . About 1 in 4 adults in the US have some form of the condition. That’s about 54 million people. Sixty percent of US adults with arthritis are of working age (18 to 64). The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis , which causes pain...Continue Reading
Managing Chronic Pain Without Opioids
October 15, 2017
Nearly one in five adults experiences chronic pain that interferes with their daily activities. For many years, opioids have been used to treat chronic pain. However, in most cases, opioids are a poor choice for treating long-term pain. Tolerance and an opioid abuse epidemic are causing people to look for other options for treating chronic pain.Continue Reading
Go the Distance with Hydration
August 31, 2017
Harrowing tales of being lost at sea have always captured our imaginations. Who can forget Tom Hank's portrayal of a shipwreck survivor in the movie Castaway? In all these tales, finding water is a vital, primal need that makes the difference between life and death. In fact, water is more important than food in a survival situation. Your body is unable to function long without it. The human body is 65% water. Your brain is around 70% water, and your lungs are nearly 90% water. For proper body function, you need to replace about 2.5 quarts each day by consuming food and liquids. Hopefully,...Continue Reading
In Synch with Helping Others: Joint Center Volunteer Andy Norris
April 21, 2017
For the past two years, Andy Norris, a "retired" pharmacist who works full-time, has spent every other Wednesday at Augusta Health's Joint Center. His joints are doing OK; he's there for another reason. Andy is a volunteer, working side-by-side with the therapy staff to help patients with the exercises that will get them back to living full lives as quickly as possible. Andy works regularly with Judy Knick, PTA; Michelle Cupp, PTA; and Brad Gray, Physical Therapy Technician. He is considered part of the team, and the team is a well-oiled machine. In group therapy, as the patients progress...Continue Reading
Five Star Quality: The Augusta Health Joint Center
March 31, 2017
When talking about the quality of movies, restaurants or hotels, a five-star rating indicates top-notch performance and service. A similar rating system exists for healthcare, and the Augusta Health Joint Center has been rated a 5-Star program by HealthGrades for both 2016 and 2017 in Joint Replacement (hip and knee). This 5-Star rating means there were superior outcomes for patients who had their hips or knees replaced at Augusta Health. That means fewer complications, a shorter length of stay, and a high number of patients discharging to their homes, not other facilities. In fact, in the...Continue Reading
Doubling Down on Knee Replacement: Augusta Health Joint Center Patient
March 29, 2017
When faced with the need to have both of his knees replaced, Tom Glover of Augusta County went with an efficient strategy with a kind of 'get 'er done' attitude: He had both replaced at the same time. "I knew both knees needed to be done," explained Mr. Glover. "I'm basically healthy, but my knee pain was pretty constant, I was bowlegged and I'd even shrunk a bit. But it just seemed that we were always busy, and it was never the right time. I like to hunt in the fall and garden in the summer. Our eight grandchildren have many activities, and we like to be a part of all that. It just seemed...Continue Reading
Shooting from the Hip: A Patient at Augusta Health's Joint Center
March 21, 2017
One month after having her hip replaced at Augusta Health’s Joint Center, Cathy Crist shoveled snow. But she had already resumed some of her regular activities on a more limited basis: she'd already walked a mile and done some gentle yoga. Crist, who lives in New Market, explained, "I'm really an active person. I golf and swim, bike and hike. But when my hip deteriorated to the point that I couldn't walk up a hill or stairs without chronic pain, I knew I needed more than the cortisone injections I'd been taking. Two of my cousins had joint replacements at Augusta Health, so I knew first-hand...Continue Reading
How High Heels are Affecting More Than Just Your Feet
March 2, 2017
Those stylish 4-inch heels you handpicked to set off your dress at your next social gathering will have a lasting impact long after people have forgotten your stunning outfit. You already know how your feet ache after a long night in high heels, but you may not be aware of the other ways in which you're impacting your health. Why High Heels Cause So Many Problems When you wear high heels you are repositioning your body's posture to mimic what it's like to walk down a steep hill, causing several key changes: Down force is placed on the balls of your feet instead of being evenly distributed...Continue Reading
Orthopedics 101: Osteoarthritis of the Knee
February 24, 2017
There are a number of different injuries and ailments that can lead to knee pain and, for the majority of them, ignoring the pain is not going to make it go away. In fact, if you're suffering from a degenerative disease like osteoarthritis of the knee, your pain will continually get worse the longer you put off treatment. Identifying and treating osteoarthritis early on is key to getting back to your active lifestyle. What is Osteoarthritis of the Knee? Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disease caused by the natural wear-and-tear of the cushioning between your knee joints as the...Continue Reading