TWO FREQUENT FALL COMPLAINTS
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If the pain is getting worse or lasting a longtime, you
should see a doctor, according to James A. Nicholas, M.D.,
director of the Department of Orthopedics at Lenox Hill
Hospital in New York City. Dr. Nicholas notes that
tendinitis can have many origins, some more serious than
others: "It could be caused by injury, by gout, by
rheumatoid arthritis, or by certain metabolic disorders."
RELATED CONTENT
Broken Bones
The most important thing you should know about broken bones
is that they require immediate medical attention. If you
even suspect a fracture, have a doctor check it out.
Otherwise, you may further damage the broken bone. There's
also risk of infection and delayed healing.
BROKEN BONE
Sir Isaac Newton may well have figured out why apples fall
down and not up, but the rest of us have known the hard
truths about gravity ever since the first person hit the
ground. With 208 bones in the human body, there's
tremendous potential for breakage. If you're on the mend
from such a fracture, there are many ways you can speed
healing and make yourself more comfortable.
Butt out
Smoking can delay the healing of bones — it can take
up to five months longer for serious fractures and less for
minor breaks, says orthopedic surgeon George Cierny III,
M.D., of Atlanta. He has shown experimentally that nicotine
and other substances in cigarette smoke reduce the amount
of oxygen reaching bone tissue, causing the delay in
healing. So if you're a smoker, expect a
longer-than-average healing time.
Watch what you drink
It's still unknown what effect alcohol and caffeine have on
healing, but researchers know that people who consume
beverages containing these two substances are more likely
to endure fractures. That's because caffeine and alcohol
affect bone mass and interfere with calcium absorption,
which builds stronger bones.
"In our study, there was an increased risk of getting
fractures in those who drank more than four cups of coffee
daily or about two glasses of alcohol — wine, beer,
or a highball," says Graham A. Colditz, M.D., a researcher
at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
