PainCare Blog
The Problem of Breast Pain in Women Who Exercise
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS In the days before the London Marathon last year, scientists from the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth in England approached female racers at the event’s registration center and asked them to complete an anonymous questionnaire about their exercise habits and breast health. Gretchen Reynolds on the science of fitness. Marathon, half-marathon, 10K …
Surprise Path to Better Sex: Hip Surgery
Surprise Path to Better Sex: Hip Surgery By TARA PARKER-POPE Want better sex? Consider getting a new hip or knee. Before Mary Ann Oklesson, a Manhattan magazine publisher, had both hips replaced a few years ago, the pain of arthritis made it difficult to walk, exercise or even climb into a taxi. Her failing hips had also taken a toll on her sex …
Ask Well: Exercises for Shoulder Pain
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS What are some exercises and tips for those of us with shoulder (rotator cuff) injuries and pain? It seems to be very common. You are certainly right that sore shoulders are common, especially as a person ages. About half of all middle-aged tennis players suffer from shoulder pain, according to a 2012 study in The British Journal of Sports …
Fear of Falling
By HARLEY A. ROTBART, M.D. Courtesy of Harley A. Rotbart, M.D.The keeper of the “flog” (fall log) and his subject. My 84-year-old father-in-law is a “flogger.” That’s the moniker his son gave him because Dad keeps a written record of every fall my 83-year-old mother-in-law takes. She has Parkinson’s disease, and the “flog” (fall log) of her spills has …
The Boy With a Thorn in His Joints
By SUSANNAH MEADOWS When my son, Shepherd, was 3 years old, he and his twin brother, Beau, took soccer lessons for the first time. They were so excited that they slept in their uniforms — a purple T-shirt with a yellow star kicking the ball with one of its points — the night before their first practice. But when …
Ask Well: Squats for Aging Knees
Ask Well: Squats for Aging Knees By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS Ask Well I’m looking for exercises to strengthen aging knees. I’m in my late 60s, and I take part in dancing, weightlifting and yoga. All this makes me feel good, gives me plenty of energy and helps me control my weight. But my knees hurt enough to make me wonder how …
Get Up. Get Out. Don’t Sit.
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS Just as we were all settling in front of the television to watch the baseball playoffs, two new studies about the perils of sitting have spoiled our viewing pleasure. The research, published in separate medical journals this month, adds to a growing scientific consensus that the more time someone spends sitting, especially in front of the television, …
Redefining Medicine With Apps and iPads
By KATIE HAFNER SAN FRANCISCO — Dr. Alvin Rajkomar was doing rounds with his team at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center when he came upon a puzzling case: a frail, elderly patient with a dangerously low sodium level. As a third-year resident in internal medicine, Dr. Rajkomar was the senior member of the team, and the …
A Cancer Patient’s Best Friend
By SULEIKA JAOUAD When I was growing up, my dream was to one day become a veterinarian. In fourth and fifth grade, I volunteered every day after school at a veterinarian’s clinic. I didn’t view it as an “internship” — in my mind, I was apprenticing for a certain future in the field. When I was 10, I asked …
Relief for Joints Besieged by Arthritis
By JANE E. BRODY If you live long enough — that is, beyond 50 or 60 — chances are one or more of your joints, probably your knees or hips, will become arthritic. And if pain or stiffness begin to seriously limit your ability to enjoy life and perform routine tasks, chances are you’ll consider replacing the troublesome joint. “People …