Year: 2022

Every woman desires a healthy pregnancy since it is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth. You can improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy by getting early and regular prenatal care. While most people start their prenatal appointments during pregnancy, this care can begin before planning to conceive. During pregnancy, your body undergoes various changes, hence why pregnancy care Houston is vital during and after pregnancy.

Here are reasons why prenatal care is crucial.

Your health depends on it.

Prenatal care is vital for your health and that of your growing baby. While most pregnancies proceed without complications because it is natural for women to conceive and give birth, prenatal visits will detect any potential health concerns. For example, your healthcare provider may test blood glucose levels to ensure they are within a normal range.

If you have gestational diabetes, they may recommend lifestyle adjustments such as exercising and eating healthy foods to reduce your blood sugar. Sometimes they may also prescribe medications when lifestyle changes alone are not effective. When left unresolved, gestational diabetes can cause complications like preterm birth or stillbirth. Other potential problems detected during a prenatal visit include anemia and preeclampsia.

Tracks your baby’s growth and development

The growth and development of your child is a significant indicator of how they are doing there. During your prenatal appointment, your doctor measures your belly from the sternum to the top of your pubic bone to estimate the bay’s growth. Later in the pregnancy, your doctor may perform an ultrasound to check your baby’s development. An ultrasound may also be used to determine the baby’s gender, but specialists caution against ultrasound use during pregnancy for non-medical reasons.

Get nutritional information

During pregnancy, various changes occur in your body, so you may need to adjust some things. For example, your healthcare provider may recommend diet changes so that your baby’s nutritional needs are met. Your doctor will share specific information about your recommended dietary intake during the gestational period, including what you should and shouldn’t eat. Here is also when your provider demystifies some pregnancy myths. For example, contrary to popular belief, pregnancy doesn’t mean you should double your meal portions. You only need about 350 extra calories for a single child per day. You learn about all this information and more during your prenatal appointments.

Schedule necessary testing

Your doctor may recommend various tests depending on your age, medical history, and family history. For example, if genetic abnormalities run in your family, your provider may recommend an amniocentesis test during the second trimester. The test is predominantly used to check for abnormalities, including Down syndrome. It also determines your baby’s health if it has a different blood type than you. The same test can also be used to verify the maturity of the baby’s lungs. Your doctor may recommend other tests depending on your medical history.

Prepare for labor and delivery.

Creating your labor and delivery plan is mainly up to you and your partner, but how well you out the program depends on your knowledge. Your prenatal visits offer a chance to ask your doctor questions you may have about labor and delivery.

If you are pregnant or planning to get a baby, visit your doctor at Body Balance Chiropractic & Wellness Center for pregnancy care to ensure you enjoy a healthy pregnancy.

Knee pain is a common problem that has various causes. For example, you may experience sudden knee pain after an injury, or the pain may develop gradually due to arthritis. Regardless of the reason, knee pain can affect your overall productivity since it limits you from engaging in physical activities, including walking. Most of the time, knee pain improves with conservative treatment, including medications. However, your provider may recommend surgery if you have moderate to severe knee pain that doesn’t improve with nonsurgical treatment. Thanks to Falls pediatric care, children can also benefit from knee surgery. If you or your child has been scheduled for knee surgery, below are questions to ask your surgeon.

What type of surgery do I need?

There are various types of knee surgery, including knee arthroscopy, cartilage repair and restoration, knee osteotomy surgery, partial knee replacement, and total knee replacement. The procedure your surgeon recommends depends on different factors, such as your age, the extent of knee damage, and your overall health condition. Surgeons often recommend total knee replacement since it has the highest success rate.

What is the typical outcome?

Before undergoing surgery, it is essential that you have accurate expectations about what the procedure can accomplish. For example, depending on the reason for surgery, your pain could reduce or entirely go away after the procedure. You also want to know whether you will regain full or partial knee function and if you can resume certain activities and sports.

What are the possible risks and complications?

All surgical procedures carry risks, and knee surgery is no exception. Understanding the potential risks and complications is not meant to scare you but help you make an informed decision. Although complication rates for knee surgery are low, it is still essential to discuss with your surgeon the risk of infection, blood clots, and damage to surrounding tissue. You can also find your surgeon’s or health care facility’s complication rates.

As a basic rule, the more experienced your surgeon is with a particular procedure, the better the odds for a good outcome. You are also more likely to have better results when you choose a health facility that performs high-volume joint replacement procedures.

How much pain will I experience after surgery?

Everyone associates surgery with pain, so it is normal for anyone to want to know how painful it can get. Knowing the pain intensity to expect can help ease your anxiety during the first few days after surgery when discomfort levels are likely to peak. Your surgical team will tell you the medications to take to alleviate pain and swelling. The medicines you require and how long to take depend on your surgery and unique health needs.

How long does it take to recover?

Recovery timelines vary depending on your pre-surgery health and fitness and your surgery. For example, a minimally invasive procedure like arthroscopic knee surgery requires about six to eight weeks before a person is fully healed. On the other hand, if you have had a total knee replacement, full recovery takes longer, but you may resume your daily routine at six to eight weeks.

If you are scheduled for knee surgery, visit your specialist at Mitchell Hip and Knee to discuss these and other questions you may have.

Generally, the shoulder joint is one of the most active joints in the body. It enables you to perform most activities, including writing, cleaning, sewing, and cooking, among many others. As a result, the joint is also prone to many injuries that might cause pain. Any trauma, disease, or overuse of the shoulder joint can lead to shoulder pain, making it quite challenging to lift something using your hand. Hence, you are encouraged to consult your physician for early diagnosis and treatment when you begin experiencing any discomfort or pain in your shoulder joint that has lasted for days or weeks despite using some home remedies. Therefore, if you are experiencing shoulder pain and seek relief, orthopaedic shoulder surgeon Leawood has you covered.. Hence, if you are interested in learning more about shoulder pain, read on.

What causes shoulder pain?

Sudden or acute shoulder pain is primarily due to trauma. However, auto accidents, sports injuries, and falls are common causes of shoulder pain. Typically, the shoulder joint comprises a socket on the shoulder blade and a ball-shaped bone at the top of the upper, making the shoulder a ball and socket joint just like your hip joint. And in serious cases, the joint can dislocate, causing the ball to slide out of the socket, causing the labrum, cartilage that holds the ball in the socket, to tear. The rotator cuff muscles and tendons might also be injured.

Similarly, any break or crack of either of the bones forming the shoulder joint can result in sudden or severe shoulder pain. Of importance to notice is that shoulder pain secondary to overuse often develops slowly, whereby repeated movements of your shoulder lead to soft tissue tear, which worsens with time. And at the end, you develop conditions like tendonitis; the tendon inflammation found at the shoulder joint. Other conditions like shoulder joint arthritis often cause chronic pain. The common type of arthritis affecting the shoulder is osteoarthritis.

How can you treat shoulder pain?

Usually, severe injuries such as dislocations and fractures require urgent treatment, which might be surgery. However, most health care providers prefer treating most causes of your shoulder pain using less invasive treatment methods. They also create a customized treatment plan for you to cater to all your needs. Examples of the treatment options available for shoulder pain include pain medication, physical therapy, wearing a brace or sling, steroid injections, change of activities or rest, muscle relaxants, stem cell injections, or nerve blocks. Other treatment options available include platelet-rich plasma and hyaluronic acid injections. All the above treatments are effective in alleviating pain. But if you have a condition like arthritis that does not have a cure, the treatment given provides symptomatic relief.

But if you are experiencing severe pain and an inability to function appropriately, surgery is the best solution to your problem. Therefore, if you are experiencing shoulder pain and seek diagnosis and treatment, you can start by scheduling your appointment online at Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance today.

Whether you are an athlete or you lead an active lifestyle, you might have experienced a knee injury at a certain point. If you experience a dislocation or fracture, you can visit your orthopedic sports medicine surgeon Buford, GA, for evaluation and treatment. Treatment options will differ according to the injury type.

Types of knee injuries

 According to the knee anatomy, you can experience an injury to the bones, cartilage, tendons, or ligaments. If any of the mentioned parts are affected, you might experience different symptoms usually accompanied by pain.

The following are common knee injuries:

Dislocation

Different bones at the knee joint enable the knee to bend or straighten. If any bones slip out of the alignment, specialists point toward bone dislocation at the knee cap. The dislocation hinders movement and can be quite painful for the patient.

The main causes of dislocation include contact sports and impact trauma from a car accident or a fall. To avoid knee dislocation in sports, sports medicine specialists recommend protective gear.

Fractures

If the bones in the kneecap or around the knee are broken due to an intensive force, you might experience a knee fracture. One of the bones affected by high-impact trauma is the kneecap or patella.

The kneecap is located at the front of the knee and can receive a direct hit from a ball or baseball bat during contact sports. The fractures can be closed or open. Closed fractures mean no visible bone piercing the skin, while open fractures will have bones piercing the skin.

Another type of kneecap fracture might show a broken kneecap with all bones intact, while the opposite can be a broken kneecap with displaced bones. These different types of kneecap fractures require tailored and personalized treatments.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis usually occurs in athletes who incorporate jumping into their daily routine like runners. It occurs when the tendons that connect the shinbone to the kneecap are injured. The injury causes pain and tenderness around the joint.

Bursitis

The knee has fluid-filled sacs called bursae which enable smooth movement of knee joints, tendons, and ligaments. The bursae avoid the bones and joints crashing into each other. Due to repetitive movements or overuse of the knee, the bursae can swell due to inflammation.

While your specialist can recommend rest, you can receive a prescription for antibiotics according to your case.

Treatment options

Different treatment options vary depending on the type and severity of the knee injury. Treatment for a strain will vary from a fractured knee. While rest is highly recommended for most minor injuries, severe injuries call for more dramatic treatment options.

Depending on your knee injury, your sports medicine specialist will offer the following types of treatment:

•         Physical therapy
•         Medications for pain and inflammation
•         Rest
•         Surgery

After recovering from surgery, you can undergo physical therapy to restore movement and strength to your knee.

Sports medicine specialists at Team Fisher Orthopedics can help you identify your knee injury and offer suitable treatment options. Call or schedule an appointment online to restore your knee’s movement and strength.

In most cases, a vascular disease does not present with obvious symptoms, thus requiring serious assessment and investigations to confirm the diagnosis. It is hard to diagnose a vascular disease from symptoms because the symptoms affect other body parts, which are hard to relate to a vascular problem. For instance, when you are hypertensive, you experience shortness of breath, swelling of extremities, and headaches, among other symptoms. And if you are experiencing unexplained symptoms, you are advised to seek medical help before serious complications arise. Therefore, if you suspect that you might have a vascular condition and seek help, a vein specialist Scottsdale, AZ, provides a solution to all your concerns. They offer diagnostic and treatment services to ensure you receive the best care. Read on to understand more about vascular disease.

What is vascular disease?

Generally, the vascular system is responsible for transporting blood in your entire body. The vascular system is composed of veins, arteries, and capillaries. These blood vessels play an essential role in your general health and wellbeing. But you get a vascular condition when there is a problem with these blood vessels. And since most people do not take their vascular health seriously, such concerns develop and progress without being noticed because they do not show clear indications. Even though some vascular conditions only cause aesthetic concerns, others can cause severe and life-threatening conditions. Routine physicals are encouraged because they help you understand your risk for vascular conditions. Vasculitis, varicose veins, blood clots, spider veins, aneurysms, coronary artery disease, and atherosclerosis are examples of vascular diseases.

And of importance to note is that vascular conditions linked to your heart’s health require a different approach than those affecting your peripheral vascular system. Therefore, you should consult your physician because they offer diagnostic and treatment services for vascular conditions such as spider veins, varicose veins, and vasculitis.

How does vascular disease develop?

Several factors can cause vascular disease, including injury, genetic predisposition, certain medications, certain health conditions such as hypertension and high cholesterol, and infection. Some of the above factors can be controlled, while others cannot be controlled. Therefore, taking a proactive approach to your vascular health helps prevent serious complications.

How can you prevent vascular disease?

Taking a few steps to reduce your risk of developing a vascular disease is essential in preventing various circulatory concerns. Some easy ways to lower your risk level include improving your diet, keeping your cholesterol checked, quitting smoking, maintaining healthy blood pressure reading, avoiding long periods of standing or sitting, controlling your blood sugar levels, and getting plenty of exercise. You can, therefore, reduce your risk of vascular disease by incorporating the above changes, thus improving your overall health and wellness. Doing so also enables you to feel and function at optimal levels, thus improving your quality of life.

Therefore, vascular disease can cause serious and life-threatening conditions if not diagnosed and treated early. Therefore, if you are experiencing any unexplained symptoms that you suspect might be due to a vascular condition and seek diagnosis and treatment, you can get started by calling Scottsdale Vascular Clinic today.