Still Active Over Age 40? 5 Tips to Prevent Injuries and Chronic Pain

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As you age, you suffer more injuries, aches, and pains. Staying active helps keep your body strong and injury-free. But if you don’t take steps to do it safely, it can also be a source of injuries and pain.

Below are some tips for avoiding common injuries and chronic pain in five vulnerable areas of the body.

1. Lower Back

Potential Injury: Running, jumping, falling, lifting, crouching, and other physical demands of sports can easily overextend the spine and injure the lower back. Exercises that strengthen the core can prevent lower back pain.

Sitting too much can decondition the abdominal and gluteal muscles, putting added pressure on the spinal column.

Prevention: Carefully performed yoga and abdominal exercises can build up the abs and strengthen the lower back.

Before playing sports, do stretches such as the child’s pose, knee-to-chest, and piriformis to loosen the lower back. Stretching the lower back helps prevent strain.

2. Kneecap (meniscus)

Potential injury: As people age, injured and achy knees resulting from wear and tear on the meniscus, the main ligament in the knee located under the kneecap, is more common.

Age-related tissue degeneration, such as cartilage breakdown resulting from fluid loss, increases the risk of meniscus strains and tears.

Prevention: Weight-bearing exercises using technically-sound exercise form strengthens the knee area and decrease the risk of injury.

3. Rotator Cuff

Potential injury: The most injury-prone area in the shoulder is the group of muscles and tendons known as the rotator cuff.

Rotator cuff tendonitis is common. It occurs when the muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff become inflamed from overuse.

Though not as common, rotator cuff tears are more severe injuries than tendonitis and may require surgery to repair.

Prevention: Stretching exercises with and without resistance bands help to add flexibility and strength. Weight-bearing exercises build muscle but also come with injury risk.

Practicing correct form and having sufficient recovery time between training sessions lowers injury risk.

4. Hamstring

Potential injury: The dreaded pulled and torn hamstring. Aging weekend and seasonal athletes know all about it.

Preventing it: Taking time to warm up and stretch the legs and hamstrings before participating in sports will reduce the risk of hamstring pulls and tears.

Strength training exercises like squats and lunges performed with correct form and plenty of rest in-between training sessions will also help prevent injury.

5. Elbow

Potential injury: Tennis elbow, or elbow tendinitis, is characterized by burning pain in the elbow joint and weakened grip strength. It’s a common condition that affects non-tennis players, too.

Performing any repetitive motion long enough, such as throwing a football, propelling forward with ski polls, or using a computer mouse, can cause it.

Prevention: Avoid making repetitive hand and arm movements, if possible. To relieve strain on the shoulder muscles, use the elbow and forearm tendons whenever possible.

 

Texas Pain Physicians Treatment

Are you an injured, 40+ weekend or seasonal athlete?

Whether it’s sore knees, achy tennis elbow, or a torn meniscus, our board-certified pain management doctors will work out a treatment plan tailored to you.

Give us a call at (972) 636-5727 or book an appointment online today!

Woman suffering from Migraine

Migraines Cancelling Your Schedule? Here Are 5 Ways To Get Back On Track

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You reach out for the wall to steady yourself. Stars chase each other across your field of vision.

It’s another migraine attack.

Migraine Facts

Throbbing pain from migraines can be debilitating. About 12% of Americans suffer from migraine headaches.

Migraine triggers include:

  • emotional stress
  • missed meals
  • caffeine reaction to chemicals and preservatives in food
  • frequent use of pain-relieving medication
  • light
  • hormonal changes in women.

Though they can strike at any time, migraines most often occur at a rate of 2-4 per month.

Steps you can take to manage your migraines:

 

1. See a specialist.

See a doctor as soon as possible when you first experience migraine symptoms. Your primary care physician can diagnose migraines and start treatment.

Sometimes primary care physicians will recommend a neurologist or “headache doctor.”

The primary care physician or neurologist will help you develop a treatment plan and prescribe abortive and preventative medications.

2. Practice sleep hygiene.

Most people need at least eight hours of sleep. Try to get enough sleep, go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every day. Turn off the TV and electronic devices with screens an hour before bed.

3. Change your diet.

Work with a nutritionist or doctor to identify foods that contribute to or trigger your migraines. Keeping a record of what you eat and drink can help identify the problematic foods.

Though one size does not fit all, keeping regular mealtimes, and maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, can decrease the chance of a migraine attack.

4. Keep a migraine journal.

Keep track of the details of your migraine attacks, such as:

  • date and time migraine started
  • all the migraine phases and their duration
  • detailed symptoms
  • quality of sleep the night before the migraine attack
  • diet details (any missed meals or foods that may have triggered it)
  • pain description and rating from 1 to 10
  • pain location (jaw, side of the head, eye)
  • list of medications (daily and non-routine)
  • describe treatment (of migraine), including dosage, frequency, and whether it worked

5. Exercise regularly.

Regular exercise is one of the keys to keeping a healthy diet and sleep schedule. Exercising outside is more effective in regulating sleep and eating rhythms.

 

Migraine Treatment at Texas Pain Physicians

Are you dealing with the pain of a migraine attack? Are you worried about your next migraine attack? Do you have undiagnosed migraine symptoms?

Our board-certified pain management specialists can get you on a treatment plan tailored to your condition and lifestyle.

Give us a call at (972) 636-5727 or book an appointment online today!

Knee Pain Recovery

6 Ways to Lessen the Pain and Recovery Time after Knee Surgery

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Facing normal post-op pain from major knee surgeries such as ACL repair, meniscus repair, and knee replacement can be intimidating.

But you can cut back on the knee pain and recovery time.

Here are some tips to help you put your best foot (or knee) forward.

1. Take care of the wound.

When in bed or sitting, elevate your leg to improve blood circulation.

Also, follow the doctor’s instructions on keeping the wound clean and dry and apply ice packs or cold or heated compresses as directed.

2. Stick to the rehab program.

Keeping up with the rehab plan laid out by your physical therapist or doctor is vital.

The initial days following your knee surgery will involve a lot of rest. However, your therapist will likely emphasize that a little physical activity is much better than none.

Shift positions in bed every hour or two. If needed, use a cane or crutches to walk around some. Moving will circulate blood through the wounded area, speed recovery, and reduce the time you are in pain.

Your doctor will clear you to exercise after the initial recovery phase. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have pain. But low impact activities like walking, swimming, and stationary biking will strengthen your legs and promote faster healing.

3. Avoid setbacks.

Your doctor and physical therapist will probably warn you about exerting yourself too hard soon after knee surgery.

Lifting and moving heavy objects, heavy weightlifting, and too much exercise can reinjure your tender knee.

4. Build a healthier lifestyle.

Rehabbing after surgery is a golden opportunity to form and reinforce good habits.

  • Eat better. Try to cut back on or eliminate poor eating habits. Extra body weight puts extra pressure on your knees.
  • Stop drinking. Alcohol adds calories to your diet and can be dangerous when consumed with pain medications such as opioids and NSAIDs.
  • Stop smoking. In addition to its well-known health hazards, smoking slows the healing process by shrinking blood vessels.

Taking better care of yourself will promote faster healing.

5. Take medication.

Immediately after surgery, the anesthesiologist may inject a peripheral nerve block at the surgery site, which will numb the area for 24 hours.

When this wears off, you have options for pain relief, including OTC medications like acetaminophen and NSAIDs (Tylenol and aspirin) and prescription opioids (oxycodone). As opioids are addictive, make sure to take them for as short a duration as possible.

6. Consult a pain management specialist.

Depending on your condition, health history, and preferences, a certified pain management specialist can help you choose treatments and medications.

 

We Specialize in Pain Management

Are you suffering from post-surgery pain? At Texas Pain Physicians, our pain doctors are board-certified in pain management.

Please give us a call at (972) 636-5727 to set up an appointment today!

6 Non-Surgical Remedies for Back Pain

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“Oh!” you gasp as your feet touch the floor and you reach for the chirping alarm. You wonder whether your back pain is here to stay.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide.

Good news! There are lots of effective home treatments for back pain.

1. Use topical treatments.

If you have severe back pain accompanied by inflammation, apply an ice pack or cold compress to help reduce inflammation.

A warm or hot compress can also relieve pain by loosening up muscles.

2. Use OTC medications.

Here are some common over-the-counter medications that can provide temporary pain relief:

  • Muscle relaxants
  • Tylenol (acetaminophen) and aspirin
  • Ibuprofen and naproxen (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
  • Topical pain relief products (ointments, sprays, gels, creams)

3. Do some stretching and exercise.

To recover from back pain, you need to move and do some exercise.

Try to do low-impact physical activities such as walking, biking, and swimming.

For severe back pain, light exercise and gentle stretching such as light yoga or chair yoga can help gradually restore normal movement and extension without causing too much discomfort.

For chronic (non-severe) back pain, exercises that strengthen the core can reduce pain over time. 

4. Try therapeutics.

Therapeutic methods can lessen and eliminate back pain. Patients report positive results from massages, chiropractic alignment, bioelectric therapy, and acupuncture.

5. Eat a healthier diet.

Inflammation is a common cause of chronic pain. A diet high in processed foods, simple carbohydrates, and refined sugar can cause and worsen inflammation.

Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole foods can decrease inflammation. Whole foods are foods that have been processed as little as possible and contain no additives or substances.

6. Try sleep hygiene and sleep aids.

Getting enough sleep lowers stress, allows the body to heal faster, and increases pain tolerance.

Practice good sleep hygiene by going to bed at the same time every night and avoiding exposure to screens that emit blue light.

Try to stop watching TV and using cell phones and computers at least an hour before bedtime.

Sleep aid supplements like melatonin and magnesium may help induce sleep.

7. Try some stress relief methods.

Stress can contribute to chronic back pain. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and meditation may help relieve stress.

Back Pain Treatment at Texas Pain Physicians

You don’t need to settle for a back pain-filled life a day longer. Texas Pain Physicians has board-certified doctors specialized in pain management who can help you discover the right treatments for you.

Give us a call at (972) 636-5727 or schedule an appointment online today!