Constant Stomach Pain that Gets Worse when Eating
The patient said she had continuous stomach pain day and night that got worse eating.
Her doctors could not find anything wrong. (more…)
What’s the Slowest a Heart Attack Can Occur?
Is there a such thing as a slow motion heart attack?
The “Hollywood heart attack” occurs in just seconds, but can real life heart attacks take hours to unfold? (more…)
Waking up Gasping for Air: Heart Problem, Cancer or Apnea?
You abruptly wake up from sleep gasping, feeling like you haven’t taken a breath for a whole minute. Is this your heart?
Could it be cancer or sleep apnea?
What’ll Happen if You Don’t Treat LPR? Can You Get Cancer?
Not treating GERD can lead to cancer, but what could happen if you neglect to treat LPR?
LPR is common, and it’s common for people to seek treatment, as its symptoms are often not easy to ignore.
“Although untreated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can slightly increase the risk of esophageal cancer over a long period of time, the connection between untreated laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and head and neck cancer is much less clear,” says Gene Liu, MD, MMM, President, Chair, Department of Surgery; Chief, Division of Otolaryngology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Group.
Dr. Liu continues, “There are no studies in the ENT literature that show any cause and effect between LPR and cancer.”
Okay, so the cancer fear has been deactivated. But ignoring LPR won’t magically make it go away, either.
Untreated LPR in Young Kids
“In small children, there can be a link to other breathing problems such as noisy breathing (stridor), increased work of breathing (retractions) and even episodes of throat spasm or distress,” says Dr. Liu.
“There are even some concerns about possible scarring or narrowing of the airway or windpipe. In children, treatment of reflux becomes mandatory if growth and weight gain are affected or if breathing difficulty develops.”
Untreated LPR in Adults
“LPR in adults can lead to many frustrating symptoms including throat clearing, hoarseness, chronic cough and sore throat,” explains Dr. Liu.
“Typically, untreated LPR in adults will simply lead to these annoying symptoms continuing or worsening over time.”
What causes LPR in the first place?
Acid reflux is the cause. The refluxed acidic contents from the stomach reach as high up as the throat, sometimes even higher.
Just because you don’t have heartburn or other chest discomfort doesn’t mean you don’t have acidic stomach juices affecting your throat.
Many people with LPR do not report any burning or aching in the chest. In these patients the acid doesn’t remain in the esophagus long enough to produce such symptoms, but it can shoot up into the throat and linger long enough to irritate the vocal cords.
When it gets into the mouth it causes an odd taste which has been described as sour, bitter, foul or like cardboard. Some patients awaken with this taste in their mouth. Others get it when exercising or spontaneously.
When the acid makes contact with the vocal cords, the classic symptoms develop: throat discomfort, the need to frequently clear the throat, coughing, hoarseness, a lump feeling in the throat and even a sensation of difficulty breathing.
Anxiety can cause acid reflux which then leads to LPR. The person, in a state of ongoing anxiety, may have only mild symptoms that don’t really get their attention such as having to clear their throat before talking if they haven’t spoken for a while.
The annoying symptoms of LPR are not life-threatening, and failing to treat this condition is not known to cause or increase the risk of cancer.
Dr. Liu’s clinical areas of focus cover a broad range including surgery of the head and neck, sinuses and thyroid, and disorders of the ears, salivary glands and vocal cords.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Aaron Amat
Knee Is Swollen and Hurts 8 Weeks After Replacement Surgery?
You had your knee replacement surgery eight weeks ago yet the knee is still pretty swollen and hurts. How normal – or abnormal – is this? (more…)
Swollen Stiff Knees after Basketball, Hurt When Bending
Whether you’re a younger adult or a middle-ager, it is never normal to get swollen stiff knees that hurt when you bend them after playing basketball. (more…)
Can the Need for Hip Replacement Surgery Be Prevented?
Is there anything one can do to prevent the actual need for a hip replacement surgery?
This isn’t about avoiding surgery with conservative treatment for a bad hip.
It’s about outright preventing the cartilage in the hip joint from degenerating to the point where there’s any pain at all. (more…)
Pain Under Kneecap When Rising from Sitting: Cause, Solutions
An orthopedic surgeon has simple and smart solutions for men and women who have pain under their kneecap upon rising from a seated position. (more…)
Housework Guidelines Following Hip Replacement Surgery
Here are the complete guidelines specifically for housework following a hip replacement surgery – from an orthopedic surgeon.
“After a joint replacement, you can return to almost any reasonable activity of daily living,” begins Barbara Bergin, MD, board certified orthopedic surgeon at and co-founder of Texas Orthopedics, Sports & Rehabilitation Associates.
“So housework would be included in those activities.”
However, a very noteworthy component of housework activity needs to be mentioned.
And that is proper biomechanics.
Housework, like lifting weights at a gym, can be done with improper biomechanics, leading to an injury – most notably the so-called “throwing out of the back.”
Lugging around heavy items is not required to throw out one’s back or cause a low back strain.
Furthermore, the back isn’t the only body part that’s at risk for injury or strain from performing household tasks. The knee and hip joint, too, can end up in trouble.
Housework Guidelines After Total Hip Replacement Surgery
“Now, I would recommend that you figure out how to clean your house without getting down on your hands and knees,” says Dr. Bergin.
“Deep squatting can cause you to dislocate your total hip replacement, and most people who have total knee replacements are never able to get full flexion back in their new knee.”
“But mopping, sweeping and dusting are all fine. Try to find implements to help you reach difficult, low and high places.”
You should find more efficient ways of doing the chores that people with healthy hip and knee joints would think nothing of getting into a deep squat to do.
For instance, a deep squat is often done when one wants to reach towards the back of a low cabinet to pull out a pot.
People do deep squats to clean things close to the floor such as baseboards. Even very brief tasks, such as catching a spider low to the floor, should not be done with a deep squat by a person with a hip (or knee) replacement.
The proper way to reach things close to the floor is to keep an arch in the lower back (don’t round the back, as this can put the small lumbar muscles at risk for strain), bend at the legs (but don’t squat) and simply reach to catch the spider or pick up the dirty socks, etc.
Extension tools are on the market to grasp items that you’re unable to reach.
As for a sustained reach, such as wiping baseboards – again, there are products that will extend to make the reach, eliminating the need to squat or uncomfortably maintain a bent trunk position.
The various tools that can eliminate straining to reach are “safer and better for the aging body,” says Dr. Bergin.
“You’ve had a hip or knee replacement. You don’t want to turn around the next year and have a rotator cuff repair.”
Dr. Bergin is a general orthopedist, surgically and conservatively treating all manner of bone and joint conditions. She enjoys educating patients so they can emerge stronger than they were before their orthopedic injury or surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Freepik.com
Can Treadmill Walking Cause Stress Fractures to the Foot?
Who’d ever think that walking on a treadmill can cause stress fractures to the feet, but it actually can.
Does this mean that if you’ve never had a stress fracture in your foot, that you should give up walking on a treadmill as a pre-emptive move?
Of course not. You can still keep using this machine, but there are guidelines that you should adhere to, says Barbara Bergin, MD, board certified orthopedic surgeon at and co-founder of Texas Orthopedics, Sports & Rehabilitation Associates.
“Excessive treadmill walking, regardless of holding on or not, can result in stress reactions and stress fractures in the feet,” says Dr. Bergin.
The human machine was meant to walk a lot more than sit a lot. We are designed for lots of walking, as this is what our primitive ancestors had to do all day long to survive.
But people in ancient times took rests. Unlike herds of animals, humans did not trek continuously over miles of savanna without a break.
Treadmill vs. Natural Walking and Stress Fractures
“Remember, treadmill walking is not natural walking,” says Dr. Bergin. “There is almost no natural circumstance in which a person walks continuously uphill for an hour.”
Though people do this for exercise, the key words here are “natural circumstance.” Hunter-gatherers of the distant past as well as currently in certain parts of the world do not walk continuously uphill for an hour, nor do they walk nonstop on level ground for this long. They take ample breaks.
Granted, in some cultures there is continuous walking on country-type roads – to and from a place of work. Kids have been known to walk large distances to and from school in impoverished regions.
But just because such individuals typically do not develop stress fractures in their feet doesn’t mean that the treadmill is no different.
When we apply long-distance walking to the treadmill, things get different. This is why walking three hours nonstop on a treadmill is not an effective way to train for an outdoor walk-a-thon.
“And again, remember that it’s the surface that is moving,” says Dr. Bergin. “It alters the gait. I’ve been seeing an uptick in stress fractures and stress reactions in the feet in patients who do a lot of walking and running on a treadmill.
“I think this is because in Texas, the heat is really prohibitive in terms of running outside during daylight hours.”
Should You Give up Walking on a Treadmill out of Fear of Foot Stress Fractures?
Dr. Bergin advises, “I recommend alternating treadmill with regular walking. And slow down on the treadmill. Diminish the inclination as well.”
It’s understandable when using a treadmill is much more convenient than exercising outside due to weather or time of day.
But when you can, you’ll actually get a more efficient workout if you walk outside.
One of the reasons for the increased efficacy is that you won’t be tempted to hold onto anything.
cancer.gov/NCI
Whereas on a treadmill, the temptation to hold on is overwhelming for many users including young, very able-bodied people.
The mindset for many is that if the rails and front bar are there, you should hold onto them.
Momentarily holding on to steady yourself while drinking water or turning to talk to someone, or to get a heart rate reading, is not the same as continuous holding on.
Keeping your hands continuously on the machine adversely alters gait mechanics and posture.
This includes the natural foot-strike on the tread surface. So even though a hands-free walk of excessive lengths of time can put certain individuals at higher risk of stress fractures, holding onto the treadmill will further raise this risk.
Don’t think for a second that holding onto the machine will lower the risk of developing any kind of stress fracture!
What is a stress fracture?
It’s a tiny crack in a bone, though the bone remains in place. The foot has many small bones that can develop one of these little cracks.
No cast is needed for healing. It heals with rest and avoidance of the offending activity.
Most people who walk on a treadmill will not develop a stress fracture, especially if they wear supportive footwear.
But avid users of this equipment should be interested in knowing what may happen with excessive use.
Dr. Bergin is a general orthopedist, surgically and conservatively treating all manner of bone and joint conditions. She enjoys educating patients so they can emerge stronger than they were before their orthopedic injury or surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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