Broken Leg (Leg Fracture)

What is a broken leg?

A broken leg, or fracture, is a break or crack in one of the leg bones. In general there are two main types of fractures: open or closed. An open, or compound, fracture means that an end of the bone has broken through the skin. A closed fracture has not broken the skin. The type of break often depends on the cause.

The break could be a simple break straight across the bone or it could be one of many other specific types of fractures. Some common fracture types in legs include:

• Transverse fracture: The bone is broken at an angle.
• Impacted fracture: The ends of two bones collide and break.
• Stress fracture: A hairline crack in the bone caused by stress or overuse.
• Avulsion fracture: Part of a muscle pulls away from the bone and breaks part of the bone off.
• Comminuted fracture: There are several bone fragments in the break.
• Greenstick fracture: The bone bends and breaks just on one side.

How does it occur?

Leg fractures can occur in many ways such as falls, direct blows, and overuse. Sometimes diseases or problems such as osteoporosis can cause bones to become weak and break more easily.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of a leg fracture include:

• pain
• tenderness
• swelling
• limited range of motion
• pain made worse by movement
• grating of bone ends
• muscle spasm during slight movement
• inability to walk
• deformed looking leg.

How is it diagnosed?

To diagnose a broken bone, your healthcare provider will review your injury and symptoms and probably take X-rays of your leg. Your provider will check your foot to see if vessels or nerves are damaged. He or she may also examine your knee to check if you also have a knee injury.

How is it treated?

Your provider will need to set the bones back into the proper position. Sometimes this requires surgery. Your leg may need to be set in a splint or cast to keep it from moving.

If there is an open wound over the site of the leg fracture, you may need surgery. The provider will cleanse the wound and cover it with a sterile dressing. You may need to have a tetanus shot and need to take antibiotics for several days.

You may need to use crutches or a cane for awhile. Your provider will tell you when you should start putting full weight on your leg again.

Because you will not be moving your leg for awhile, it can cause the joints to stiffen and muscles to weaken, even in some uninjured areas of your body. Part of your treatment will be doing simple range-of-motion exercises to keep the uninjured parts of your body healthy. You will also learn isometric exercises to strengthen the injured part. Isometric exercises are done without moving any joints. You create tension by contracting the muscle, holding the tension, and then releasing it without moving the joint.

How long will the effects last?

The time needed to heal depends on the kind of fracture, its location, the type of treatment, and how well you heal.

How can I take care of myself?

To help take care of yourself, follow the full course of treatment your provider prescribes. Also, follow these guidelines:

• Get plenty of rest.
• Elevate the leg when possible to reduce swelling.

Call immediately if you have any of these symptoms:

• unusual warmth, redness, or swelling above or below the fracture
• your toenails or feet become and stay blue or grey even though you are keeping your leg elevated
• numbness or complete loss of feeling in the skin below the fracture
• increasing pain not relieved by pain pills.

These symptoms may mean there is damage to the nerves and blood vessels.

What can be done to help prevent leg fracture?

Often a broken leg occurs from an accident that cannot be prevented. However, you can help prevent leg injuries by:

• Wearing the proper, correctly fitting shoes when you exercise.
• Gently stretching before and after physical activities such as aerobics, running, and sports.
• Working and playing safely.

Make sure you always call your healthcare provider if you usually develop leg pain during or after physical activity.

Hair Loss

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

First your barber starts charging you half-price for a trim. Then your wife develops an odd habit of licking her palms and matting your stray hairs into place. Next you find yourself sarcastically referring to perfectly coiffed entertainers and newscasters on the tube as Mr. Hairdo. It's time to face the nearly bare facts: You're probably one of 50 million Americans suffering from male or (women, take note) female pattern baldness—the most common forms of hair loss.

The best way to know for sure: Most people shed 50 to 150 hairs from their heads a day. If you're a man and you're losing twice that many off the top in a broad pattern—and the only thing that has grown back looks like it belongs on a peach—you're a likely candidate. Female pattern baldness, however, doesn't seem to be limited to one particular area, says Larry E. Millikan, M.D., chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans.

If you've developed one or more coin-shaped bald patches on your head, you may have developed alopecia areata—a mysterious condition thought to be caused by allergies to your own hair, says Ronald C. Savin, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine. The condition is often temporary.

Less mysterious: Temporary hair loss in women who have just had children. Hormones apparently slow natural hair loss during pregnancy but boost it afterward, says Dr. Savin. It resolves within ten months after giving birth.

Drugs and medical treatments—like anti-gout and anti-arthritis medications and antidepressants—and poor nutrition can also spell temporary distress for your tresses. Among the worst: radiation therapy or chemotherapy for cancer, says Robert Richards, M.D., of Toronto, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatologists.

Symptom Relief

If you're trying to hang on to your hair, consider these tips.

Feed your scalp. It won't turn a desert into a forest, but good nutrition—like quality protein and iron—do seem to play at least a minor role in preventing hair loss.

In fact, severe dieting (200 to 400 calories a day) can actually provoke substantial temporary hair loss, says Dr. Savin. Good, low-fat sources of protein are lean chicken, beef and beans. Get sufficient iron from lean beef and enriched cereals, or even a good supplement. Too much vitamin A can actually cause hair loss.

Tricks of the Hair Trade

If growing new hair isn't an option—and it usually isn't—the only other alternative is making the most of what you have.

Have a discussion with your hairdresser. Because female pattern baldness is characterized by thinning throughout the scalp, proper styling can help hide hair loss in women. Men may also benefit. "Appropriate hairstyles and grooming methods can make the hair look much thicker," says Joel Moore, artistic and educational director for Revlon in Savannah, Georgia.

Flip over wigs. Made with real human hair, many wigs and toupees feature two-sided tape that can get wet and still stay in place, says Moore. Before making your selection, consult an experienced cosmetologist.

Wear a weave. During a hair weave, hair is matched and braided to your existing hair in a process that keeps it snug and lifelike. The only drawback: As your hair grows, the weave becomes loose and you have to go back for tightening, says Moore.

Medical Approaches

If you're willing to consider a medical solution, consult your doctor about these treatments.

Regain your hair with Rogaine? While initial reports trumpeted Rogaine's (minoxidil) success in treating male and female pattern baldness, some experts are now more skeptical. Studies show that about 40 percent of the men who use minoxidil, the active ingredient in the prescription hair-growth product Rogaine, will have modest, though cosmetically significant regrowth, says Dr. Savin, who also serves as a consultant for the company that manufactures the drug. In the remaining 60 percent, however, hair loss is merely slowed or stopped by using minoxidil. Women, on the other hand, fare much better: Nearly every woman who uses the drug regrows 12 to 15 percent of her lost hair.

For best results, follow the directions strictly, says Dr. Savin. And instead of using mousse or a styling gel, which can water down the dose, style with hairspray.

If you don't see results in ten months, minoxidil may not be for you. Two to six months after you stop using the drug, "nature catches up with you, and you lose the new hair that you grew," says Dr. Savin. A month's supply, about two ounces, costs between $55 and $70.

Shave some size off that scalp. During a procedure called scalp reduction, doctors actually remove part of the skin from the scalp and then pull the areas with hair closer together, giving the illusion of more hair, says Dr. Richards. Candidates for scalp reduction include those with more vigorous side hair growth.
Plant some old hairs in a new place. During a hair transplant, hair is surgically removed from an area with more prolific hair growth—like the back of the head—and placed in the bald area. Contrary to popular belief, the transplanted hair will not spread. If successful, the hair merely grows—and no one misses it from where it used to be. "In hair transplantation there's no change in the number of hairs. It's just a mechanical redistribution,"

Hands and Feet Cold

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* The discomfort limits your activities.

* You also have persistent swollen discolored fingers or swollen joints.

* A sore develops on your fingers or toes.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

It can happen every time when you hold a chilled can of soda or step into an air-conditioned movie theater. Suddenly, your fingers turn icy, white and numb. And your feet are so sensitive that they feel frozen to the bone after doing the dishes while standing on cool kitchen tiles. But sometimes the temperature isn't the cause at all. For some people, emotional stress is enough to turn their fingers and toes to ice.

An estimated 2 to 6 percent of all Americans have hands and feet that are overly sensitive to chilly temperatures and stress. Doctors call the condition Raynaud's syndrome, after the French physician who discovered it. With Raynaud's, a dip in the temperature or a rise in stress levels causes the small blood vessels in the extremities to go into spasm, narrowing to the point that blood can barely circulate through them. Fingers and toes turn waxy white, then blue, and are numb and cool to the touch. Then, when the fingers and toes get warm, they flush deep red and tingle and throb as blood returns full force. This kind of episode can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Seventy-five percent of people with primary Raynaud's syndrome—the most common kind—are women under 40. It's unclear why. "My guess is there's a link to female hormones, which affect the blood vessels," says Fredrick Wigley, M.D., director of rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. In any case, the color changes, numbness and tingling may be the only symptoms, and they may get worse or better. The problem usually improves dramatically by menopause.

Secondary Raynaud's—a less common but potentially more serious kind—usually targets women over 40 and men. Factors that act on the blood vessels may trigger the problem. These include smoking, high blood pressure medicines and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus (an autoimmune disease) and atherosclerosis. Certain wrist-flexing, wear-and-tear activities such as typing or operating vibrating power drills may increase susceptibility to secondary Raynaud's.

People with this type typically have more intense episodes that gradually worsen each winter and can affect just one finger, hand or foot. Secondary Raynaud's can lead to skin sores or tissue damage.

Symptom Relief

Here are some tips to keep your fingers and toes toasty.

Plunge your hands into warm water. If you're involved in an activity that involves cold—stuffing a turkey, for example—it helps to run your hands under warm water periodically. "This forces blood vessels to remain open," says Murray Hamlet, former director of the Army's Cold Research Division in Natick, Massachussetts.

Move your arms like a windmill. Swinging your arms briskly in 360-degree circles for a minute or two helps drive blood into the fingers and can relieve vessel spasm, according to Donald R. McIntyre, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in Rutland, Vermont. "Just keep the elbow, fingers and wrist straight," he says.

Sip some hot cider. When the thermometer plunges, hot fruit juice can help stoke up your body's furnace because the sugar provides instant energy, says Dr. Hamlet. Hot coffee is a cold-weather no-no, however. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels, further reducing blood flow. "Alcoholic hot toddies are worse," adds John Abruzzo, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Rheumatology and Osteoporosis Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Alcohol dilates the blood vessels, which gives a sensation of warmth, he says. But the dilated vessels are actually throwing off heat. "You'll shiver more," says Dr. Abruzzo.

Have a fish feast. Fish oil may help ease primary Raynaud's symptoms by reducing the painful blood vessel spasms that cause a shutdown of blood flow to fingers and toes, according to researchers conducting a small preliminary study at Albany Medical College in New York. They observed that 5 out of 11 people who took fish-oil capsules daily for three months had symptoms stop completely. Ask your doctor about taking these capsules. In the meantime, a daily serving of sardines, salmon or tuna may keep your fingers from getting frosty, says Joel M. Kremer, M.D., professor of medicine and head of rheumatology at Albany Medical School.

Go for the loose and layered look. "Getting chilled can trigger Raynaud's syndrome because it diverts blood away from extremities," says Dr. Abruzzo. You can keep warm all over by wearing loose, layered clothing, which helps trap heat, he says. For the layer closest to your body, cotton blends are better than pure cotton or wool because they wick away chill-causing perspiration.

Cover your head when it's nippy. "You lose up to 55 percent of body heat from your head," says Dr. Hamlet. So wear a hat whenever the temperature outside dips even slightly.

Wear mittens, not gloves. Keeping the fingers together helps them generate warmth and will protect them better than gloves, says Dr. Hamlet. Insulated mittens are best, he adds.

Wear hot socks on frigid days. If you're going to be outdoors—sitting in a chilly stadium, for example—take along chemical warmers. These are small heating pouches, available in sporting goods stores, that can be placed in pockets, gloves, boots or shoes. Battery-powered "hot socks" are also a good idea.

Buy a steering wheel cover. Gripping a cold, vibrating steering wheel drains the blood from your hands and can set you up for cold fingers.

Use oven mitts to handle frozen food. And don't be embarrassed to put on mittens to rummage around in your home freezer. You can also protect your fingers from the cold by using an insulated drinking glass or wrapping a napkin around your glass, says Dr. Hamlet.

Place mats over cold tiles. Consider using a mat with built-in heating coils in any tiled or bare-floored area where you stand for prolonged periods, says Dr. Abruzzo.

Bump up the bedroom temperature. Metabolism slows during sleep, so it's important to keep your body temperature high, says Dr. Abruzzo. Wearing socks and even mittens to bed will add extra warmth on cold nights.

Retrain your arteries. This technique, developed by Dr. Hamlet, really works. First, make sure the room where you're practicing is at a temperature that is comfortable for you—not too hot and not too cold. Sit for five minutes with your hands in an insulated container filled with hot tap water. Then wrap your hands in a towel and move to a chilly area—the porch or basement, for example. Now, unwrap your hands and dunk them into a second hot-water container for ten minutes. Then go back indoors for another two to five-minute dip. Repeat this routine 3 to 6 times every other day for a total of 50 times.

Knee Pain

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Your pain
makes it hard for you to walk.

* The knee feels loose or unable to support your weight.

* You also have severe swelling, redness or discoloration that doesn't diminish after 24 hours.

* Unexplained pain lasts for more than three days.

* Pain following an injury doesn't diminish within five days.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

Those #*&!%@ knees! You push them just a little too far and the next thing you know, you feel like you've double-crossed the Godfather!

As one of about 50 million Americans with knee problems, you've just joined the Painful Knee Club. Our knees have always been vulnerable to an assortment of bumps, bangs and bruises. But as we have become an older and more active society, our hapless knees now bear more burdens and face more wear and tear than ever before. Hence the club's ever increasing membership.

A fall, twist or bang on the knee can obviously qualify you for membership. So can an old injury that never healed properly and now acts up in response to changes in the barometer. But most recurrent or unexplained knee pain comes from overuse.

The knee is held together by tough ligaments that connect, protect and stabilize the joint; cartilage that cushions the bones; and tendons that join muscles to bone. But even these resilient tissues have their limits. Too much bending and twisting, too much running or too much jumping can cause them to rupture or become inflamed.

Damage to these tissues also takes its toll on the sensitive surfaces of the knees' bones. "The tissues in the knees work like the shock absorbers in a car," says M. Solomonow, Ph.D., director of the bioengineering section at the Louisiana State Medical Center in New Orleans. "If you make a lot of sudden stops or subject these components to stresses they weren't designed to handle, they wear out. In a car you'll hear the sound of metal on metal; in a knee you'll feel the pain of bone rubbing on bone."

Many overuse pains are lumped under the umbrella term chondromalacia patellae—a fancy way of saying pain in, around and under the kneecap.

But not all overuse pains belong in this category. Suppose you have an active teen in your house complaining of pain just south of the kneecap. It could be Osgood-Schlatter disease, commonly called growing pains—a condition arising from excess stress on the tendons of the lower leg bone. Combine lots of physical activity with the rapid muscle and bone growth of puberty, and you get one miserable kid with a painful, bony enlargement or bump on the upper part of his lower leg, just in front of and below the kneecap.

When the knee is subjected to misuse as well as overuse, it can develop a condition called synovitis. Your mother may have called it water on the knee, because the achy joint now bears a striking re-semblance to a water balloon. Synovitis is from a bang or twist that causes certain tissues in the knee to fill with blood or other fluids.

Another knee condition related to overuse is sometimes called housemaid's knee. It's really a form of bursitis—irritation to the front of the knee causes a bursal sac in front of the kneecap to fill up with fluid. Its most common cause: prolonged kneeling on hard surfaces.

The knee is also a potential site for a painful condition called osteochondritis dissecans—a necrosis, or death, of a segment of bone or cartilage. Its cause is unknown. Eventually, the dead cartilage or bone chip can break off and produce even more pain as well as a locked knee.

In some instances, nasty knee pain can actually originate elsewhere in the body, such as the toe, foot, spine or hip. Fallen arches or weak ankles can cause your foot to overpronate (rotate too far inward), putting too much force on the knee. And if you have poor posture or an improper gait, it can focus pain directly to your knees.

The knee is also a favorite target for arthritis in its many forms. Osteoarthritis results from the breakdown of cartilage and other joint tissues after years of wear and tear. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by a progressive development of pain and swelling in joints and their connecting tissues, which can be coupled with other symptoms like fatigue, weight loss and low-grade fever. And gout is a metabolic condition in which severe arthritis develops when uric acid is deposited in joints and other tissues.

In addition, the knee is also a potential site for tumors and cysts as well as painful bacterial infections.

Symptom Relief

The key to silencing most angry knees is not to subject them to the kind of activities that ticked them off in the first place. Repeated abuse is a sure-fire means of provoking a ferocious response.

Treat painful knees with kindness and they'll behave. Let these tips show you how.

Use RICE on injuries. Whether from an acute trauma like a sprain or simple overuse, injuries respond best to RICE: an acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation. "Rest is the key component," says Edward J. Resnick, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. "Then after a period of limited activity, doctors like to see a gradual resumption of activity and exercise."

Supplement several days of rest with applications of ice: 15 minutes at a time, several times a day to reduce swelling. Compress the knee by wrapping it snugly, but not too tightly, in an elastic bandage to limit movement. And elevate the knee with pillows to drain fluids from the joint.

Take an analgesic. Aspirin and ibuprofen are powerful pain and inflammation fighters that will help sore, swollen knees. Acetaminophen will help pain, but won't do anything for swelling.

Warm your wobbly knees. Cold is fine for injuries after they first occur, but most lingering pain responds best to moist warmth, says Dr. Resnick. He recommends a warm, moist towel, a hot-water bottle, a moist heating pad, a warm bath or a whirlpool.

Drop a few pounds. "If you're overweight, losing weight is a good way to reduce some of the painful forces acting on your knees with each step," says David W. Lhowe, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. "Contact forces on joint surfaces in the knee can range up to eight times body weight. Lose 10 pounds, and you'll reduce those forces by 80 pounds, which is a lot."

Support your arches. A simple over-the-counter arch support in your shoe can prevent overpronation, says Peter Francis, Ph.D., professor of physical education at San Diego State University. People who pronate severely may require a professionally fitted arch device.

Cushion your knees. If you must spend periods of time on your knees, take some of the stress off your kneecaps by wearing cushioned knee pads. And take frequent rest breaks so that the stress isn't applied constantly.

Avoid squatting. Squatting and deep knee bends put enormous stress on the knee and can cause cartilage tears or possible rupture of the quadriceps tendon. Repetitive squatting can also produce prolonged episodes of knee pain in certain individuals, says Dr. Lhowe.

Find alternatives to running. Nonpounding activities like biking, walking and swimming can provide the same benefits as running, but are much kinder to your knees, says Dr. Francis. If you must run, increase your warm-up time, cut back your mileage, run on softer surfaces and always wear quality running shoes.

Send your knees to the gym. "Poor muscle tone is often the real culprit underlying most chronic knee problems," says Phillip J. Marone, M.D., director of the Jefferson Sports Medicine Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "That's why in 80 percent of all cases, painful knees will respond to a sensible exercise program focusing on building flexibility and strength, particularly in the quadriceps and hamstrings [the large muscles at the front and backs of the thighs]."

Joint Stiffness

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

---

* Your joint stiffness lasts more than six weeks.

* The stiffness follows a blow to the joint.

* The stiffness in your joints is worse in the morning and improves as the day does on.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

Whether you think of them as simple hinges or ball-and-socket wonders, your joints allow you all the marvels of motion. Then a joint stiffens up—and to bend for the newspaper, reach for a rose, twist in your chair, hold a cup or even head out on that health-promoting walk becomes an uncomfortable challenge.

Most of the time, joint stiffness is related to the normal changes of aging and is not a symptom that arthritis may be just down the road. The ligaments and tendons that help joints function may become overstretched from years of use, leaving the joints less stable and more prone to wear and tear. And as a person ages, the lubricating membrane that normally allows each joint to slide and glide through its motion may become dried and contracted, constricting the joint's movement.

If a joint has been hurting you, then becomes stiff and "rickety"-feeling, your body may actually be making its own splint to protect the joint from further injury. Muscles surrounding the joint go into spasm to prevent the joint from moving, and those spasms contribute to stiffness.

You may notice the stiffness most when you first get out of bed in the morning, and feel it loosening up during the day. You may have swelling along with stiffness, though swelling is more likely when the stiffness results from an injury.

If you've been bedridden or stuck in a cast or have spent the winter on the couch watching sit-coms, your joints may feel frozen and stiff simply because of lack of exercise.

A long-since-forgotten injury may cause a joint to stiffen up years later. A new injury or episode of overuse (is it your bowling arm?) can bring on stiffness.

Rarely, some neurological or muscular disorders may be part of the problem, though these conditions will usually be signaled by other, more noticeable symptoms.

Symptom Relief

If the stiffness in your joints is severe or persistent, you'll want to see your doctor for a clear diagnosis. But no matter what the cause, here are some basic comforts that will help stiffness loosen its hold.

Relax with moist heat. Take a wet towel, put it in the dryer, but remove it while the towel is still wet and hot, says Bill Arnold, M.D., a rheumatologist and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. To relieve those muscless, just wrap the moist hot towel around the affected joint and leave it on for 20 minutes or so. You might want to place an additional dry towel on top to hold the heat in. Or, you can use a moist heating pad.

Get a head start on stiffness. If you've been feeling stiff for a while, and know that it's worse in the early morning, head off the stiffness with over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, Dr. Arnold suggests. "You can wake yourself around 5:00 a.m. and take Advil or Nuprin with a glass of milk, and by the time you get going at 8:00, you'll feel better," he says. "Or try taking two tablets the night before, and you may find that they will last you until the morning."

These medicines will help reduce pain in the joints as well, Dr. Arnold says. Steady use of anti-inflammatory drugs can lead to stomach problems, and taking them with milk will soften this effect.

Keep it moving. You can resist stiffness with gentle range-of-motion exercises to help your joint stay flexible and limber, says Kathleen Haralson, a physical therapist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

A slight variation in range of motion from person to person is perfectly normal, Haralson says. People with extremely mobile joints have a large range of motion, and bodybuilders may have less.

"Whatever is normal for you, you don't want to lose," she says. "Don't overstretch, but gently move the joint as far as you can several times a day," she suggests.

Regular exercise for your whole body is a good practice to keep all your joints toned and limber. Work yourself up to a brisk 20-minute walk at least three times a week.

Causes And Symptoms Of Hip Bursitis

When your body moves it will require a muscle tendon to move over a bone. This would mean that you would have immeasurable friction and pain if you did not have tiny, fluid filled sacks that are known as bursa. Bursa is scattered all over your body and look like small sandwich baggies that are filled with an oily fluid that doesn’t have any air. They are placed between the surfaces that rub together. The bursa means that you will be able to move easily. When you have bursitis it means that you have swelling and inflammation of the bursa.

Here are the symptoms of bursitis:

The number one bursitis symptom is joint pain and stiffness that is in areas that you move the most. The joint pain is very severe during any activity that uses the affected muscles the most. Than after you stop doing the activity you will have pain that will feel like a sore ache.

The causes of bursitis:

There are many people who have jobs that require them to do the same type of repetitive movements and they will eventually feel pain in the places where the tendons rub over the bone. When your muscle is used over and over again it will become coarse and this will lead to bursitis. This will then cause the bursa to become inflamed. When this happens it means that the inflammation will cause the bursa to lose its slickness and the movement of the muscle will become much harder. Instead of a soft and effortless glide of movement it will feel rough and gritty. The confined space that is between the muscles and the bursa will get smaller and the inflammation will cause friction any time you move.

These are the treatments of bursitis:

The most effective way to help with the pain of bursitis is an anti-inflammatory medication. You will also need to support and brace the tendons that have been affected by the bursitis. You will need to talk to your doctor about the best way to treat this condition so you don’t have to deal with the pain.

Bursitis prevention

The best way of preventing bursitis is to make sure that you stretch your muscles regularly. This will help to lengthen the bursa or bone connection. You will also need to make sure that you rest the bursa or bone connection while doing any strenuous activity because this will also help to prevent bursitis.

The most important thing you can do to help treat this condition is to research the condition and make sure you know all the causes and symptoms plus any ways that you can prevent it from happening. You need to make sure that you know about it so that you can take care of your body muscles so you don’t end up in intense pain. The more information you have the more aware you will about bursitis.

When you have this pain in your muscles you don’t want to ignore it and hope that it will go away. You need to get to the doctor as soon as you can so that you can get help with the pain. You will have to have medication to stop the inflammation from getting any worse. So don’t ignore it. Be smart and educate yourself on this condition so that you will be able to avoid it. Too many people have to deal with this on a daily basis because of their jobs; you don’t have to be one of them if you know what to do to stop this from happening to you. So learn all you can.

Hip Fracture Or Broken Hip

No matter what age you are you can have a broken hip. However, most of the time when people are put into the hospital for hip fractures they are 65 or older. When you get older your bones become less dense when they lose minerals over a period of time. You will have weakened bones when your bones lose their density and this will mean that you are more at risk for a hip fracture.

Usually it is women who suffer with hip fractures more than men do. It happens two to three times more to women that it does to men. Women have a tendency to lose bone density at a faster rate than men will.

When you have a fractured hip it is a very serious injury, especially if you are older, plus the complications can be life threatening. A very effective way to correct the problem is with hip surgery. However, it will require time and you will need to be patient when you recover and make sure that you do everything your doctor tells you to. A lot of the time people will make a good recovery from a hip fracture. The chances for you to have a complete recovery will depend on how good your health and mobility were before you have the hip problem.

The signs and symptoms of a hip fracture can include:

• Severe pain in your hip or groin.
• When you can’t put your weight on your leg that is on the side of your body where the injured hip is.
• When you have bruising and swelling in and around your hip joint.
• If the leg on the side of your body that is injured is shorter than the other leg.
• When your leg turns outward on the side of your body that has hip joint problems.

Causes of a hip fracture or broken hip

For older people they usually end up with a hip fracture because of a fall or weak bones. For people who are young it can be caused by playing sports or getting into a car accident.

Hip Fracture Risks

There are a combination of factors that will mean you have more of a chance of having a hip fracture and these can include:

• Age – You are more at risk for fractures when you get older.
• Chronic medical conditions such as osteoporosis, endocrine disorders like hypogonadism or type 1 diabetes; gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatoid disorders, Chronic conditions that can affect your nervous system, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and decreased mental alertness that is usually caused by dementia or depression.
• Sex – Women are more at risk than men.
• Heredity – Genetic factors can make a difference in your bone size, bone mass and bone density.
• Nutrition – Having a lack of calcium and Vitamin D will cause problems with your bones.
• Use of tobacco and alcohol – This can interfere with the process of your bones building and remodeling.
• Medications – There are certain medications that will speed up bone loss.
• Environmental hazards – This is when there is something in your environment that you can trip on that will cause you to fall and get a hip fracture.

If you have a fractured hip that needs medical attention you will want to know all you can about it. This way you will know what you should expect and what you should and shouldn’t do. You will also need to talk to your doctor to find out what treatment he is going to use to correct the broken hip. Ask any questions and voice any concerns so that when the time comes to correct the problem you will be prepared.