Dr. Nicholas Cappello

I am posting this on facebook ,to help with the new school year.

Parents should inspect their child’s backpack from time to time,” Hyman said.  “They often carry much more than they should, with extra shoes, toys, electronic  devices and other unnecessary items.”

Hyman, also an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Columbia  University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said a backpack shouldn’t weigh  more than 15 percent of a child’s weight, or approximately seven pounds for a  child weighing 50 pounds.

“If it is textbooks that are making the bag too heavy, parents should speak  with the teacher. Sometimes, these books can be left at school,” he said.

Also, to guard against injury, children should wear a backpack correctly over  both shoulders so the weight is spread evenly, Hyman said. As an alternative,  they could consider a backpack on wheels.

If a child experiences persistent pain, Hyman said, parents should consult  their pediatrician, who may recommend physical therapy to strengthen back  muscles.

A backpack may be too heavy if a child’s posture changes when putting it on  or if the child suffers pain or has tingling or red marks.

With this procedure a surgeon places a tiny camera in the knee, then inserts small instruments through other incisions to repair torn or aging cartilage. Studies show the operation works well when patients have in fact torn their meniscal tissue, but it is no more successful than noninvasive remedies in treating osteoarthritis of the knee. In a 2008 study, 178 patients with osteoarthritis received either physical and medical therapy without surgery, or therapy plus surgery. After two years the two groups had nearly identical outcomes, reporting less pain and stiffness and more mobility.

Alternatives to surgery
If you have knee pain, “start with the least harmful and invasive treatment and work your way up the ladder,” says Colin Nelson, a senior research associate at FIMDM. This includes lifestyle changes such as exercise, as well as medication and cortisone injections.

Following a bone-healthy lifestyle, which includes eating a nutritious diet, taking regular exercise and avoiding smoking and excess alcohol.

By rejecting the misconception that “skinny is beautiful” and not following harmful and excessive weight loss diets, people can build strong bones and help to reduce the risk of breaking bones due to osteoporosis later in life.”

Professor Annie Kung, president of the Osteoporosis Society of Hong Kong, speaking at the conference, predicted an osteoporosis epidemic in Asia, noting: “It is projected that by 2050 about 50% of all osteoporotic hip fractures will occur in Asia. Partly this is due to increasing life expectancy, but is also related to lifestyle factors, including less-healthy eating habits.
The importance of a nutritious diet with sufficient calcium and vitamin D  to build and maintain bone strength has been shown in numerous clinical studies. Like any organ in the body, the skeleton needs a constant supply of nutrients to function properly and replenish itself throughout our lives.”

For years, studies have offered conflicting opinions on whether exercise is good for knees. A new report released today by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) provides strong evidence that exercise is, in fact, good for the knees.

The report, titled “What is the Effect of Physical Activity on the Knee Joint? A Systematic Review,” was published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, ACSM’s official scientific journal. A research study led by Donna Urquhart, Ph.D., and Flavia Cicuttini, Ph.D., examined the effects of physical activity on individual parts of the knee.

“Several studies have already examined the impact of physical activity on the knee as a whole, but none have looked at the effect of physical activity on individual parts of the knee,” said Dr. Cicuttini, head of the musculoskeletal unit in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University in Australia. “As it turns out, exercise affects each part of the knee differently, which helps explain why there have been conflicting reports for so long.”

According to the team’s findings, while exercise was linked to osteophytes, or bony spurs, there were no detrimental changes to joint space, the place where cartilage is housed. There were beneficial effects on cartilage integrity, with evidence of greater volumes and fewer defects.

“These findings are significant, as they suggest that osteophytes, in the absence of cartilage damage, may just be a functional adaptation to mechanical stimuli,” said Dr. Urquhart.

“We’re talking about an amount of nitrate equivalent to what is found in two or three red beets or a plate of spinach,” said Eddie Weitzberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. “We know that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes but the active nutrients haven’t been clear. This shows inorganic nitrate as a candidate to explain those benefits

 It’s well established that the carbohydrates (sugars) that sweeten most sports drinks aid performance. They provide immediate fuel for straining muscles, keep blood-sugar levels stable and allow you to work out for a longer period of time or at a higher intensity, or both, than if you don’t swallow any extra protein as fuel.

 To date most studies have  shown that adding protein to Sports Drinks does not enhance performance. Some earlier experiments that did find athletic-performance benefits from protein-enhanced sports drinks used protein beverages that contained more calories than the carbohydrate-only versions and, as some critics pointed out, the extra calories rather than the protein, , probably provided the benefit.

What does this finding mean for those of us trying to decide on a sports drink? Buy the less expensive protein free sports drink.  As you might imagine, the folks at Gatorade have been keenly following the Carb+Pro studies. Gatorade’s recovery beverage, the Nutrition Shake, contains a C+P formulation like basically all other recovery products on the market. But the company’s traditional sports drink and its new Endurance Formula, both for consumption while you exercise, contain no protein–just carbs and electrolytes , and is less expensive.

Imagine living with an aching, throbbing thumb day in and day out. The pain can be so bad, you can’t use your hand and it keeps you up at night.

Osteoarthritis of the thumb can cause severe pain and is more common in women than men. A full 30 percent of women age 65 to 74 are estimated to have arthritis in their thumb, and 80 percent of women will have it once they turn 80.

“Often, this type of arthritis is the only problem in very active, healthy people. It’s the one thing that’s really interfering with their life,” . “They wake up at night, they can’t work, they can’t pick up a pen. It disproportionately ruins their life. If we had a good treatment that didn’t have side effects, their lives would improve dramatically.”

Other treatments, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, can have side effects or don’t work for many patients. “Cortisone shots are a common treatment.

The secrets to maintaining a healthy Back

• Avoid standing for long periods of time.
• DO NOT wear high heels.
• Use cushioned soles when walking.
• When sitting for work, especially if using a computer, make sure that your chair has a straight back with an adjustable seat and back, armrests, and a swivel seat.
• Use a stool under your feet while sitting so that your knees are higher than your hips.
• Place a small pillow or rolled towel behind your lower back while sitting or driving for long periods of time.
• If you drive long distance, stop and walk around every hour.