Make Pain a Thing of the Past – joint dysfunction – Physician Partners of America

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4 Tips for Healthy Holiday Meals

Healthy holiday meals start with planning and smart choices –

Getting ready for the holidays but dread blowing your diet? Whether you want to keep your weight down or avoid aggravating inflammation, here’s good news: you certainly can enjoy the bounty of the season in a healthy way. Here are four tips for striking the right balance.

1. Limit portions

First of all, good nutrition is always about two things: what we eat and how much. Let’s start with Thanksgiving. There’s overwhelming evidence that a Mediterranean-style diet is the healthiest, which means eating mostly vegetables and fruits and whole grains; but there’s nothing wrong with eating some turkey, or mashed potatoes, or even pecan pie.

2. Choose wisely

The key is to not make traditional holiday foods the base of the eating pyramid. In other words, the majority of your food choices and calories should come from green salads and low-fat vegetable dishes, with small servings of meat, refined carbohydrates, and sweet desserts. Think of meats and starches as the side dishes or garnish to a plant-based meal.

3. Make smart substitutions

If you’re hosting dinner, get creative without sacrificing traditional favorites. It’s easy to switch out whole-grain breads for the white dinner rolls, healthy vegetable dishes instead of the high fat, creamy bean casseroles, and make a healthy sweet potato casserole instead of the heavily sugared, high-calorie version. Do a search for some healthier versions of your family’s favorites; they’re easy to find.

4. Get some exercise

Almost as traditional as turkey and pumpkin pie is fighting for couch space after dinner. It’s a myth that turkey makes you sleepy. While the meat is rich in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, research shows it’s the combination of carbs, overeating and alcohol that makes us feel tired. Instead, gather the family and take a walk after the meal.

Food will always be the centerpiece of the winter holidays, but it only takes a few changes to start a new tradition and create healthy holiday meals that are just as memorable and satisfying.

Ronald Stern, M.D., is an interventional pain management specialist at Physician Partners of America’s Melbourne, Florida. location. He is also the author of fact-based health and wellness books, including his most recent, Meals, Movement and Meditation: Using Science, Not Myth, for Healthfulness. It’s available on Amazon.

November 15, 2018/by

The Anatomy of Sacrum Pain

Pain Management

When people refer to sacrum pain, they are usually talking about pain that affects the sacroiliac (SI) joint in the spine. The sacrum is a triangular bone at the very bottom of the spine, formed by five fused vertebrae. On either side of the sacrum are two wing-like bones that join via strong ligaments with the iliac bones of the pelvis. Unlike the other vertebrae of the spine that are connected by flexible discs, the sacrum itself and the SI joint have very little motion and flexibility. Instead, their primary roles are to support the spine and absorb shock.

Sacrum Pain Symptoms

Just like the other joints in the body, the SI joint can degenerate over time. The ligaments around the joint can stiffen, or they can develop tears and loosen the joint too much. Either scenario can cause the joint cartilage to wear away, leading to the sacral and iliac bones rubbing together and causing pain. This is also a synovial joint, which means it is filled with a lubricant called synovial fluid. Over time, the synovial fluid may become inflamed and cause further discomfort.

Sacrum pain caused by SI joint dysfunction can take many forms. Symptoms can include:

Groin pain
Muscle weakness in the legs
Pain in the lower back
Pain when moving standing after sitting for a long period of time
Pain when standing for long periods of time
Radiating pain in the hips, buttocks, and legs
Tingling or pins-and-needles sensations in the lower extremities

Treatment for Sacrum Pain in Tampa, Florida

Some of the most common causes of sacrum pain include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis, but the condition can also develop due to occupational injuries, auto accident injuries, and other activities that put repeated stress on the SI Joint. If you think you may be suffering from sacrum pain due to SI joint dysfunction, turn to the professionals at Physician Partners of America in Tampa.

Our team of pain specialists has extensive experience treating chronic pain using nonsurgical and minimally invasive methods so that you can get back to living the life you enjoyed before sacrum pain took over. At Physician Partners of America, we believe that all patients experience pain differently, which is why we take the time to understand your symptoms and ask questions about the pain relief techniques you’ve tried in the past. By getting to know you, the patient, we can then create a completely customized pain management plan that fits your unique needs.

December 19, 2017/by bcanvas