Sunday, February 13, 2011

Health Tips for February 13

Health Tip: Healing Heel Pain

Heel pain is usually caused by activities that continually pound the heel. Such injuries include Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis.

Whatever the cause, these suggestions from the U.S. National Library of Medicine may help ease your heel pain:

  • Rest your feet for at least a week.
  • Apply ice to the sore heel, twice a day for about 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
  • Take over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen, to ease inflammation and pain.
  • Wear shoes that fit correctly.
  • Place an orthotic, heel cup or felt padding in the heel of your shoe.
  • Work with a physical therapist to help prevent the injury from recurring.

Health Tip: Signs That Shoulder Pain is a Broken Collarbone

The collarbone doesn't completely harden until about age 20 years. This makes younger people -- especially participants in contact sports -- more susceptible to a broken collarbone, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says.

The academy says common symptoms of a broken collarbone include:

  • Having a shoulder that droops.
  • Being in too much pain to lift one or both arms.
  • Feeling a "grinding" as you try to lift an arm.
  • Feeling pain when touching the collarbone.
  • Detecting an abnormal bump or swelling on the collarbone.

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