Pain of some kind is an issue every one of us will encounter over the course of our lives. Unfortunately, that?s part of living. More serious types of pain can obviously come from abnormal occurrences to our bodies, such as accidents, work related stresses and sports injuries. We might come to expect chronic pain from those who are older in our communities. Friends and family members who are living longer are also experiencing chronic pain. It?s a sad fact of getting older.
But for the young and old alike, chronic pain does not have to be born without a fight. There are many options out there to help you deal with your chronic pain. Knowing when to consult an orthopedist, for example, could save you years of pain and discomfort. Many people aren?t even aware that pediatric orthopedics exists, never mind what they can do for a suffering child.
To some degree or another, 75% of all Americans are going to experience foot health problems over the course of their lives. These foot problems can lead to hip surgery, knee surgery and even back surgery if not treated early and often. Pediatric orthopedics focuses on the problems of the juvenile foot, making sure it is developing properly and helping it heal correctly when it?s injured. There are 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments in the human foot. Keeping this extremely delicate machine functioning correctly takes the right amount of know how and the exact amount of tender loving care. Keeping informed of the latest developments in general orthopedics could help you be prepared for the normal wear and tear of life or the unexpected injury.
It is astounding to be informed of the fact that we carry four to six times our own body weight every time we climb stairs or walk up a steep incline. This kind of stress will, over time, damage our feet and the rest of our body by overcompensating.
When a foot injury occurs, everything above it looks to compensate for the pain. The knees, the hips, the lower back, and even the neck make unnatural adjustments for the injured foot. This translates into pain in those compensating areas. For example, you might have hurt your foot tripping up the stairs, but you might develop chronic lower back pain over time. In the United States alone, over 31 million people will experience a lower back pain issue. This is largely due to a direct injury to the back, but an orthopedic surgeon might be able to trace it back to a nagging foot injury. It?s truly amazing how everything in our bodies is connected.
Unfortunately, chronic foot pain, and pain related to it, is worse for women than for men. In fact, women are four times more likely to have foot problems. This is largely due to lifelong patterns of wearing high heels and other shoes that can be problematic. Pediatric orthopedics specializes in ways that can help young people learn to take care of their feet with proper fitting shoes, insoles and other state of the art solutions. Your feet will only carry you as far as your body will let them. Take care of them early, and you just might go a long, long way.