Helping Hands: Expert Care can Help with Hand Conditions – Baptist Health South Florida
Posted: August 6, 2020 at 4:08 am
Sketch pencil in her right hand, Laida Arcia Carro (pictured above) adds tiny details to complete her portrait of a strong Haitian woman. Ms. Carro cant imagine a day without drawing, yet at age 71 the osteoarthritis in her hands often forces her to end her sketch sessions sooner than shed like.
Four or five years ago I noticed that my graspwasnt as good as it had been, and I had pain with certain motions, likeopening a jar, said Ms. Carro, a retired elementary school art teacher. Itgot progressively worse and now the bone on the inner side of my wristprotrudes. Its in both hands, but my right is worse than my left.
Unfortunately, just being female places Ms. Carro at a higher risk for a hand or wrist problem. According to the National Institutes of Health, women are about three times more likely than men to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and twice as likely to fracture a wrist or have osteoarthritis in their hands. The gender gap is true across all age groups, yet it widens as we age.
Genetics, hormones, anatomy and metabolism all play arole, said Elizabeth Anne Ouellette, M.D., chief of hand surgery at Miami Orthopedics & Sports MedicineInstitute. Inaddition, women often lack adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D, importantin forming and maintaining strong bones.
Although Dr. Ouellette is an orthopedic surgeon, sheisnt quick to take a patient to the operating room. Im going to talk you outof surgery if I can, she said. If you arent sleeping because of the pain oryour life is severely disrupted for example, you cant turn the key in yourfront door then we have a conversation about surgery.
Dr. Ouellette understands what her patients areexperiencing because early in her career, just after having her second child,she underwent carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists at the same time. I wasbeginning to lose finger sensation and I was not sleeping. This could havebrought an end to my career.
Because of the impact a hand problem may have on dailylife, its important to see a specialist if you have symptoms. The hand andwrist are delicate and complex, with 27 bones and many muscles, tendons,ligaments, arteries, veins and nerves. Many conditions can be addressed, andtechnology is constantly evolving to improve and expand treatment. Dr.Ouellette is involved in a wide range of research on everything from nerveinjuries to the use of tiny anchors in the wrist for tendon repairs. Inaddition to her role at Baptist Health, she is chief of hand surgery and aclinical professor of orthopedics at Florida International Universitys HerbertWertheim College of Medicine.
Although Ms. Carro is a candidate for surgery, she andDr. Ouellette discussed the options, and together, they decided to watch and wait.Her symptoms could improve with conservative treatment, Dr. Ouellette said.And sometimes patients have no pain after the cartilage has worn down and thejoint is bone on bone. Then we do nothing. Waiting could also mean thatmedical developments, such as tissue re-engineering, could move from theresearch setting to everyday use.
Occasionally, Ms. Carro wears asplint on her hand, takes anti-inflammatory medicines and rubs on a topicalnumbing cream. She hopes to avoid the disruption surgery would require. Whenshe can, she still teaches private art lessons and attends regular drawingclasses, and hopes those resume soon. Careful to maintain social distancingduring the pandemic, Ms. Carro has filled her days by continuing her sketching,except without live models.
My art is so important, she said.I dont want to stop. It keeps me alive.
Tips for handling the future:
Dr. Ouellette has 30 years of experience in researchand in treating athletes and people of all ages who need small jointreplacement or surgery for hand, wrist and joint injuries. She offers patientsplenty of advice when it comes to preventing or slowing problems that canbecome debilitating.
Some suggestions:
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT. Fat contributes to a higher level of the hormoneleptin, which leads to inflammation. Its not the extra weight on joints thatcauses problems, she explained. Inflammation can cause swelling, cartilageand bone damage, and pain. Leptin has been linked to arthritis, lupus,multiple sclerosis and even heart disease.
EXERCISE. It keeps bones strong, improves balance, buildsmuscle and has long-lasting health benefits for the whole body.
FEED YOUR BONES. Take a vitamin D supplement and eat plenty ofdark green, leafy vegetables to increase your calcium level.
CHOOSE ORGANIC. The fewer chemicals youabsorb from skin care products, makeup and food, the better. Apps such as EWGHealthy Living, Think Dirty and Detox Me can help you determine your toxicityexposure.
Tags: carpal tunnel syndrome, Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute
Excerpt from:
Helping Hands: Expert Care can Help with Hand Conditions - Baptist Health South Florida
- Saudi women making their mark in science - Arab News - January 19th, 2021
- Cannabis Genetics: Study Reveals Genes Related To Sex Modification In Feminized Plants - Benzinga - January 19th, 2021
- Biden picks geneticist as science adviser, puts in Cabinet - The Associated Press - January 19th, 2021
- Challenging The World! Meet The Saudi Women Scientists - Al-Bawaba - January 19th, 2021
- Low levels of alcohol intake linked to greater risk of atrial fibrillation - Hospital Healthcare Europe - January 19th, 2021
- Everything You Need To Know About Migraines - The Swaddle - January 19th, 2021
- Anorexia nervosa: Symptoms, causes, and treatment - Medical News Today - January 19th, 2021
- Girls and Autism: One of Lynne Malcolm's favourite programs - ABC News - January 19th, 2021
- Bryan Sykes, Who Saw the Ancient Past in Genes, Dies at 73 - The New York Times - January 9th, 2021
- Identical Twins Are More Genetically Different Than We Thought: Study - The Swaddle - January 9th, 2021
- A thematic analysis of experiences of HIV risks among female sex workers in the Yunnan-Vietnam Chinese border region - BMC Blogs Network - January 9th, 2021
- A Look at the Subversive Art of lisabeth Vige Le Brunand the One Gender-Bending Portrait That Has Kept Historians Guessing - artnet News - January 2nd, 2021
- Big rewards for Section II girls as basketball avenues increase - The Daily Gazette - January 2nd, 2021
- 2021 in books: what to look forward to this year - The Guardian - January 2nd, 2021
- Sex, Genetics, and the Relationship Between the Two in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - December 30th, 2020
- What Is the Average Shoe Size for Women? Its Bigger Than You Might Think - Footwear News - December 30th, 2020
- 'Keep calm and develop vaccines': Meet the scientists behind the Oxford jab - Telegraph.co.uk - December 30th, 2020
- IAEA Highlights and Achievements in 2020 a Year in Review | IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency - December 30th, 2020
- New Year honours 2020: citizens awarded for response to pandemic crisis - The Guardian - December 30th, 2020
- St. Paul authors Fossil Men is a tale of discovery thats anything but old and dry - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press - December 30th, 2020
- East Idaho ranchers find strength in unified bull auction - Post Register - December 24th, 2020
- Burning sensation in lower abdomen: Causes and treatments - Medical News Today - December 24th, 2020
- World-record mountain goat shot with bow by Kansas native in Alaska - The Topeka Capital-Journal - December 24th, 2020
- How Researchers Hope to Save the Florida Scrub-Jay From an Inbreeding Crisis - National Audubon Society - December 21st, 2020
- Eddie Izzard praised after fans notice use of she/her pronouns in latest TV appearance - The Independent - December 21st, 2020
- Special report: Twenty extraordinary women blazing trails in biopharma R&D Covid-19 and beyond - Endpoints News - December 11th, 2020
- Hyperemesis Gravidarum researcher Dr. Marlena Fejzo is on a mission to understand women's health - Motherly Inc. - December 11th, 2020
- Loeffler claims she is the candidate who will create jobs - Yahoo News - December 11th, 2020
- Nobel Prize history from the year you were born - Albany Democrat Herald - December 4th, 2020
- Nobel Prize history from the year you were born - Kenosha News - December 3rd, 2020
- Genomics, gene-editing and the Blue Revolution - Pursuit - December 3rd, 2020
- How breeding can improve lice-eating efficacy of lumpfish in salmon farms - The Fish Site - December 1st, 2020
- 5G and 'Biohackers': Technology rules! (Is that a good thing?) - People's World - December 1st, 2020
- Aspira Women's Health, Inc. Announces a Collaborative Agreement with Baylor Genetics for the Co-Development of an Ovarian Cancer Early-Detection Test... - November 23rd, 2020
- New genetic tools will deliver improved farmed fish, oysters, and shrimp. Here's what to expect - Science Magazine - November 23rd, 2020
- Fitter and Faster: U of O alum Rachel McBride is breaking through barriers and championships - The Fulcrum - November 23rd, 2020
- Fearn farming family to run first online breeding cattle sale at turn of year - Northern Times - November 23rd, 2020
- A key to the mystery of fast-evolving genes was found in junk DNA - Science News - November 23rd, 2020
- The role of a data-analytics director in genomic discovery - Siliconrepublic.com - November 23rd, 2020
- Triangle headliners: Previewing 50 webinars & events coming up rest of this month - WRAL Tech Wire - November 23rd, 2020
- Face Shaving for Women: Pros and Cons, Best Practice Tips - Healthline - November 4th, 2020
- NASCAR's only female track president ready to host championship - The Athletic - November 4th, 2020
- Four Black WomenAll CEOsHave Created A 'Call To Action' To Close The Health Gap For Black Americans - Forbes - November 4th, 2020
- Breeding program 'being worked on' to boost caribou population in Jasper National Park Jasper's source for news, sports, arts, culture, and more -... - November 4th, 2020
- Angelika Amon, cell biologist who pioneered research on chromosome imbalance, dies at 53 - MIT News - November 3rd, 2020
- Berkeley Talks transcript: How Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' took on a life of its own - UC Berkeley - November 3rd, 2020
- UKZN boast its first black female graduate with a PhD in leisure and recreation - IOL - October 31st, 2020
- This Young Farmer Has Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Food - Global Citizen - October 31st, 2020
- Help your health by taking breaks from stress - The Robesonian - October 31st, 2020
- Poor intimate hygiene linked to being one of the biggest causes of cervical cancer - Microbioz India - October 23rd, 2020
- Breastfeeding Won't Cause Your Breasts to Sag and Nine other Surprising Facts about Breasts - PR Web - October 23rd, 2020
- Female moles are intersex they have testicle-like tissue that helps them grow big and tough - CBC.ca - October 20th, 2020
- How to Stop Growing Taller and Why You Shouldn't - Healthline - October 20th, 2020
- Republican voters are taking a radical internet conspiracy theory into the mainstream - Economic Times - October 20th, 2020
- BreakPoint: Inventors of CRISPR win Nobel Prize, but should we 'rewrite the code of life'? - Chattanooga Times Free Press - October 18th, 2020
- Genetics of Height and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: A Mendelian Randomization Study - DocWire News - October 18th, 2020
- Women Rise Above with Launch of Pink Haze - PRNewswire - October 18th, 2020
- Female Moles Have 'Ovotestes' that Produce Testosterone That Make Them Excellent Diggers - News18 - October 18th, 2020
- New bison to join Catalina Island herd The Log - The Log Newspaper - October 18th, 2020
- More bison to join island herd - The Catalina Inslader - October 18th, 2020
- Woman with rare disease delivers healthy baby - The Hindu - October 10th, 2020
- Working-class ants take the reins when the Indian jumping ant queen dies - Massive Science - October 10th, 2020
- City of Hope leads novel clinical trial to treat cancer patients with COVID-19 - The Cancer Letter - October 10th, 2020
- Andrew Gammie's Westpit Limousin herd makes its mark - The Scottish Farmer - October 10th, 2020
- Everything About Hair Loss & DHT - The Ritz Herald - October 6th, 2020
- Sexcel The basis of a new plan! - Farming Life - October 6th, 2020
- Scientists use 16 genes to distinguish between two types of lethal pancreatic cancer - Massive Science - October 6th, 2020
- We Discovered a Missing Gene Fragment Thats Shedding New Light on How Males Develop - Gizmodo Australia - October 6th, 2020
- Lactose tolerance spread through Europe faster than previously thought - Massive Science - October 4th, 2020
- DNA found in caterpillar guts points to what they are eating - Massive Science - October 4th, 2020
- What is the COVID-19 polyclonal antibody treatment that President Trump took? - Massive Science - October 4th, 2020
- RCC partners with Upswing to provide increased academic support services - The Robesonian - October 4th, 2020
- How hybrids have upturned evolutionary theory - The Economist - October 2nd, 2020
- In Rita Colwell's Memoirs, a Reminder That Discrimination in Science Is Universal - The Wire Science - October 2nd, 2020
- The Science of Joint Health - What Causes Pain and How to Ease It - GoodHousekeeping.com - October 2nd, 2020
- In Disorders of the Heart and Brain, Does Sex Matter? - Medscape - October 2nd, 2020
- One Case of a Rare Eye Cancer Was Weird. When 4 More Appeared, the Town Knew Something Wasn't Right. - Mother Jones - October 2nd, 2020
- This years SN 10 scientists aim to solve some of sciences biggest challenges - Science News - October 2nd, 2020
- The aquatic chicken: tilapia genetics and their parallels with poultry - The Fish Site - September 30th, 2020
- Mutations That Affect Aging May Be More Common Than Previously Thought - Science Times - September 30th, 2020