Archives for March 2018

Joint Pain? When is It Time to See A Family Medicine Provider?

Have you ever had a cramp in your hand from persistently trying to open a jar, but no matter how hard you tried, it just would not budge? leaving you with nothing but frustration and a hurt hand. Whether your hands are overworked or time has simply taken its toll, joint pain is nothing we should suffer through.

Your joints are the connections between your bones that allow you to bend and move many parts of the body. Having strong bones goes hand in hand with having healthy joints. Your joints are just one part of your musculoskeletal system that enable us to have mobility, giving us balance and stability. Therefore, keeping them healthy is essential, but this is often one of those things that can be easier said than done.

Joint pain — it can be described as a nagging pain that won’t go away no matter what you try to do. Pain in your joints is often a persistent feeling that won’t go away, a throbbing disruption, both physically and mentally. Some people will try to ignore pain and hope it will go away, but in the case of degenerative joint disease, this pain overpowers and hinders an individual’s quality of life.

Degenerative joint disease is a condition that is so common, yet so misunderstood. Approximately 25 million people in the United States suffer from some sort of joint disease, the most common being arthritis (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis). For over one third of adults 60 years of age and older, sometimes their joints become so worn down that even the slightest movements, like reaching for something such as a glass on a shelf, can be exceedingly difficult. In other words, this type of pain isn’t easy to ignore even if we tried.

Joint pain is incredibly common, but that doesn’t mean it should become the new normal. While joint pain may have been caused by overuse, from playing a sport, or wear and tear from aging, joint problems are not something to just write off as you get older.

Don’t wait until pain is unbearable to seek medical attention. If your painful joints are also swollen, red, warm to the touch, or very tender to touch, you should make an appointment with your provider. Seeing your family medicine provider soon after the onset of joint pain can prevent further joint damage from being done. There are many types of diseases that cause joint pain, and though they’re rarely cause for an emergency, speedy diagnosis may be important to future quality of life.

Therefore, if your joints are swollen, red, or very tender when they are touched, these are even more of a reason that a trip to the family medicine provider is necessary. Seeing your provider after the first bout with joint pain can reduce pain and inflammation, and most importantly, prevent further joint damage from occurring. There are many types of diseases that cause joint pain, and though they’re rarely cause for an emergency, speedy diagnosis may be important to future quality of life.

If you can’t move a joint or it appears to have some sort of deformity, you should also plan on seeing your healthcare provider immediately. You should also seek your family medicine providers help if you continue to experience intense or persistent pain, or the joint begins to suddenly swell up like a balloon.

If you experience joint pain at any time, go see the family medicine provider to get help as early as possible. The earlier an accurate diagnosis is made, the better the outcome will be. Since stiffness, pain, and immobility are exceedingly common symptoms of joint disease, these complications plus others, can be avoided easily if a family medicine provider performs an examination, and prescribes the right form of treatment. This in return, also will provide you with a higher quality of life in the long run.

To learn more about join pain, and what type of treatment can help remedy it, call Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or you can request an appointment online.

Treating Chronic Bronchitis

Do this for a moment: place your hand over your chest, take a deep breath, and then let it out. Your respiratory system can often seem both intricate and delicate, very susceptible to change and problems. From the common cold, to conditions such as asthma or bronchitis, there are many things that can compromise the delicate balance of the respiratory system.

Many conditions that irritate the lungs will lead to coughing fits, especially if the lungs are inflamed and there is increased mucus production. Depending on the person, a cough generally is considered acute, and lasts for less than three weeks. However, sometimes if a cough is persistent and last more than eight weeks, this is called a chronic cough, commonly seen with a respiratory infection.

Most coughs are meant to clear up or significantly improve within a two-week period, but if you have a barking cough that hasn’t improved after a few weeks, then, talk to your primary care family medicine provider, as something may be wrong. A common condition people get in their lower respiratory tract is chronic bronchitis.

What is Chronic Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is an infection in the lungs. Bronchitis can be acute (short-lived) and last for a couple weeks, or more commonly chronic bronchitis, where the infection lasts three months or longer, sometimes even years. Simply put, bronchitis is a condition in which the air passages of the lungs become inflamed and irritated due to an infection or irritation. This inflammation commonly affects the trachea, known as the windpipe, and the large and small bronchi. Bronchi are tubes, or tree-like air passages in the lungs.

Bronchitis also causes the thin mucus linings that protects the lungs to become inflamed. This inflammation causes the airway linings to start leaking mucus into the lungs, causing build up.  Therefore, coughing is the body’s natural reflex to clear the lungs, to help us be able to breathe normally. If coughing does not clear the lungs properly, chronic bronchitis can lead to a common condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where breathing is compromised due the airflow of the lungs being obstructed.

Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis

Some of the symptoms associated with chronic bronchitis may include:

  • Chest discomfort
  • Coughing mucus
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Nasal congestion
  • Sore throat

Yes, bronchitis can be contagious, especially if it is chronic and caused by a viral illness or bacterial infection. Therefore, it is important to take necessary precautions to not get others sick.

Treatments for Chronic Bronchitis

In most cases, bronchitis goes away on its own after a couple of weeks, with the most severe symptoms lessening after the first few days. If the bronchitis is caused by bacteria then a family medicine provider can prescribe antibiotics. Often times people with bronchitis have or develop asthma. If you have asthma or allergies and contract bronchitis as a result, the family medicine provider will most likely prescribe an inhaler, which opens up the abnormal narrowing of the airways, helps shortness of breath, allowing us to breathe properly.

To learn more about chronic bronchitis and how to treat it, call Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or you can request an appointment online.